Somalytics is introducing SomaSleep, a mask that uses eye tracking to monitor sleep. (Somalytics Photo)

Seattle-area sensor company [Somalytics](https://somalytics.com/) is showcasing a wearable mask that detects eye movement during sleep at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The company says its [SomaSleep mask](https://somalytics.com/news/SomaSleep/) can track the eye movements associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, a sleep stage associated with dreaming that is key for learning and memory.

The device could help people “really recognize changes in the quality of sleep, changes in rapid eye movement, that can be caused by external influences,” said CEO [Barbara Barclay](https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarabarclay/) in an interview with GeekWire.

The tech has the potential to be integrated with current sleep-monitoring apps and hardware that measure functions like motion, respiration and heart rate, said Barclay. “It’s sort of a ready-made market, if you will, because they all want to track sleep accurately,” she said. But right now, REM sleep is hard to assess, she added.

REM sleep is typically tracked at sleep centers using specialized electrodes placed near the eye. The new glasses could provide an easy-to-use and accessible alternative, said Barclay.

Somalytics generated the components for the SomaMask prototype but is planning to pair up with a manufacturing partner in the future. The SomaSleep mask is expected to be available for consumer purchase by the end of 2023 for a price of $199.

The company does not currently have plans to pursue regulatory clearance for the device at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but it does aim to initiate studies this spring comparing the mask to results from conventional sleep studies, according to a spokesperson.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SomaCap-1mm-on-finger-Edited-630x504.png)

Somalytics’ 1 mm long sensor, the same size as the one used in the sleep mask. (Somalytics Photo)

Somalytics detects eye movement through a type of contactless capacitative sensor, a device that can detect solids or liquids without physical touch. Such sensors emit electrical fields that can be disrupted by objects that enter the field — like moving eyeballs.

Somalytics’ sensors stand out for being tiny, flexible, inexpensive and easy to make, said Barclay. They consist of carbon nanotubes embedded in paper, which is torn at the edges to generate an electrical field that is sensitive to minute disruptions.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Somalytics-CEO-Barbara-Barclay-300x291.jpg)

Somalytics CEO Barbara Barclay. (Somalytics Photo)

The sensors range in size from 1 cm to 11 cm across. They are as thin as a human hair and can “feel” the human presence at up to 20 cm away.

The sensing distance can be changed by adjusting the voltage and the tech is adaptable to a wide range of industrial, consumer and health use cases. Thirty different larger companies are evaluating Somalytics’ sensors in areas like computing, consumer electronics, the internet of things and appliances, said Barclay.

The company’s core sensor technology [was recognized](https://somalytics.com/news/ces-award-release/) as one of 21 honorees for a CES Innovation Award in the embedded technology category.

At CES the company is also showcasing a touch-free light switch and a backrest-like cushion that can assess breathing. The cushion, which has four sensors, has the potential to detect abnormal breathing patterns, said Barclay.

Somalytics was also invited by Hyundai to [help develop](https://somalytics.com/news/hyundai-oilounge-release/) a prototype gesture-control automobile door handle. The handle was recently featured at Hyundai’s Open Innovation Lounge, a startup exhibition, in collaboration with Hyundai partner SL Corporation.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Somalytics-sensors-1-630x420.jpg)

Different sized Somalytics sensors. (Somalytics Photo)

UW associate professor of mechanical engineering [Jae-Hyun Chung](https://www.me.washington.edu/facultyfinder/jae-hyun-chung) developed [the technology](https://somalytics.com/technology/), featured in a [series of publications](https://somalytics.com/publications/). Chung co-founded the company last year with two graduate students in his lab, Zhongjie Qian, and [Viggy Sak](https://www.linkedin.com/in/viggysak/), who have since graduated and are now Somalytics employees. This summer, the company [raised $1.9 million](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/univ-of-washington-spinout-somalytics-raises-1-9m/) and [moved into](https://somalytics.com/news/headquarters-release/) an approximately 2,400 square-foot space in Redmond, Wash.

Manufacturing takes place in about half of the new space and involves a “roll to roll” processing procedure to embed the nanotubes in the paper. A machine presses out the sensor shape and packages them in plastic (polyethylene). The six-employee company aims to have the capacity to make 10 million sensors annually by the end of 2023.

Startup making sensors out of paper unveils eye-tracking sleep mask

Ixana’s three co-founders, L-R: Shovan Maity, head of research; Angik Sarkar, CEO; and Shreyas Sen, a Purdue university professor who came up with the new chip.

A previously unknown Seattle startup, founded by semiconductor and technology industry veterans, says it has developed an energy-efficient chip capable of running advanced AI applications on lightweight, wireless augmented reality headsets that will operate all day without recharging.

The company, [Ixana](https://ixana.ai/), says devices that incorporate its chip will give users the equivalent of a “wearable brain” — sensing and analyzing the person’s environment, and providing real-time information about everything from inventory on a warehouse shelf to a previously forgotten acquaintance at a party.

By enabling all-day battery life in lightweight wearable devices, Ixana says its proprietary YR11 chip represents a key advance that larger companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Meta have yet to achieve (or at least publicly unveil) in their own work on augmented reality, AI, and wearable technology.

Ixana has raised $3 million in funding from Uncorrelated Ventures, Samsung Next, Evonexus, Hack VC, and angel investors including Tom Chi, who led early development of the Google Glass AR headset. The chip has also benefitted from more than $3.5 million in government grants from the National Science Foundation and others.

The company declined to disclose details of the underlying physics of its chip, which it says has resulted in a 100x improvement in energy efficiency, but said it relates generally to the way the chip distributes computing beyond one location to spread out the computing load, dissipate heat, and reduce battery drain.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/augmented-reality-infographic-630x360.jpg)

An Ixana graphic describes the features of its YR11 chip and reference hardware design.

Ixana is promising to provide more information and demonstrate the chip in early January at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, including an augmented reality reference hardware design that will be on display at its booth.

The company was founded in late 2020. It has a team of 17 people with past experience at companies including Intel, Qualcomm, Silicon Labs, Ford, Goodix, Rambus, and Texas Instruments.

The chip was conceived by Ixana co-founder [Shreyas Sen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyassen/), a former Intel Labs research scientist and Purdue university professor of electrical and computer engineering.

“The key problem we’re trying to solve is making sure that our brains and machines can interact faster, so that we can get feedback from the machines in real time,” said [Angik Sarkar](https://linkedin.com/in/angiksarkar), the company’s CEO and co-founder. “Essentially, the machine becomes an extension of you. We sometimes call this a wearable brain.”

