GeekWire

1 day ago | geekwire.com | Kurt Schlosser

Plug and Play is off and running with the inaugural batch of startups selected for an accelerator program based out of the innovation group’s new Seattle location. Three Pacific Northwest companies are among the 10 that will participate in a 12-week program starting this month and running through the end of June. They include:FlyX Technologies, of Bellevue, Wash., is working on patent-pending wireless charging technology for drones.

2 days ago | geekwire.com | Sofia Schwarzwalder

A proposed tax on short-term rentals in Washington state that drew opposition from Airbnb did not move forward in the Legislature last week — but supporters plan to revisit the policy next year. Senate Bill 5576 would have allowed counties, cities and towns to impose a tax of up to 4% on short-term rentals used by vacation guests on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The bill was not called forward for a vote on the House floor prior to the April 16 cutoff and is dead for the session.

1 week ago | geekwire.com | Kurt Schlosser

— Pratima Arora has been named chief product officer at Smartsheet, a new senior executive role at the Bellevue, Wash.-based enterprise software giant. A longtime product and technology leader, Arora will be responsible for Smartsheet’s product management, product marketing, user experience, pricing and packaging, and digital and product partnerships.

1 week ago | geekwire.com | Kurt Schlosser

Don’t cross Jeff Bezos on taxes, cross with Jeff Bezos. An AI-enabled version of the Amazon founder’s voice has apparently been hacked into audio-enhanced crosswalk buttons in Seattle, following a recent trend that targeted other tech leaders in Silicon Valley. In videos on Reddit on Wednesday, fake (but very real-sounding) Bezos can be heard delivering a message to pedestrians who engage crosswalk buttons in the University District and South Lake Union. “Hi, I’m Jeff Bezos,” the voice says.

1 week ago | geekwire.com | Kurt Schlosser

A Seattle-based activist group that has been taking part in protests aimed at Elon Musk and Tesla showrooms in the city has produced a new spoof commercial to drive home how it thinks owners of the electric vehicles might be feeling these days. Troublemakers calls the condition “Tesla Regret Syndrome,” and in the 2-minute satirical ad, three separate Tesla owners are shown experiencing such symptoms as avoiding eye contact with other drivers and offering pre-emptive disclaimers about their car.