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Robot pizza startup runs out of dough: Picnic shuts down, sells assets to mystery buyer

Picnic, the 10-year-old Seattle food automation startup that set out to revolutionize the production of pizza with robotics, has shut… Read More

Spectator 2026-05-07

Spectator 2026-05-14

Spectaor 2026-05-21

What’s next for Bungie? Rumored layoffs and end of ‘Destiny 2’ raise questions about studio’s future

Bungie announced it will end development on Destiny 2 with a final update on June 9. Bloomberg reports the studio plans significant layoffs, raising questions about the future of the Bellevue, Wash.-based studio amid broader cost-cutting by Sony. Read More

Tech Moves: Xbox names CTO; Smartsheet gets first AI chief; Amazon VP departs for DoorDash

Microsoft promoted Scott Van Vliet to Xbox CTO, while Smartsheet elevated Drew Gardner to the news created role of chief AI officer. Amazon saw some departures and arrivals, including a VP's exit for DoorDash. Read More

Bellevue teens targeting salmon die-offs and mental health win big at international science fair

Lakshmi Agrawal, a senior at Interlake High School, and Anusha Arora, a sophomore who also attends Interlake, were among more than 1,700 students from roughly 60 countries who competed at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix. Read More

The view from Bellevue: Seattle has the foundation for future growth — if it can fix its taxes

At a Bellevue Chamber panel, regional business leaders warned that Seattle’s aggressive tax policies threaten to undermine its world-class economic foundation. Read More

A ‘final season’ at Microsoft for Yusuf Mehdi: Longtime exec plans to leave after one last year

Yusuf Mehdi, one of Microsoft’s best-known and longest-serving business leaders, whose tenure has spanned 35 years from Windows 3.1 to… Read More

Why this Seattle-area startup is putting its name on the front of an English Premier League soccer team

Temporal, the Bellevue workflow orchestration company valued at $5 billion, announced Thursday that it is becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor of Crystal Palace Football Club beginning with the 2026/27 season. Read More

CEO of Paul Allen’s $3.1B science and tech fund steps down less than a year after launch

Dr. Lynda Stuart is departing as the first CEO of the Fund for Science and Technology, the foundation created under late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's instructions. The change comes amid broader shifts in the Allen philanthropic ecosystem, including the departures of top AI researchers from the Allen Institute for AI. Read More

SpaceX is churning out 70 Starlink satellites a week in Redmond, and other tidbits from its IPO filing

SpaceX disclosed in its S-1 filing that its Redmond, Wash., facility produces approximately 70 Starlink satellites per week, putting hard production numbers on the operation for the first time. The filing also reveals Starlink's financials and names several Pacific Northwest companies as competitors. Read More