Sarkar, a former Intel senior software engineer, previously founded and led hotel price prediction company Waylo, a machine learning travel startup [acquired in 2020](https://www.hotelmanagement.net/tech/edreams-odigeo-acquires-waylo) by European online travel company eDreams Odigeo.

[Shovan Maity](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shovan-maity-b4121a48/), co-founder and head of research for Ixana, was previously an engineer for Intel and Qualcomm.

Now in its fourth generation, the chip was developed by Ixana’s team, and fabricated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). While some components of the headset are sourced from China, the company says all customer-facing components are sourced and assembled in the United States.

Ixana says industrial customers are already testing headsets that incorporate the chip in warehouse settings. The company says it plans to launch larger testing and validation of its chip and reference headset design next year.

The company is also planning to release an Android software development kit (SDK) that developers will be able to use to run their own machine-learning models on the headset to capture data for real-time feedback.

With new chip, augmented reality startup Ixana claims breakthrough in quest for ‘wearable brain’

Amazon has secured as many as 83 launches on three types of heavy-lift rockets to put more than 1,500 satellites into low Earth orbit for its [Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation](https://www.geekwire.com/tag/project-kuiper/) over the course of five years.

If Amazon follows through on all the reservations announced today, the campaign would carry a multibillion-dollar price tag and arguably represent the space industry’s largest launch procurement for a single commercial project.

“Securing launch capacity from multiple providers has been a key part of our strategy from day one,” Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper at Amazon, said today in a news release. “This approach reduces risk associated with launch vehicle stand-downs and supports competitive long-term pricing for Amazon, producing cost savings that we can pass on to our customers.”

Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to offer satellite broadband internet service to tens of millions of people around the world who are currently underserved. The $10 billion project has been in the works for [three years](https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazon-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite/), and [won the Federal Communications Commission’s go-ahead](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/fcc-says-amazon-can-proceed-kuiper-satellites-will-accommodate-rivals/) in 2020. But it’s considered far behind [SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service](https://www.geekwire.com/tag/starlink/), which is already available on a limited basis.

Like Starlink, Project Kuiper is headquartered in Redmond, Wash. More than 1,000 Amazon employees are currently working on Kuiper, and the [project’s careers website](https://www.amazon.jobs/en/teams/projectkuiper) lists more than 300 open positions.

Dave Limp, senior vice president for Amazon Devices & Services, said Project Kuiper is making good progress. “We still have lots of work ahead, but the team has continued to hit milestone after milestone across every aspect of our satellite system,” he said. “These launch agreements reflect our incredible commitment and belief in Project Kuiper, and we’re proud to be working with such an impressive lineup of partners to deliver on our mission.”

Twelve launch reservations have been made with [Blue Origin](https://www.blueorigin.com/), the Kent, Wash.-based space venture owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Those launches would make use of Blue Origin’s [New Glenn rocket](https://www.geekwire.com/tag/new-glenn/), which is [closing in on a first launch in 2023](https://spacenews.com/vulcan-centaur-on-schedule-for-first-launch-in-2022-as-new-glenn-slips/). Amazon also has an option to buy up to 15 additional New Glenn launches.

Amazon has reserved another 38 launches on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is due to have its first liftoff as early as this year. Those missions would be in addition to [nine previously reserved launches](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazon-picks-rocket-thatll-launch-first-kuiper-satellites-not-blue-origin/) on ULA’s existing Atlas V rockets.

New Glenn and Vulcan are designed to lift off from separate launch complexes at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Arianespace has agreed to set aside 18 launches of its heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket, which is due to make its debut as early as this year at the European consortium’s spaceport in French Guiana. Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said the launch contract with Amazon is “the largest we’ve ever signed.”

The FCC license requires Amazon to launch at least half of its planned 3,236-satellite constellation by 2026, and today Amazon said its procurement plan should meet that schedule. That translates to more than 1,618 satellites, potentially launched by the nine Atlas V rockets and the rockets mentioned today.

To optimize the deployment of all those satellites, Amazon has turned to [Beyond Gravity](https://www.beyondgravity.com/en), a Swiss-based space technology company formerly known as RUAG Space. Beyond Gravity is in charge of designing and manufacturing the scalable satellite dispenser systems that will fly aboard the rockets.

RUAG International CEO André Wall said the Project Kuiper deal represents the largest order in Beyond Gravity’s history. To serve the partnership, Beyond Gravity is building a new dispenser production facility in Sweden.

Although it’s too late for Project Kuiper to beat Starlink to market, Amazon could take advantage of potential synergies with its other lines of business.

In today’s news release, Amazon said it would leverage its “global logistics and operations footprint, as well as Amazon Web Services’ networking and infrastructure, to serve a diverse, global customer base.” The company said it would also capitalize on its experience in building low-cost devices such as Echo and Kindle to deliver affordable broadband service via its [lightweight customer terminals](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazons-project-kuiper-drops-hints-customer-terminals-satellite-internet/).

Slips in hardware development schedules could impede Project Kuiper’s progress: Amazon hasn’t said much so far about the timeline for building satellites. Moreover, not one of the rockets cited in today’s announcement — which was timed to coincide with this week’s [Space Symposium](https://www.spacesymposium.org/) in Colorado — has had its first flight yet.

At least one such slip may have happened already: Last November, Amazon announced that [the first Project Kuiper prototype satellites would be launched into orbit late this year](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazon-schedules-first-kuiper-satellite-launches-2022-using-abls-rs1-rocket/) on yet another type of rocket, ABL Space Systems’ RS1. But in January, an [anomaly that occurred during a rocket engine test in California](https://spacenews.com/abl-space-systems-test-accident-to-delay-first-launch-by-three-months/) set back ABL’s development schedule by several months.

As Badyal suggested in his comments, the large number of launch reservations may be a form of insurance to anticipate those sorts of setbacks — and cover Amazon’s multibillion-dollar bet.

Amazon reserves up to 83 rocket launches for Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation

ORLAND, Calif. — Looking north into the night sky during a visit to my hometown last year, I was momentarily stunned by a line of lights moving steadily from east to west, noticeably brighter than the stars. Were the aliens finally arriving in the almond orchards? Nope, but Elon Musk’s broadband internet service was.

It was a train of [SpaceX Starlink satellites](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l58nWIvyYs0) in low-Earth-orbit, beaming internet back to the surface of the planet. These satellites, developed at a SpaceX facility in Redmond, Wash, have become an increasingly common sight around the world as the company has deployed thousands of them to fill out its internet constellation.

On a whim, I signed up for the Starlink waiting list that night. Knowing that the wait would be long, I promptly forgot about it until several months later, when our GeekWire accountant asked about an unexplained charge on my corporate card. I had overlooked the Starlink email letting me know my order was ready.

