GeekWire The stories that defined 2025: AI dreams, brutal realities, and Seattle tech at a turning point
Dec 27, 2025
In 2025, the tech landscape saw a striking contrast between the AI boom and extensive layoffs. Bill Gates described AI as 'intelligence becoming free', challenging corporations and workers alike. Big investments from Microsoft clashed with corporate cost-cutting efforts, while the University of Washington overhauled its computer science curriculum. Seattle's tech scene faces migration challenges and ethical protests, even as OpenAI acquired Statsig for $1.1 billion. Ambika Singh's touching speech at the GeekWire Awards highlighted the importance of community.
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Intelligence Becoming Free
- Bill Gates framed the moment as "intelligence becoming free," not just computing becoming cheap.
- That perspective suggests AI will set the industry's agenda for decades like the PC era did.
Spending Big While Cutting People
- Massive AI infrastructure spending coexisted with widespread layoffs across big tech.
- Companies cut headcount to appease Wall Street even while investing heavily in AI capital projects.
Workers Stressed By 'Go All In' Mandates
- Workers face pressure to "go all in" on AI while lacking clear playbooks for implementation.
- The MIT finding that most generative AI projects produced no return amplified workforce stress.