Seattle-area businesses — including Amazon, Boeing, and Microsoft — have given $7 million in cash and $2 million in in-kind donations to support the 2018 Special Olympics. Microsoft announced the donations at an event hosted its Redmond, Wash. campus Wednesday. Microsoft is the presenting sponsor of the games, which will be held in Seattle July 1-6. Microsoft kicked off its two-day Ability Summit Wednesday with a series of speakers discussing the importance of inclusion of people with disabilities. Alaska Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Starbucks, and REI also contributed funds to support the games. The agenda included a high-profile group of speakers, including Washington Gov.… Read More
It has been nearly four years since Steve Ballmer left his job as Microsoft CEO, and he’s noticeably more relaxed these days. “One of the nice things about having four or five unrelated things you work on (is that) people always assume you’re working in one of the other areas even when you’re out screwing around, playing golf,” he joked on stage Wednesday at the Rotary Club of Seattle. RELATED: If Steve Ballmer could show President Trump and Congressional leaders one slide, this would be it But he’s no less energetic or enthusiastic about the projects he’s pursuing, as anyone… Read More
Microsoft’s hardware has already made its way onto NFL sidelines, as the company’s Surface tablet is used by coaches and players to strategize during games. But now its software — specifically, Microsoft Azure and Power BI — is also increasingly making an impact for top professional teams like the Seattle Seahawks, which use the company’s latest machine learning and predictive analytics technology to help predict and prevent injury. Microsoft in June debuted its new Sports Performance Platform, a product born out of the company’s internal incubator that helps coaches and trainers gain insight into injury prevention, or analyze the proper workload… Read More
In a lot of ways, Microsoft’s big redevelopment project at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash., looks similar to many tech companies around the world — a dense, modern campus centered around open spaces and an outdoor plaza. But there is one unique part of the redesign that will surely excite any employees who also happen to enjoy playing cricket. In what appears to be a first for tech giants, Microsoft plans to build a dedicated cricket ground in the middle of the new campus, adjacent to a soccer field. Greg Shaw, senior director in the office of the CEO at… Read More
Netflix. Hulu. Amazon Video. LinkedIn? The Microsoft-owned business social network, best known for displaying the career histories of tens of millions of people, may create or buy its own original video content shows, according to a report in The Information. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner made the remarks Friday at The Information’s Subscriber Summit in San Francisco, noting that shows such as reality TV hit “Shark Tank” is the style of programming that could resonate with LinkedIn users. And while Weiner admitted to being “late” to video, the move could boost engagement on the social network, and possibly allow the company… Read More