Whoops! I guess I’d better test this thing out.

So that’s what I’ve been doing this week in my hometown in Northern California. For the record, this is the _real_ Northern California, an agricultural community 100 miles north of Sacramento, not the Bay Area, which is _not_ Northern California. Look at a map, people. The world does not begin in Los Angeles and end in Los Gatos, despite what people in Silicon Valley might like to believe.

Don’t get me started. The point is that it’s exactly the type of place where new forms of satellite internet could bridge the digital divide with the promise of more affordable, accessible and reliable high-speed broadband.

My real-world experience with Starlink suggests that its reliability has improved considerably since some tech reviewers were [frustrated by their spotty initial experience with the Starlink beta](https://www.theverge.com/22435030/starlink-satellite-internet-spacex-review). I was also use Starlink with some success in different locations, confirming that the (officially unsupported) roaming feature does work in some cases.

Bottom line, the SpaceX internet service is becoming an increasingly viable alternative to incumbent providers — if you don’t mind waiting on the list until 2023, and if you can stomach the cost of the Starlink dish and wireless router, which just went up by $100 to $599, along with a $11 increase in the monthly service fee, to $110.

Here’s what I’ve learned and experienced with Starlink in Orland during the past week.

**The setup:** The Starlink kit that I received in the mail was [the second-generation rectangular dish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG3zwGkly5w), released last fall as a successor to the first-generation circular “Dishy McFlatface,” the weirdly cute name that Starlink has given the dish.

With a flat white surface, it’s about 19 inches long by 12 inches wide, and 4 inches deep at the thickest point of the convex back. It weighs about 8 pounds, according to the scale at the house.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/starlink-box-630x474.jpg)

Starlink dish and router, fresh out of the box. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

It clicks into a wide four-legged metal stand, about 2 feet by 1 foot, and connects to a wireless internet router via a 75-foot cable. That router plugs into the wall. And that’s the extent of it. I found it simple and easy to set up a temporary installation (on top of my parents’ backyard shed) using the Starlink app on my Android phone.

You’ll want to put it in a place with maximum exposure to the sky and limited obstructions. The Starlink app has a feature to help determine where to place the dish. The roof is probably your best bet for permanent installations, and you’ll need to find a way to get the cord into the house to connect with the wireless router.

The dish, a phased-array antenna, moves and turns automatically to lock onto the satellites.

**Speed and reliability:** I consistently saw peak download speeds of more than 100 Megabits per second (Mbps), and upload speeds as fast as 8 Mbps, more than enough for email, web browsing and video calls during the week.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Image-29.png)

A representative speedtest of the Starlink service in Orland, Calif.

Over several days of usage, there were times when the speed dropped significantly or the connection dropped altogether. But these moments were sporadic, and they happened most frequently after I moved the dish or set it back up after taking it to a new location (see below). It seems to take a little time to find its bearings after any major change.

During a 45-minute video call on Thursday, for example, my colleagues reported that my video pixelated at times on their end, and the podcast recording service we use indicated that my connection strength was reduced. But the connection didn’t drop completely.

This increased reliability reflects the steady expansion of the Starlink service.

“Since launching our public beta service in October 2020, the Starlink team has tripled the number of satellites in orbit, quadrupled the number of ground stations and made continuous improvements to our network,” Starlink said in a message to users this week, announcing the price increases, which it attributed to inflation.

Of course, as locals will tell you, the ultimate test in the Sacramento Valley is the brutal north wind. The weather gods provided the perfect conditions for this test on Monday. I was impressed at the reliability of the service even in 20 MPH winds, no doubt aided in part by the aerodynamic nature of the dish.

**Roaming:** Officially, at least, each Starlink device is tied to its registered address, with no guarantee of service elsewhere. However, the ability to move locations has officially been unlocked by the company [as part of a humanitarian deployment in Ukraine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/19/elon-musk-ukraine-starlink/), and it seems to be [unofficially available in other places](https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/ssj464/starlink_roaming_is_working/).

I was able to set the Starlink up and use it at my sister’s house in Chico, about 20 miles west of the designated address for my kit, with speeds and reliability comparable to what I had been seeing at home.

Last night, at a friends’ house in a rural area a few miles east of Orland, I set the Starlink on the ground in the driveway, ran the cord through the front door to the router. After taking about 15 minutes to find its bearings, it was good to go, just in time for few online games of _Call of Duty: Warzone_, totally lag free, in contrast with the normal internet experience out there. I felt bad taking the Starlink dish with me when I left.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PXL_20220324_204626784-630x474.jpg)

Testing Starlink at Black Butte Lake outside of Orland, Calif. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

I even took the Starlink out to Black Butte Lake, 15 miles east of town, where I plugged it into the bathroom near the boat launch at Buckhorn Recreation Area and ran the cord to the dish on the roof of my mom’s minivan nearby.

Out there, the service was much more sporadic, cutting in and out. However, I temporarily saw speeds of more than 90 Mbps. Based on my subsequent realization about the time it takes for the dish to find its bearings, I think it might have become more reliable if I had given it more time (and been less worried about what the US Army Corps of Engineers personnel who run Black Butte would say if they had noticed what I was doing).

**Competitive comparison:** Ultimately, the question of whether Starlink is right for any given person or household will depend significantly on price. For a baseline comparison to a major urban area, I pay about $80 a month for gigabit (1000 Mbps) fiber internet service from Lumen (formerly CenturyLink) in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

My parents live in the Orland city limits, and pay $73 a month for Xfinity cable internet service with speeds up to 200 Mbps. Comparable broadband outside of town can run as much as $150 a month, including service from competing satellite providers, with generally lower speeds and varying levels of reliability, plus data limits in some cases.

Even at the new monthly rate of $110, Starlink offers a competitive service price. However, the up-front cost of nearly $600 for the Starlink kit is several times higher than the installation fees for most other services, and requires a do-it-yourself setup unless you can find (and pay) an independent technician to help.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PXL_20220318_014020951_2-630x474.jpg)

The old bike tires worked temporarily to secure the dish, with the cord running into the house through a slightly open sliding door, want a more permanent setup than mine if you decide to try Starlink as your everyday service. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

On the plus side, Starlink doesn’t lock you into a long-term contract. In the message this week announcing the price increases, the company said existing users can cancel and return their hardware within the first year of service for a partial refund of $200. Full refunds are available for returns made within 30 days of receiving the Starlink kit.

Amazon is developing its own satellite internet service, Project Kuiper, but the initial satellites aren’t set to launch until later this year, and pricing for the service hasn’t been announced.

