Introduction

This week on the show, we peel back the layers of Microsoft's hiring of AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman and colleagues from Inflection AI, considering how it plays into the trend of the Redmond company striking deals that look a lot like acquisitions, without actually being acquisitions. Then, we delve into the U.S. Justice Department’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Apple, and consider the parallels to the DOJ's prior case against Microsoft. And finally, we ponder Washington state's plan to fight graffiti with drones.

Additional Links

• S. "Soma" Somasegar: Analysis: Microsoft’s big hires foreshadow bold new move into consumer AI
• Newcomer: Microsoft’s Non-Acquisition Acquisition (second item)
• The Information: Microsoft Agreed to Pay Inflection $650 Million While Hiring Its Staff
• Bill Barr in the Wall Street Journal: Siri, Does Apple Violate Antitrust Law?
• DOJ: Justice Department Sues Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets
• The Verge: DOJ’s sweeping Apple lawsuit draws expert praise

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. 

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