Working Geek

Working Geek: HR guru Mikaela Kiner says #MeToo has triggered lasting workplace change

After nearly 20 years in the HR trenches, Mikaela Kiner is confident that the #MeToo movement has at last triggered… Read More

Working Geek: Female Founders Alliance CEO Leslie Feinzaig wants to help women score capital

Getting pregnant doesn’t usually inspire bold career moves like launching your first startup. But Leslie Feinzaig had a good reason… Read More

Working Geek: How OpenMarket CEO Jonathan Morgan gets fresh perspectives from employees

As the recently appointed CEO of Seattle’s OpenMarket, Jonathan Morgan travels the globe for all kinds of high-level, big-deal meetings… Read More

Working Geek: Artificial intelligence engineering leader Michael Schmitz loves GitHub, Google Pixel and list making

For Michael Schmitz, working at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) is arguably the best of all worlds. Schmitz,… Read More

Working Geek: Privacy chief Ginger Armbruster guards Seattle’s data from surprising threats

Open records laws that let people keep an eye on their government are generally seen as a net social good.… Read More

Working Geek: Textio co-founder Jensen Harris taps musical skills to orchestrate harmonious code

Jensen Harris, co-founder and chief technology officer for Seattle’s Textio, has a passion and talent for classical music — and a… Read More

Working Geek: iDatalabs CEO Lokesh Dave says startup life actually supports a work-family balance

Since college, Lokesh Dave had an itch to start his own tech company. But a Microsoft internship led to a… Read More

Working Geek: M3 Biotechnology CEO Leen Kawas on shifting from academia to startups

What do babies and startups have in common? “When you think everything is perfect, the next day something happens,” said… Read More

Working Geek: Nintex CEO Eric Johnson says lemonade, hard knocks, discipline led to success

Sure, you’ve heard the tales of business execs as youthful capitalists, setting up lemonade stands. But I bet you haven’t… Read More

Working Geek: Usermind security officer Ted Bardusch on why diverse teams are more functional

Ted Bardusch remembers the good old days of the 1980s when men and women were more equally represented in the tech… Read More

Working Geek: Gensler architect Karen Thomas says Seattle’s the hub of a modern Renaissance

When architect Karen Thomas surveys Seattle’s transformative growth, she sees something even more profound taking place. “What I see happening… Read More

Working Geek: ‘Startup whisperer’ Gillian Muessig shares tips for scoring VC while juggling family life

Gillian Muessig seems to have acquired more than one life-time’s worth of connections, venture capital experience and insights into how… Read More

Working Geek: Bryce Smith, CEO of LevelTen Energy, helps stoke the demand for solar and wind

Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart and other corporations are not only the big dogs in their respective fields, but they also use… Read More

Working Geek: For Avanade’s Pam Maynard, changing time zones is a source of inspiration

Pam Maynard has some sound advice for globetrotting workers. As president of strategic solutions and innovation for Avanade, a Seattle-based… Read More

Working Geek: Bryan Mistele, INRIX CEO and traffic expert, has a surefire way to beat congestion

If your career is focused on transportation and traffic analysis, how are you going to spend your free time? On… Read More

Working Geek: Loftium CEO Yifan Zhang defies expectations, eschews workplace egos

Loftium pitched a novel approach to the real estate market last year by offering down payments to home buyers willing… Read More

Working Geek: CIO Luke Friang’s need for speed keeps pace with Zulily’s quick deals

It’s little surprise that a guy who likes to move fast is helping lead a shopping site that pulses with… Read More

Working Geek: The Climate Corporation’s Brian Zimmer digs helping farmers through digital tools

With increasing demands to feed the world’s growing human population and the tumult of climate change as a backdrop, farming… Read More

Working Geek: Vehicle Research Institute’s Eric Leonhardt is driven to innovate

We could all be driving electric vehicles or cars that get 100 miles-per-gallon or more if the members of Western… Read More

Working Geek: Microsoft’s Harini Gokul looks for women to have more impact, but not more pressure

Microsoft’s Harini Gokul is eager for women to excel in their careers and in charitable work, finding the places where they… Read More

Working Geek: Amazon’s Cynthia Williams wants to help female entrepreneurs as leader of marketplace business

Cynthia Williams wants to use Amazon’s massive reach to help small entrepreneurs — particularly women-run businesses. “Women have always worked hard.… Read More

Working Geek: Each day is different for Megan Dahlen, incubating Microsoft’s new ventures

It’s great to have a job where you’re not stamping out the same widgets everyday, and Megan Dahlen has taken… Read More

Working Geek: Neal Myrick, head of Tableau Foundation, helps NGOs do good with data

In the three years since Seattle-based Tableau launched its foundation, the philanthropic arm of the data visualization company has made… Read More

Working Geek: Zillow VP Rebekah Bastian uses aerial acrobatics to help balance kids and career with social-issue focus

In her first 12 years at Zillow Group, Rebekah Bastian juggled career and a variety of volunteering and mentoring roles.… Read More

Working Geek: Kymeta CEO Nathan Kundtz, satellite internet pioneer, schedules every minute of his day

A perusal of Kymeta’s news coverage suggests that the launch and growth of this Redmond, Wash.-based satellite antenna company has… Read More

Working Geek: Redfin chief economist Nela Richardson believes data science can help with affordable housing challenges

Nela Richardson understands that buying a house can be driven by emotions. But Redfin’s chief economist urges buyers to shop… Read More

Working Geek: When Seattle’s ’90s rock scene failed him, Geocaching’s Sean Boots found lasting success with the next hot ticket

Back in the 1990s, Sean Boots thought he was on the path to a promising musical career. He was the… Read More