**Bottom line:** As it stands today, Starlink seems to be the best fi for people outside of town, in areas not served by existing providers such as AT&T or Xfinity. If your contract with your existing internet rural internet provider is up next year, and none of the above scares you off, it’s worth considering a spot on the Starlink waiting list.

By the time your turn comes, the service should be even better.

Just be sure to keep an eye on your email to decide whether you really want a Dishy McFlatface of your own before getting a surprise on you doorstep and your credit card.

Elon Musk, are you out there? SpaceX Starlink internet service gets more reliable, and mobile

Microsoft’s [Azure Quantum](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/quantum/) cloud computing service will be adding a brand-new tool to its toolbox: [Pasqal’s neutral-atom quantum processing system](https://pasqal.io/).

When the French company’s system becomes available later this year, it will provide a method for processing data that’s different from the other methods offered through Azure Quantum.

“Running algorithms on Pasqal’s neutral-atom hardware opens the door to unique capabilities no other quantum system offers,” Pasqal CEO and founder Georges-Olivier Reymond [said today in a news release](https://pasqal.io/2022/03/21/pasqal-quantum-computers-coming-to-azure-quantum/).

Unlike the rigid one-or-zero approach of classical computing, quantum computing makes use of quantum bits, or qubits, that can essentially represent different states simultaneously until the results are read out.

Theoretically, the quantum approach should be able to solve certain types of problems, such as network optimization, much more quickly than the classical approach. The technology could open new frontiers in fields ranging from traffic planning to drug development to data encryption.

Azure Quantum — and other cloud-based services including Amazon Braket, IBM Quantum, D-Wave Leap and Google Quantum AI — are already experimenting with hybrid quantum algorithms and looking forward to the development of full-stack, general-purpose quantum computing systems.

The two main avenues for developing quantum hardware make use of superconducting circuits and ion traps. Pasqal takes a different approach, involving neutral atoms that are manipulated at room temperature with laser-powered optical “tweezers.”

The company has already come out with a line of neutral-atom processing hardware called Fresnel, and it’s aiming to deliver a 1,000-qubit quantum processor to market by the end of 2023.

Pasqal’s customers include Johnson & Johnson, LG, Airbus and BMW Group. In January, the company [announced a merger](https://pasqal.io/2022/01/11/quantum-startups-pasqal-and-quco-announce-merger-to-leverage-complementary-solutions-for-global-market/) with [Qu&Co](https://quandco.com/), a developer of quantum algorithms and software. (Qu&Co [has been part of Amazon Braket’s quantum lineup](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/quantum-computing/quantum-chemistry-with-qucos-qubec-on-amazon-braket/).) More recently, [Pasqal and Aramco said they’d join forces](https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/pasqal-and-aramco-collaborate-to-develop-quantum-computing-applications-for-the-energy-industry/) to develop quantum computing applications for the energy industry.

Krysta Svore, Microsoft’s vice president for quantum software, said Pasqal’s neutral-atom processors will be a “welcome addition” to the Azure Quantum ecosystem.

Pasqal should provide Azure Quantum’s users with “new computational possibilities, including analog quantum computation, opening up new avenues for pursuing real-world quantum impacts,” Svore said.

_Pre-registration for early access to Pasqal’s quantum computers through Azure Quantum became available today. For more information about pre-registration, send email to [access@pasqal.com](mailto:access@pasqal.com)._

Microsoft adds Pasqal’s neutral-atom processors to its Azure Quantum cloud computing lineup

Google’s agreement to buy cybersecurity company Mandiant for $5.4 billion, [announced Tuesday morning,](https://www.mandiant.com/company/press-release/mgc) reflects a broader effort by the major cloud providers to give businesses better defenses against a growing array of threats.

It comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine illustrates the need for companies to build up those cyber defenses.

It also reflects a growth area for the cloud giants. Mandiant’s [revenue from continuing operations in 2021](https://investors.mandiant.com/news/news-details/2022/Mandiant-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2021/default.aspx) rose 21% to $483 million, and it was projecting more than $550 million in revenue for the current year as a standalone company.

Microsoft [had reportedly been in the running to acquire Mandiant](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-08/microsoft-is-said-to-pursue-deal-for-cybersecurity-firm-mandiant?sref=CUpXQy6u), before bowing out. The Redmond company last year [hired former Amazon executive Charlie Bell](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/former-amazon-exec-inherits-microsofts-complex-cybersecurity-legacy-in-quest-to-solve-one-of-the-greatest-challenges-of-our-time/) to lead its newly formed cybersecurity engineering organization. [Microsoft said in January](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/microsoft-beats-expectations-with-51-7b-in-revenue-18-8b-in-profits-stock-down-5-after-hours/) that its security revenue in the prior 12 months topped $15 billion, up 45% year over year.

“The cloud security space is highly competitive, and this deal really only even further enhances that competition,” said Phil Venables, Google’s chief information security officer, addressing a reporter’s question about potential regulatory hurdles to closing the deal during a virtual press conference Tuesday morning.

Technology news service _The Information_, [which first reported Google’s talks with Mandiant](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/google-in-talks-to-buy-mandiant-a-4-5-billion-cybersecurity-firm?rc=rgg6ax&shared=074d76d223617a46), reported that some Google employees “privately discussed the need for more security firepower to compete with Microsoft, which offers more security products for its Azure cloud customers, as well as with Amazon Web Services.”

[In an internal FAQ filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001370880/000110465922031297/tm228582d4_defa14a.htm), Mandiant acknowledges that there were additional suitors. “Once we received Google’s offer, we had an obligation to consider that offer, along with alternative opportunities,” the filing reads. “After careful consideration, we concluded that Google’s offer is in the best interest of our company, our shareholders and our customers.”

[![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/google-cloud-630x434.jpg)](https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/as-quarterly-cloud-spending-jumps-to-over-50b-microsoft-looms-larger-in-amazons-rear-mirror)

Synergy Research Group Chart

Given its larger security footprint, Microsoft might have been subject to greater government scrutiny than Google in an acquisition of Mandiant. Although it’s in another technology sector, Microsoft already has its hands full with the regulatory review of [its $68.7 billion agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard.](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/microsofts-68-7-billion-deal-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-is-the-largest-in-its-history-by-far/)

Google Cloud trails Microsoft and Amazon with about 10% of the cloud infrastructure services market as of the fourth quarter of 2021, [according to data compiled by Synergy Research Group](https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/as-quarterly-cloud-spending-jumps-to-over-50b-microsoft-looms-larger-in-amazons-rear-mirror).

Mandiant, based in Reston, Va., is known for its squadrons of security consultants and researchers who respond to cybersecurity incidents and provide the basis for the company’s security technology platform.

