Category: Tech Moves

Grab hires Amazon vet Mark Porter as CTO of ride-hailing operation at growing Seattle R&D center

by Taylor Soper on October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 at 4:27 pmComment

Grab’s presence in Seattle continues to grow as the Southeast Asia ride-hailing giant today announced the hiring of Amazon veteran Mark Porter. Porter spent the past five years helping manage… Read More

Tech Moves: Microsoft for Startups founder to open Seattle office for New York’s Quake Capital; OfferUp taps Amazon vet as COO

by Clare McGrane on October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 at 8:25 amComment

Jim Brisimitzis, a longtime Microsoft leader, is leaving the company to establish a Seattle office for New York-based venture capital firm and startup accelerator Quake Capital. The office will officially open… Read More

Zillow COO Amy Bohutinsky leaving as former Starbucks exec joins real estate giant as CMO

by Nat Levy on October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 at 4:28 pmComment

Zillow announced several executive changes Wednesday, as COO Amy Bohutinsky will leave the company early next year, while former Starbucks senior vice president Aimee Johnson will join the online real estate… Read More

Tech Moves: Expedia hires Cortana design lead; Saykara adds VP of growth

by Clare McGrane on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 at 9:31 amComment

Longtime Microsoft design leader Sam Moreau is leaving the company for a new position at Expedia, GeekWire has learned. Moreau will lead design for Expedia’s brand in his new role as VP… Read More

Video

Amazon hires top UW computer science prof as new robotics director, a year after he arrived from CMU

by Taylor Soper on October 12, 2018October 12, 2018 at 12:07 pmComment

Amazon is tapping one of the world’s leading human-robot interaction experts to help manage a robotics operation that has become an integral part of the company’s fulfillment centers. The Seattle… Read More

CEO of domain name registry Donuts is stepping down

by Nat Levy on October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 at 1:15 pmComment

Bruce Jaffe is stepping down from his role as CEO of the domain name registry company Donuts Inc., about a month after it was acquired by Abry Partners, a private equity… Read More

Tech Moves: Indochino adds Lululemon CTO Julie Averill to board of directors; and more

by Clare McGrane on October 10, 2018October 9, 2018 at 3:18 pmComment

Indochino, the Vancouver, B.C., based custom clothing company, has added its first independent board member: Lululemon CTO Julie Averill. “Indochino’s extraordinary growth over the past few years has been impossible… Read More

Redfin hires Amazon behavioral economist Daryl Fairweather to lead housing market research team

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 9, 2018October 9, 2018 at 9:08 am 2 Comments

Daryl Fairweather is joining Redfin as chief economist, bringing with her wide-ranging credentials that include studying behavioral science at Amazon and interviewing foreclosed homeowners for the Federal Reserve during the… Read More

Tech Moves: Make.TV appoints Bay Area exec as COO; Gap adds Zillow COO to board; and more

by Clare McGrane on October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 at 11:57 amComment

Make.TV, the Seattle-based maker of a cloud-based video management platform, added Bay Area executive Tricia Iboshi as its new chief operating officer. Iboshi will remain in San Francisco in the… Read More

Tableau marketing chief Elissa Fink leaving after 11 years with data visualization company

by Clare McGrane on September 28, 2018September 29, 2018 at 9:44 amComment

Elissa Fink, the marketing leader who helped Tableau Software grow from ambitious tech startup to international public company with more than $877 million in annual revenue, is leaving after 11 years… Read More

Tech Moves: REI names tech vet as first chief digital officer; new CEO at Element Data; and more

by Clare McGrane & Kurt Schlosser on September 26, 2018September 27, 2018 at 8:36 am1 Comment

REI is hoping technology can play a bigger role in better connecting people to the outdoors. The Seattle co-op announced Tuesday that it has created two new roles: its first… Read More

Leafly removes CEO Chris Jeffery, less than one year after he joined marijuana review startup

by Taylor Soper on September 24, 2018September 25, 2018 at 10:39 amComment

Seattle-based marijuana strain and dispensary review startup Leafly says it removed CEO Chris Jeffery on Monday. Privateer Holdings, the Seattle marijuana investment firm that acquired Leafly in 2011, confirmed Jeffery’s departure in a… Read More

T-Mobile hires CenturyLink CFO to lead planned merger with Sprint

by Clare McGrane on September 24, 2018September 24, 2018 at 2:22 pm1 Comment

T-Mobile has hired a high-profile telecommunications executive to oversee its planned merger with Sprint. Sunit Patel, most recently the chief financial officer and executive vice president at CenturyLink, will take… Read More

Tech Moves: Cloudability hires former Chef and Qumulo exec; Kymeta adds sales execs; and more

by Clare McGrane on September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 at 9:54 amComment

