Remote, hybrid, or fully in-office? | Uber reportedly mulls Expedia acquisition

Expedia names new CTO | Facial recognition arrives at Seattle airport ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Get your ticket for AWS re:Invent, happening Dec. 2–6 in Las Vegas: [Register now for AWS re:Invent.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Remote, hybrid, or fully in-office? More than four years after the pandemic sent corporate employees home, the debate over remote work hasn’t lost steam as leaders enforce varying levels of return-to-office policies. We spoke with execs at startups and large tech companies to learn about what’s working. [Read more](. Could Uber buy Expedia Group? A new report from the Financial Times reveals that Uber has explored a potential bid to acquire the Seattle-based travel company. [Read more](. - Related: Expedia named former Fanatics exec Ramana Thumu as its new chief technology officer. [See the latest exec changes in Tech Moves.]( How far has Microsoft come in the 50 years that it’s been thinking about and implementing artificial intelligence? [The first chapter in GeekWire’s Microsoft @ 50 series]( goes inside the tech giant for interviews and insights about the company’s AI dreams and what it all means to the future success of the company. Facial recognition technology is coming to TSA checkpoints at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in an effort to speed the security screening process. [Read more](. Mercedes-Benz laid off an unspecified number of employees from the automaker’s cloud-focused research and development office in Seattle. [Read more.]( Amazon unveiled a new Kindle Scribe e-reader that features the ability to take handwritten digital notes directly in the flow of e-books for the first time. GeekWire’s Todd Bishop says the device looks promising. [Read more](. AI vs AI: Hiya, the Seattle phone-spam detection startup, launched a new Chrome extension that uses AI to identify deepfake audio in online content and combat misinformation. [Read more.]( Need a great listen? [University of Washington professor Margaret O'Mara]( is our trusted guide [in the latest episode]( of the excellent new podcast “60 Minutes: A Second Look,” taking us on a journey to the early days of the computer industry when correspondent Morley Safer visited booming Silicon Valley in 1982. O'Mara deconstructs the original piece in great detail, noting how certain things don't "age so well," laughing about a 24-pound luggable computer and then drawing fascinating parallels to what's happening today with AI. Hot Links: - Amazon discontinued the Kindle Oasis, first introduced in 2016 and the last of the company’s e-readers with physical buttons. ([The Verge]( - Amazon scored another victory in its legal battle over allegedly unsafe working conditions at some warehouse facilities in Washington state. ([The Seattle Times]( - The era of the “phone-it-in CEO” is over for startups, writes Seattle investor Anthony Bontrager, and it’s time for the return of leaders who are actively in the mix building new companies. ([WestRiver Group]( Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [Break into Software Engineering with a UW Bothell Graduate Certificate]( Break into software engineering with a nine-month Graduate Certificate in Software Design & Development from the University of Washington Bothell. Successful completion of the certificate (100% online with on-campus options) provides pathways into our master’s programs in Cybersecurity Engineering or Computer Science & Software Engineering. Register for an info session! [Get started!]( LATEST HEADLINES [Tech Moves: Expedia names new CTO; F5 adds board members; Humanly hires sales exec]( [Researchers suggest new place to look for microbial life on Mars: ice with bits of dust]( [Remote, hybrid, or fully in-office? Tech companies find their footing with different approaches]( [TSA introduces new facial recognition tech at Seattle airport to speed security screening]( [Phone spam-fighting startup Hiya rolls out Chrome extension that detects deepfake audio content]( [Report: Uber considered potential acquisition of Seattle travel giant Expedia]( [Random thoughts on Amazon’s new Kindle Scribe]( [Mercedes-Benz makes job cuts at cloud-focused R&D office in Seattle]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [INRIX: Cloud DevOps Engineer]( - [INRIX: Revenue Accounting Manager]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2024 GeekWire LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive emails from GeekWire LLC.  Our mailing address is: GeekWire LLC 123 NW 36th St, Suite 203 Seattle, WA 98107  [change email frequency or address]( | [unsubscribe](