“This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian [in a press release](https://www.mandiant.com/company/press-release/mgc) announcing the deal.

Mandiant was founded by former U.S. Air Force computer security officer Kevin Mandia, Mandiant’s CEO, who will join Google through the deal. Previously known as FireEye, the company drew attention for discovering the SolarWinds attacks. The company sold the FireEye business last year Symphony Technology Group and was renamed Mandiant.

Analysts are divided over whether Google’s move signals more deals ahead.

“We believe this deal will have a major ripple impact across the cyber security space as cloud stalwarts Amazon and Microsoft will now be pressured into M&A and further bulk up its cloud platforms,” wrote Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives in a note to clients after the deal was announced Tuesday morning.

Matthew Hedberg of RBC Capital Markets was more cautious.

Hedberg wrote in a note to clients, “While we don’t believe this necessarily forces other large technology vendors to follow suit with a large cyber-security acquisition in the short-term, we believe it further illustrates the importance of cyber-security in a cloud-first world and expect both large and small technology vendors to continue to invest (both organically and inorganically) to take advantage of strong market tailwinds.”

Google Cloud’s $5.4B Mandiant deal accelerates security technology race with Microsoft, Amazon

Microsoft says it will suspend all new sales of its products and services in Russia and stop “many aspects” of its business in Russia in line with government sanctions.

“Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia,” wrote Microsoft President Brad Smith [in a blog post Friday morning](https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/03/04/microsoft-suspends-russia-sales-ukraine-conflict/).

Other tech companies are taking similar action.

*   Apple this week [halted product sales in Russia](https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/1/22957000/apple-russia-ukraine-invasion-halt-product-sales-app-store). Google on Thursday said it would [stop selling online advertising in Russia](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/technology/google-ads-russia.html);
*   Twitter and Snap also announced similar advertising-related moves in the past week.
*   Airbnb on Thursday said it [suspended](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/04/airbnb-is-suspending-all-operations-in-russia-and-belarus-.html) operations in Russia and Belarus.
*   Expedia Group [is blocking the ability](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/expedia-stops-the-sale-of-travel-into-and-out-of-russia-in-response-to-ukraine-invasion/) to book travel into or out of Russia in a response to that country’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Microsoft also says that it’s increasing its normal philanthropic matching program for employee donations to selected organizations supporting the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The company normally matches donations one-for-one, and it’s boosting that to two-for-one in these instances for donations made between Feb. 22 and the end of March.

[Earlier this week](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/microsoft-detected-destructive-cyberattacks-against-ukraine-several-hours-before-russian-invasion-began/), Microsoft said it detected cyberattacks on Ukraine’s digital infrastructure prior to the launch of the Russian military invasion last week.

“Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations,” Smith wrote in his post Friday morning. “We have also acted against cyberattacks targeting several additional civilian sites. We have publicly raised our concerns that these attacks against civilians violate the Geneva Convention.”

_GeekWire’s Taylor Soper contributed to this report._

Microsoft suspends sales of all products and services in Russia, condemns ‘unlawful’ invasion of Ukraine

[Amazon Games announced](https://amazonluna.blog/luna-now-available-to-everyone-in-the-mainland-us-more-games-new-features-and-a-special-offer-4afda22f0649) that its [cloud-based game streaming platform Luna](https://www.amazon.com/luna/) is officially out of beta, and is now available to any interested user in the mainland U.S.

[Initially announced in September 2020](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/analysis-amazon-makes-another-bid-relevance-games-industry-luna-streaming-service/), Luna is a subscription service that lets users sign up for one or several themed “channels,” where they can play a built-in lineup of video games via web browser, Fire TV or tablets, or a variety of supported mobile devices.

These games are streamed to the user’s device via Amazon Web Services, without any need for local installations or updates. You can go from the Luna menu to playing an available game in seconds.

Less usefully, Luna is priced more like cable television than other comparable services like the Xbox Game Pass. Your initial monthly fee for Luna ($9.99/month unless you were in the beta, which lets you keep the $6.99/month base fee if you resub by March 31) only covers its core “channel” of content, with additional channels available for additional money.

This includes an Ubisoft+ feed ($17.99/month) that contains an up-to-date library of that company’s games, such as _Far Cry 6, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,_ and _Rainbow Six: Siege_; and the Family Channel ($2.99/month), a cheap extra that focuses on all-ages games including _Skatebird_ and [_Wandersong_](https://www.geekwire.com/2018/game-review-wandersong-refreshingly-optimistic-story-end-world/).

The team behind Luna has quietly built in several additional features that make the service more interesting for game enthusiasts. In September, almost a year after the service’s beta launch, it announced [a co-op feature for Luna](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazons-new-co-op-mode-luna-offers-interesting-use-case-cloud-gaming-service/) that effectively added local multiplayer and a spectator mode to games on the service that don’t usually have either.

For Luna’s official launch, in a relatively predictable move, it’s added compatibility with Amazon’s Twitch platform so players can stream directly from Luna, using built-in software to provide a live camera feed. With a QR code, a streamer can theoretically get up and running in seconds using a Fire TV and Fire tablet as a makeshift webcam and mic, which could let newcomers quickly break into the Twitch streaming game.

Amazon has also added a Prime Gaming Channel for Luna, that offers a rotating selection of streaming games that Amazon Prime members can play for free. March’s initial offerings include Capcom’s hack-and-slasher _Devil May Cry 5,_ Ubisoft’s _Immortals: Fenyx Rising,_ the retro adventure _Flashback_ (yes, the one from 1992), the indie psychological horror game _Observer_, and the British puzzler _PHOGS!_

This comes alongside a Luna Controller app for iOS and Android, which works with a Fire TV as a makeshift gamepad, and two new paid channels. Retro ($4.99/month) includes _Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Metal Slug 3,_ and a compilation of the early games in the _Castlevania_ series; and Jackbox Games ($4.99/month) collects all eight of Jackbox’s self-branded [Party Packs](https://www.jackboxgames.com/games/).

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screenshot-2022-03-01-125540-630x542.jpg)

The six initial channels for Amazon Luna at launch offer inconsistent pricing, but a fair bit of value to new or returning players. (Amazon Luna screenshot)

While the extra channels can add up in a hurry, the upside for Luna is that it still works out as being overall cheaper than individually buying many of the games on the service. The Ubisoft+ channel is weirdly expensive, but given the sheer size and/or replayability of many of Ubisoft’s games, it’s still a relative bargain.

Naturally, Luna also shares the same downsides as any other cloud-based service. It can use up a _lot_ of bandwidth in a hurry, especially with high-definition games, and it’s very sensitive to lag, especially if you’re trying to play a game that requires you to stay connected to both Luna and its own server simultaneously.