Portland-based Cloudability has hired a new vice president of marketing: Cloud marketing leader and early Chef executive Jay Wampold. Wampold was most recently the vice president of marketing at heavily-funded… Read More

Tech Moves: OfferUp hires its first CFO from eBay Americas; Porch adds CMO and two VPs; and more

by Frank Catalano on September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 at 8:29 amComment

OfferUp has named its first chief financial officer. The Seattle-based mobile ecommerce marketplace announced Tuesday that Rodrigo Brumana is joining the company as CFO, an appointment the company says is… Read More

Tech Moves: Pioneer Square Labs hires ExtraHop CFO; Kymeta adds 3 sales execs; and more

by Taylor Soper on September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 at 12:55 pmComment

Pioneer Square Labs hires CFO ExtraHop CFO Palvi Mehta has joined Pioneer Square Labs as CFO. Mehta spent more than seven years at ExtraHop, a Seattle IT analytics startup that launched in 2007,… Read More

Tech Moves: MDMetrix tapps Caradigm co-founder as new CEO; Amazon VP takes helm at Delta Dental; and more

by Clare McGrane on September 12, 2018September 11, 2018 at 3:40 pmComment

Seattle health technology startup MDMetrix has a new CEO: Caradigm co-founder and longtime healthcare executive Warren Ratliff. He joins the company at a very early stage. MDMetrix hast just four full-time… Read More

Tech Moves: Techstars leader joins Madrona’s Create33; Marketo taps former SAP exec as president; and more

by Clare McGrane on September 10, 2018September 10, 2018 at 11:55 amComment

Former Techstars Seattle Program Director Jaren Schwartz is taking on a new role at Create33, the new “founder center” established by Madrona Venture Group, GeekWire has learned. Schwartz will serve as… Read More

Tech Moves: Airbnb hires Groupon CMO, former eBay exec; Moz CPO joins BrandVerity; and more

by Clare McGrane on September 6, 2018September 6, 2018 at 1:14 pmComment

Just three months after it opened its new Seattle office, Airbnb is making an even stronger bet on the city with a top-level executive hire. Vinayak Hegde, formerly the chief… Read More

Tech Moves: Xnor.ai taps former Auth0 leader as CEO; Microsoft adds first CVP of retail; and more

by Clare McGrane on September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 at 12:00 pmComment

Xnor.ai, an AI edge computing startup that spun out from the Allen Institute of Artificial Intelligence, has tapped former Auth0 CEO Jon Gelsey as its new CEO. Gelsey replaces Xnor… Read More

Tech Moves: Former Seahawks star joins FanWide; RealSelf CMO departs; and more

by Clare McGrane on August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 at 12:58 pmComment

Sports technology startup FanWide has added a former Seahawks star to its team. Cliff Avril will serve as an advisor, brand ambassador and investor to the Seattle startup. Avril played… Read More

Tech Moves: Nordstrom taps former Intuit CEO as chair; FlyHomes adds Zulily exec as CTO; and more

by Clare McGrane on August 29, 2018August 30, 2018 at 11:30 amComment

Nordstrom is solidifying its commitment to the digital retail world with a new chair of its board of directors. Brad Smith, the longtime chair and CEO of software company Intuit,… Read More

Tech Moves: New Engen adds Amazon vet as CTO; Amazon hires high-profile cardiologist; and more

by Clare McGrane on August 22, 2018August 23, 2018 at 11:09 amComment

Digital marketing startup New Engen, which launched from stealth mode in June, has hired its first chief technology officer, GeekWire has learned. The company tapped former Amazon and OpenMarket executive John… Read More

Tech Moves: Facebook hires away Microsoft smart buildings leader; Nintex adds former Microsoft exec to team; and more

by Clare McGrane on August 17, 2018August 16, 2018 at 2:54 pmComment

Z. John Manolopoulos, the global program manager of Microsoft’s internet of things and smart buildings efforts, is leaving the company for a new role at Facebook, GeekWire has learned. Facebook… Read More

Tech Moves: NFL tight end joins Amperity; Vision Critical founder launches Rival Technologies; and more

by Clare McGrane on August 14, 2018August 13, 2018 at 10:23 pmComment

Amperity, the Seattle-based customer data platform, has hired a sports star for its sales team. NFL tight end Cooper Helfet has joined the company to lead its efforts in sports and… Read More

Tech Moves: Big ins and outs at Amazon; Gates Foundation hires CFO; Techstars vet joins Pioneer Square Labs; and more

by Kurt Schlosser on August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 at 9:16 amComment

There’s a lot of movement in Amazon’s vast world of entertainment, gaming and audio programming, with industry veterans coming in and going out at Amazon Game Studios, Amazon Studios and… Read More