Amazon's next big business, Satya Nadella's DIY app, and a VC's rallying cry for Seattle tech

This week: Microsoft and Amazon both reported quarterly numbers, and both stocks rose on cloud results that beat expectations. Is AI spending is paying off in real business? And in related news, Microsoft sees a rare annual headcount decline, hitting product R&D hardest. 

Plus: Satya Nadella builds a Power BI dashboard out of an analyst's research report, and touts it on the earnings call to make a bigger point. Jeff Bezos names Amazon's chips business as the long-awaited fourth pillar. And AI House managing director Jacob Colker delivers a much-needed pep talk for Seattle tech, calling on the region to recognize and build on its strengths. 

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook.

Related stories and links:

Microsoft and Amazon earnings

• Microsoft Azure tops $100B in annual revenue as record AI spending cuts into cash flow
• AWS is 'booming,' but Amazon's free cash flow turns negative on record AI spending
• Microsoft R&D jobs drop for second straight year as total headcount falls for first time in a decade
• Which Microsoft businesses are growing and shrinking, according to obscure table in regulatory filing

Amazon's fourth pillar

• Jeff Bezos says this business is becoming Amazon's next 'pillar'

A rallying cry for Seattle tech

• Watch: A venture capitalist's passionate speech, a rallying cry, really, about Seattle
• Seattle's AI2 Incubator rebrands as AI House, and adds key investor as managing director
• 'I'm tired of that narrative': Seattle VC pushes back on tech exodus talk

The Washington tech ecosystem

• New map traces Washington state's tech 'universe' to a few key hubs, and shows what's at risk
• After hiring AWS exec and raising $107M seed round, Virginia startup plants flag in Seattle area
• GeekWire's Seattle engineering centers list

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