The biggest Luna-specific downside here might be its software lineup. While there are still a lot of good games on Luna, they’re also relatively old. At launch, its marquee titles include _Control_ (2019), _Team Sonic Racing_ (2019), and _Saints Row the Third: Remastered_ (the 2020 version of a 2011 release). It is attractively priced for newcomers or returning players, but gaming enthusiasts likely own or at least have played many of these games already.

Amazon’s Luna game streaming service opens to all users, adds new channels

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2019-Dec-Peter-Kern-630x420.jpg)

Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern. (Expedia Photo)

The metaverse may be all of the rage these days. But Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern doesn’t think we’ll be traveling there anytime soon, saying he thinks for will want to be in the “real-verse” for some time to come.

Asked on CNBC on Friday morning about the impact of the metaverse on the travel industry, Kern said he doesn’t see it as a competitive threat, and noted that “we are trying to figure it out, trying to figure out what it means.”

But Kern said the metaverse — the idea that individuals using virtual reality headsets can be transported to different virtual places — will not upend your next family vacation.

> “We are pretty much about the real-verse and people moving around and experiencing things. And I don’t think the metaverse, in my lifetime, will ever make up for being in Paris, being in Rome, being in a National Park. There is just no replacement for that, and those experiences are what change our lives. And I don’t think that’s the same with a headset on, on your couch. Maybe I’ll be wrong. Maybe in 100 years we will all be batteries, and sitting around with headsets on, but for the foreseeable future we feel pretty good about people wanting to be out in the world.”

Expedia [reported strong earnings](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/with-tech-overhaul-in-place-expedia-group-sees-solid-return-to-travel-as-profits-top-expectations/) on Thursday, posting fourth quarter net income of $276 million on revenue of $2.3 billion. And Kern noted that they are seeing a “solid return to travel,” a message he echoed in the CNBC appearance.

Kern’s take on the metaverse is not too far off from what former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi [told the GeekWire Summit](https://www.geekwire.com/2016/expedias-ceo-virtual-reality-travel-hope-fails-miserably/amp/) crowd in 2016.

“I hope that VR in travel fails miserably because I want people to go places,” said Khosrowshahi, who now leads Uber.

The metaverse certainly has captured the attention of venture capitalists and big-tech titans, with billions of dollars flowing into the ballyhooed sector in recent months. Facebook’s [name change to Meta](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/facebook-now-meta-social-media-giant-rebrands-focus-future-amid-criticism-present/) last fall and [Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/microsofts-68-7-billion-deal-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-is-the-largest-in-its-history-by-far/) are two examples of how companies are betting on what some believe is the next significant platform shift in technology.

And to get a sense of how the metaverse concept is entering the collective consciousness, check out some of this year’s Super Bowl ads. Meta, of course, touts the benefits of the metaverse in their Super Bowl oddly through the reborn life of [animatronic dog](https://www.wsj.com/articles/metas-super-bowl-ad-leans-on-an-animatronic-dog-to-promote-metaverse-11644503400), while Salesforce takes a more cynical view.

“While the others look to the metaverse and Mars, let’s stay here and restore ours,” [declares](https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/matthew-mcconaughey-salesforce-super-bowl-1235178169/) actor Matthew McConaughey.

Sounds like McConaughey and Kern could be pals, hanging on a real beach or mountain top in the “real-verse.”

Expedia CEO says maybe the metaverse emerges in 100 years, predicts more interest in the ‘real-verse’

![Dilution refrigerator](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/181018-dwave-630x420.jpg)

A team member at D-Wave Systems, based in Burnaby, B.C.,, works on the dilution refrigerator system that cools the processors in the company’s quantum computer. (D-Wave Systems Photo / Larry Goldstein)

Burnaby, B.C.-based [D-Wave Systems](https://www.dwavesys.com/), the quantum computing company that counts Jeff Bezos among its investors and [NASA among its customers](https://ti.arc.nasa.gov/tech/dash/groups/quail/), has struck a deal to go public with a $1.2 billion valuation.

The deal involves a combination with [DPMC Capital](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dpmc-north-america/), a publicly traded special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. It’s expected to bring in $300 million in gross proceeds from DPMC’s trust account, plus $40 million in gross proceeds from investors participating in a PIPE arrangement. (PIPE stands for “private investment in public equity.”)

Quantum computing takes advantage of phenomena at the quantum level, processing “qubits” that can represent multiple values simultaneously — as opposed to the one-or-zero paradigm of classical computing. The approach is theoretically capable of solving some types of problems much faster than classical computers.

Founded in 1999, D-Wave has focused on a type of technology called quantum annealing, which uses quantum computing principles and hardware to tackle tasks relating to network optimization and probabilistic sampling.

Although physicists [have debated whether D-Wave’s Advantage system should be considered an honest-to-goodness quantum computer](https://fortune.com/2021/10/05/quantum-computer-d-wave-google-ibm-gate-model/), it’s included among the cloud-based quantum resources offered by [Amazon](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/09/amazon-braket-offers-d-waves-advantage-quantum-system-quantum-annealing/) and [Microsoft](https://www.geekwire.com/2019/microsoft-unveils-azure-quantum-address-big-challenges-computing/). D-Wave also has its own cloud-based platform, [known as Leap](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/d-wave-systems-launches-leap-2-cloud-service-hybrid-quantum-applications/).

The SPAC deal has already been cleared by the boards of directors for D-Wave and DPCM Capital. If the transaction proceeds as expected, with approval by DPCM’s stockholders, it should close by midyear. The result would be a combined company called D-Wave Quantum Inc. that would remain headquartered in Burnaby — a suburb of Vancouver, B.C. — and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the QBTS stock symbol.

“Today marks an inflection point signaling that quantum computing has moved beyond just theory and government-funded research to deliver commercial quantum solutions for business,” D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz said in a [news release](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220208005520/en/D-Wave-a-Global-Leader-in-Quantum-Computing-Systems-Software-and-Services-Announces-Plans-to-Bring-Commercial-Quantum-Computing-to-Public-Markets-Via-Transaction-with-DPCM-Capital-Inc.).

Among the investors involved in the PIPE transaction are PSP Investments, NEC Corp., Goldman Sachs, Yorkville Advisors and Aegis Group Partners. Other longtime D-Wave investors include Bezos Expeditions as well as [In-Q-Tel](https://www.iqt.org/about-iqt/), a venture capital fund backed by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

In what was described as an innovative move, the SPAC deal sets aside a bonus pool of 5 million shares for DPCM’s non-redeeming public stockholders.

