Leslie Helm
Report Card: Grading Microsoft’s Ten Billion-Dollar Acquisitions
Microsoft has a sketchy record when it comes to buying up companies. How will its acquisition of GitHub pan out?
Microsoft has become infamous for spending billions on companies that quickly lose value under its control. The track record has improved somewhat under CEO Satya Nadella, who has promised its acquisition targets more independence from the Redmond mothership. Considering Microsofts announced intention to buy GitHub for $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock, heres a report card…
Who Killed Bertha? Why the Seattle Tunnel Disaster Isn’t What It Seems, and Why WSDOT Is Making a Dangerous Bet
Two workers, who request anonymity, suggest the tunnel-boring machine was pushed beyond its limit by a foolhardy contractor.
Berthas in heavy rotation (above): A giant red crane slowly rotates the SR 99 tunneling machines front end from a horizontal to a vertical position as it is lowered into the access pit on Aug. 24, 2015, two years after the incident occurred. This story follows our feature story, “Spin Zone,” which appeared in the…
What Do Amazon and China Have in Common?
Both are disruptive, too big to ignore and absolutely key to the future of Seattle and Washington.
This article appears in print in the January 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. What do China and Amazon have in common aside from being featured in this issue of Seattle Business magazine? Well, they are both disruptive, too big to ignore and inextricably tied to our regions economic future. China, like Korea…
Venture Investments in Asian Companies Rocket to U.S. Levels for First Time Ever in 2017
Investments in Seattle area venture companies climbed 23 percent to $1.57 billion last year, and Washington state ranked 7th in the U.S.
Investments in venture-backed companies in Asia shot up 117 percent last year to $70.8 billion, up from $32 billion the year before, catching up with venture investment in the United States, where investments rose a more moderate 17 percent to $71.9 billion, according to the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and CB Insights. The sharp…
Executive Q&A: James Boshaw Is Pushing the Envelope at PAC Worldwide
CEO James Boshaw expects revenue to more than double this year to $400 million.
PACKAGE DEAL: PAC Worldwide CEO James Boshaw oversees more than 800 employees working at plants in the United States, Mexico and Malaysia. Photo by John Vicory. This article appears in print in the January 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. When e-commerce sales rise, revenues rocket at Redmond-based PAC Worldwide Corporation. Thats because…
Collaboration Between Amazon and Microsoft Strengthens the Puget Sound Business Environment
When competitors cooperate and inspire each other, we all benefit.
This article appears in print in the December 2017 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Even as employment in the Puget Sound region has soared to more than 2.2 million, up an astounding 344,000 workers since 2000, and a growing number of local companies have a global presence, the Seattle areas business community has…
Mayor Warns Seattle City Council Against Blocking Removal of Illegal Homeless Encampments
In a memo this week, Tim Burgess and several city officials warned councilmembers that blocking the removal of unauthorized homeless encampments would raise health and safety concerns.
Mayor Tim Burgess warned Seattle City Councilmembers in a memo yesterday that adoption of a proposal to block the removal of unauthorized homeless encampments would create an elevated public health and safety risk to the people of Seattle and hamper the citys efforts to move the homeless into safer, more stable housing. The proposal, by…
Jeff Bezos and Amazon Executives Have Made More than $10 Billion this Morning
Bezos is likely once again the worlds richest person, and eight executives have combined to make more than $27 million since the market opened.
Its been a good morning for Amazon shareholders. As of 10 a.m., Amazons stock price was up 13.5 percent, or about $131. CEO Jeff Bezoss roughly 80 million shares were worth about $88 billion. As of mid-morning, his holdings had climbed $10 billion in value compared to the close of the stock market closed yesterday….
Why Amazon is a Good Neighbor to Seattle and Why HQ2 is a Problem
Amazons community impact isnt always salubrious, but consider the alternative.
Amazon sent shock waves through Seattle in September when it announced plans to spend $5 billion to build HQ2, a second Amazon headquarters, to house 50,000 employees in another probably distant city. Our prospects for becoming a global metropolis suddenly seemed much diminished. Like Boeings decision to move its corporate headquarters to Chicago and build…
Bertha Blame Game, Mismanagement Damages More Than Just Tunnel Project
Big infrastructure projects require unity, not enmity.
In August, when New York celebrated the opening of the Tappan Zee replacement bridge over the Hudson River, Governor Andrew Cuomo crowed about completing the $4 billion structure on time and on budget. That achievement was notable, he said, at a time when a litigious society and NIMBY concerns have made politicians allergic to risk,…
Bright Idea: This New Headphone Device Dissolves Earwax
Earwax is hardly a sexy topic. But brothers Aadil and Sahil Diwan see in it an alluring business opportunity.
Earwax is hardly a sexy topic. But brothers Aadil and Sahil Diwan see in it an alluring business opportunity. Theyve launched SafKan, a Seattle company they hope will be to earwax what Sonicare is to dental plaque. Aadil Diwan is one of more than 230,000 Americans whose impacted earwax requires monthly visits to the doctors…
Bright Idea: Building Morale with Tenacity
Call-center workers learn to love their jobs.
Many of the 300,000 people in the United States who work at call centers are not happy campers. People are yelled at [by customers] and treated like cattle [by employers], says Ron Davis, so turnover is high. Davis is cofounder and CEO of Tenacity (gotenacity.com), a company that uses the latest in machine learning technology…
Editors Note: A View of the Future
What kind of city will emerge from Seattles incredible growth spurt?
Stop and listen. Do you hear it? The roar of the city is just a little louder, more jarring. Drivers are quicker to honk their horns, run red lights and screech their brakes. Turn your head. Look out the window. Theres yet another building appearing from nowhere like a missile rising from its underground silo…
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