This week on the GeekWire Podcast: How artificial intelligence is changing the way companies are created, built, and operated. We're on location at Pioneer Square Labs in Seattle with investor and entrepreneur T.A. McCann, a managing director at the startup studio and venture capital firm.

He explains how AI agents are automating complex functions, letting small teams do the work that once required large groups of people. As AI makes product development easier, he says, the key strategic moat for many startups is now shifting to distribution and data.

Other topics include:

• The wearable AI recorder that captures everything he says throughout the day.

• The rise of the "one-person billion-dollar company" powered by a suite of specialized AI agents.

• How AI-generated personas are replacing human focus groups for market research.

• The future of "agent-to-agent" conversations, where different AI systems negotiate with each other on behalf of their companies.

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; Edited by Curt Milton.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. tech and startup community was stunned by an executive order last week imposing a $100,000 fee for employers seeking new H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, a program heavily used by the technology industry.

This move brings a longstanding debate back to the forefront: are skilled immigrants taking American jobs, or are they a vital engine for innovation and economic growth?

Our guest this week has a strong point of view on this topic. Shirish Nadkarni is a serial entrepreneur and Microsoft veteran who founded companies acquired by BlackBerry and Rosetta Stone. An immigrant himself, he just released a timely new book, The Indian American Tech Success Story, which makes the case that immigrant founders, particularly from India, are one of America's greatest economic assets — creating far more jobs than they could ever be accused of taking.

Related Links and Stories

• Startup leaders warn new $100K H-1B visa fee will hurt U.S. entrepreneurship and innovation
• New TiE Seattle president on how the $100K H-1B fee could snuff out entrepreneurial flame
• Will new U.S. visa fee boost Canada’s tech sector? B.C. sees an opening against Seattle and Silicon Valley

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; Edited by Curt Milton.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: How artificial intelligence is reshaping media and advertising, and what it says about the future of the creative process. Our guest is Jay Richman, an Amazon vice president of product and technology who leads the technology team developing AI tools used by sellers and brands to create and deploy ads across Amazon's platforms.

His career has tracked the evolution of digital media, from early apps for the Palm Pilot to the first wave of streaming at NBC Universal, and the reinvention of podcast ads and monetization at Spotify.

Richman, who's based in New York, was in town this week for Amazon's Accelerate seller conference, where he announced new agentic AI capabilities within Amazon's Creative Studio.

Related Post: Amazon unveils new agentic AI tools for sellers amid heightened scrutiny

With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop. Audio editing by Curt Milton.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.