D-Wave says it will use the fresh funding to accelerate its delivery of in-production quantum applications for its customers, and to build on a foundation of more than 200 U.S. patents. The company is aiming to widen its offerings beyond quantum annealing by developing more versatile [gate-model quantum computers](https://www.quantumcomputinginc.com/blog/quantum-annealing-gate/).

Emil Michael, DPMC Capital’s CEO, said the [total addressable market for quantum computing services](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1067216/global-quantum-computing-revenues/) could amount to more than $1 billion in the near term, and rise to $150 billion as applications mature.

“While quantum computing is complex, its value and benefits are quite simple: finding solutions to problems that couldn’t be previously solved, or solving problems faster with more optimal results,” Michael said. “D-Wave is at the forefront of developing this market, already delivering the significant benefits of quantum computing to major companies across the globe.”

Quantum computing venture backed by Jeff Bezos will leap into public trading with $1.2B valuation

Seattle-based software company Pluto VR has brought its virtual reality streaming platform PlutoSphere into Early Access. Initially announced in February 2021, PlutoSphere allows its users to stream VR applications to a headset without the need for a local computer, in order to dramatically reduce the cost of entry for virtual reality. Instead of building a new rig around VR compatibility...

Pluto VR debuts tech that lets you stream virtual reality to a headset without a computer

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NordicTrack_iSelect_Adjustable_Dumbbells_iFIT-630x378.jpeg)

The NordicTrack iSelect Adjustable Dumbbells work with Amazon’s Alexa voice control. (iFIT Photo)

Is this the fitness tech you’ve been weighting for?

Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa has been integrated into dumbbells made by iFIT’s NordicTrack, bringing smart technology to traditional exercise gear.

NordicTrack iSelect Adjustable Dumbbells allow a user to electronically adjust from 5 to 50 pounds using simple voice commands and an Alexa-enabled device. A motorized weight selector responds to the voice prompts and makes the necessary adjustments, according to an iFIT [news release](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nordictrack-from-ifit-unveils-voice-controlled-adjustable-dumbbells--the-first-to-offer-works-with-alexa-301457803.html) on Tuesday.

The dumbbells are [priced at $429 on Amazon](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3408676-1&h=692255755&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fnordictrack&a=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fnordictrack).

Much like not changing the TV channel with your fingers or not using your eyes to look outside at the weather, Alexa steps in again to allow voice to make a process more seamless. Forget all that “no pain, no gain” stuff you learned changing out weights the old-fashioned way.

iFIT offered up some examples of how Alexa can join your workout with three skills for the dumbbells:

*   Setting weight to a specific amount: e.g. _“Alexa, set weights to 35 pounds.”_
*   Increasing or decreasing weight: e.g. _“Alexa, decrease weight by 10 pounds.”_
*   Setting weight presets for specific exercises: “_Alexa, set weight for biceps curls_.”

My voice feels more buff already!

“Our patent-pending electronic adjustment eliminates the pain points of cumbersome mid-workout weight change found on other adjustable dumbbells, like decreased heart rate and reduced time under tension, creating a truly uninterrupted and transformative experience,” Mark Watterson, chief experience officer for iFIT, said in a statement.

The dumbbells can also be adjusted mechanically with a simple turn of a knob.

Dumbbells get smarter: Amazon’s Alexa gets a workout in weights that integrate voice control

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/meta-christmas-630x423.jpg)

New numbers suggest that the Meta Quest 2 was a big holiday seller. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

New installations of the Oculus mobile app jumped more than 150% over the Christmas weekend, compared to past years, according to numbers released Tuesday morning by [Apptopia](https://apptopia.com/).

In other words, there were a lot of virtual reality headsets under the tree this year. Oculus app installations approached 650,000 globally from Dec. 24 to 26, up from 255,000 the year before, according to data from the real-time competitive intelligence platform.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/oculus-xmas-21-630x470.png)

Credit: [Apptopia](https://apptopia.com/)

It’s the latest sign of big holiday for Meta, the parent company of Oculus and Facebook, which have large engineering operations in the Seattle region.

[Earlier reports noted](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/metas-oculus-virtual-reality-headsets-were-a-popular-holiday-gift.html) that the Oculus app had jumped to the top of the charts on Apple’s iOS. At a starting price of $300, the Oculus Meta Quest 2 appears to be doing more than its part to bring virtual reality into the mainstream.

Speaking from personal experience, as someone who put a Quest 2 under the tree this year, it’s a great device that demonstrates the potential of untethered virtual reality. But it’s a bummer that Meta [hasn’t yet implemented its promise](https://www.engadget.com/meta-vr-headsets-facebook-login-not-required-201908742.html) to no longer require a Facebook account to set up and use the Quest 2 and other VR headsets. That change expected sometime next year.

Virtual reality is a gateway to Meta’s larger vision for the Metaverse, as outlined by CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year. The big numbers suggest that the controversy swirling around Facebook in recent months might not ultimately hold the company back in its efforts to pursue the Metaverse next phase in its evolution.

And maybe that name change was a smart move, after all.

Christmas was so Meta: Big jump in Oculus app installs signals a tipping point for VR

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/xandr-msft.jpg)

_AT&T Image_

Microsoft reached a deal to acquire AT&T’s advertising technology division, [Xandr](https://www.xandr.com/solutions/), seeking to strengthen its own advertising business as the industry shifts away from online tracking technologies.

AT&T has reportedly been seeking to divest Xandr since earlier this year, part of a broader effort to slim down its business. The telecom giant is separately [spinning out its WarnerMedia business](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/business/att-discovery-merger.html) in a merger with Discovery.

Xandr will help Microsoft develop an ad tech platform for “a post-cookie world,” says Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft’s President of Web Experiences, [in a blog post](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/post/december-2021/microsoft-to-acquire-xandr-to-accelerate-its-digital-advertising-and-retail-media-solutions), referring to the [tech industry’s shift away from tracking technologies](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/06/15/what-is-the-future-of-advertising-in-a-post-cookie-world/?sh=2497805c5f7c) that target ads based on a user’s online activity. He said their approach “respects consumer privacy preferences, understands publishers’ relationships with consumers and helps advertisers meet their goals.”

Microsoft, which owns the Bing search engine and LinkedIn social network in addition to Xbox and other media properties, wants to position itself to compete more effectively with Google, Facebook and others in online ads. The Redmond company [reported $2.7 billion in search and news advertising revenue](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000789019/000156459021051992/msft-10q_20210930.htm) in the September quarter, up 37% from the same period the year before.

AT&T launched [Xandr in 2018](https://about.att.com/story/2018/att_launches_xandr.html), combining its data and analytics business with technologies from [its acquisition of digital and TV ad marketplace AppNexus.](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180625005372/en/ATT-Acquire-AppNexus) The name “Xandr” is an homage to AT&T founder Alexander Graham Bell.

Financial terms of Microsoft’s agreement to acquire Xandr were not disclosed in the announcement Tuesday morning, and a spokesperson for Microsoft declined to provide further details. The companies say the acquisition will require customary regulatory approvals. They did not provide a timeframe for completing the deal.

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/xandr.png)

_AT&T Graphic_

AT&T [reported more than $2 billion in revenue](https://about.att.com/ecms/dam/snrdocs/Earnings/AT&T%204Q19%20Investor%20Briefing.pdf) for Xandr in 2019 but has not given detailed financial results for the unit since then. Axios [reported in July](https://www.axios.com/att-advertising-xandr-inmobi-42a4f6bd-4c09-4416-aedb-89e216c1b6bd.html) that Xandr was losing “tens of millions a year and has been grossly mismanaged by AT&T,” citing unnamed sources. At the time, Axios said, AT&T was in talks to sell Xandr to Indian ad tech giant InMobi.

AT&T [says in a footnote on its news release](https://about.att.com/story/2021/xandr.html) that the Microsoft acquisition not include the DirecTV ad sales business.

It’s the latest effort by Microsoft to expand its advertising business via acquisition, dating back to the company’s $6.3 billion acquisition of aQuantive in 2007, [which went so poorly](https://www.geekwire.com/2012/writedown-microsoft-squandered-62b-purchase-ad-giant-aquantive/) that Microsoft [was forced to take a giant writedown.](https://www.geekwire.com/2012/microsoft-takes-62-billion-writedown-2007-aquantive-deal/)

Microsoft to acquire AT&T’s Xandr advertising tech business, gearing up for a ‘post-cookie world’

![](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207_134838-630x473.jpg)

An empty Microsoft campus amid the pandemic. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

As the Omicron variant appears [likely to surge](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/omicron-likely-to-surge-in-seattle-area-as-health-officials-urge-booster-shots/) across the U.S., back-to-office plans are now in flux as companies rethink — again — how and when they’ll bring back workers to a physical space.

[DocuSign](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/11/business/return-to-office-2022.html), [Apple](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/apple-delays-return-to-office-indefinitely.html), [Lyft](https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/Lyft-pushes-back-return-to-SF-office-2023-16692046.php), [Ford](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/06/ford-delays-return-to-work-program-until-march-amid-omicron-variant-.html), [Uber](https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/584682-google-uber-push-back-returns-to-office), [Google](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/02/google-workers-in-us-wont-return-to-office-as-expected-on-jan-10.html), and others over the past week have pushed back any previously-announced plans.

We’ve seen this before. Back in September, when the Delta variant caused COVID-19 cases to rise, companies began pulling back their back-to-office blueprints.

The latest delay is yet another blow to small businesses such as restaurants that rely on the lunchtime and happy hour worker crowd, as well as office landlords, The Wall Street Journal [reported](https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-google-ford-delay-office-return-as-omicrons-spread-threatens-business-districts-11639477982).

It also still remains to be seen what work might look like in a post-pandemic world, and which — if any — forms of a hybrid model will be used.

Some companies such as [Microsoft](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/microsoft-nixes-oct-4-return-office-latest-rollback-covid-19-delta-variant/) had already given up on predicting a timeframe for full reopening of offices. Apple, which is also [closing stores](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/15/apple-temporarily-closes-three-stores-in-response-to-rising-covid-rates.html), this week also [delayed](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/apple-delays-return-to-office-indefinitely.html) its return-to-office plan indefinitely.

We reached out to several Seattle-area tech companies, and those who have satellite offices in the region, to get their latest guidance for employees. Most companies that have open offices are requiring vaccinations.

**Amazon**: Guidance remains the same as [its Oct. 11 message](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazon-will-leave-remote-work-decisions-individual-team-leaders-new-policy-twist/), when it said remote work decisions would be left to individual team leaders. The company expects directors to share more with their teams in January.

**Microsoft:** The company is also sticking to [its October message](https://www.geekwire.com/2021/microsoft-nixes-oct-4-return-office-latest-rollback-covid-19-delta-variant/). Once its health criteria and local guidelines are met for a given location, Microsoft will announce a 30-day transition period “that provides time for employees to return to the work site.” Last year [it laid out plans](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/microsofts-new-hybrid-workplace-policy-will-make-working-home-permanent-part-mix/) for a “hybrid workplace” policy.

**Meta:** Currently operating its Seattle-area offices at 50% limited capacity. It plans to fully reopen on Jan. 11. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is offering various options to workers, including work from office, work remotely, or an “Office Deferral Program” that lets people work from home for a 3-to-5 month period. Last year it enabled full-time remote work as an option.

**Google:** The company, which employs more than 7,000 in and around Seattle, ditched its plan to return to office on Jan. 10. It will wait until next year to decide on when to transition out of voluntary work-from-home. It currently has 90% of its U.S. offices open, and in recent weeks nearly 40% of staff came into the office. Google previously [said](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/14/technology/google-delays-return-to-office-and-eyes-flexible-work-week.html) most employees were expected to be in the office three days a week.

**Apple:** Delayed its back-to-office date [indefinitely](https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/15/22838471/apple-delays-office-reopening-date-covid-19).

**Expedia:** A majority of offices are open and most of its global employee base will be returning to the office in January on a hybrid basis.

**Smartsheet:** Reopening offices in January and introducing a new flexible workplaces plan.

**Redfin:** A work-from-home policy is still in effect until further notice. It will give employees at least 30 days notice before they are expected to return to the office.

**Zillow Group:** No return to office date. The company [said](https://www.geekwire.com/2020/zillow-allow-90-employees-work-home-indefinitely-pandemic-debunks-old-ways/) last year that 90% of staff could work from home at least some of the time, indefinitely.

**Outreach:** The company hopes to have a plan announced in early 2022. It currently has a hybrid workplace.

**F5**: Offices are open at limited capacity (around 10%). It will potentially re-open offices in January. F5 allows employees to work in the office, work remotely full time, or take a hybrid approach.

**T-Mobile:** The wireless giant opened offices Sept. 1 to fully vaccinated employees. Employees working at badge-controlled office locations (not retail locations) can request to work remotely based on their role and circumstances.

**Icertis:** Offices are open with capacity at 10-to-30%, otherwise employees are allowed to be fully remote. It will give employees at least eight weeks notice to return to their employment city as it transitions to a hybrid work model.

**Remitly:** Remote work is allowed through April 2022.