Seattle tech executive Brian Hall joins Mistral; Amazon is moving; the new leader of Dropzone AI

– Former Microsoft, Amazon and Google exec Brian Hall he is now the chief marketing officer The Mistral – and you’re strong on the move. “I think this would be the most interesting marketing job in the world,” Hall said on LinkedIn.

Mistral is a Paris-based business AI platform that in 2024 signed a multi-year partnership providing access to Microsoft data centers; Microsoft, in turn, agreed to offer Mistral models through Azure.

Hall said the company differs from big players like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon by providing AI that customers can own, tightly control and operate on their terms. He’s excited about the approach, which he said will allow him to “learn and find out about research, science, and developing communities.”

Hall spent nearly 20 years at Microsoft, then worked at Doppler Labs and Amazon before joining Google in 2020 as vice president of its cloud operations. He left Google in September.

– After 23 years with the company, AmazonVP of Alexa Domains Aaron Rubenson he retires to spend more time with his family. During his tenure, Rubenson also led Amazon’s Appstore, which sold Fire tablets, phones and other products; the company’s mobile and wireless services division; and third-party electronics.

“I’m proud of the products we’ve introduced to customers. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to innovate so many important and exciting things,” Rubenson said on LinkedIn.

– Kimberly Schultz left Amazon to join Earthquakes as a senior human resources officer. Schultz has been with Amazon for more than 11 years, most recently as director and head of business development integration.

Seismic CEO Rob Tarkoff praised Schultz’s “deep experience in people strategy, organizational structure and growing global teams.”

The San Diego company builds AI agents that support corporate revenue teams.

– Seattle-based cybersecurity startup Dropzone AI name it Patrick Duffy as a product head. Duffy joins from Material Security and was previously at Expel. He praised Dropzone AI’s ability to keep up with the volume and speed of cyber attacks and its analyst support.

“The company’s innovative approach is based on a clear understanding of where cybersecurity is headed, with AI agents working across tools, data, and workflows to transform the way security operations are performed,” Duffy said.

Dropzone AI is the No. 19 on the GeekWire 200, a ranked index of the Pacific Northwest’s top startups.

– Jamal died has left Providence to become SVP and chief information officer WellSpan Healtha Pennsylvania-based hospital and health care system. Prior to joining Providence, he was an engineering team leader at Microsoft.

Jamal spent six years working at Providence, a health care network based in Washington and spanning seven states. On LinkedIn, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to develop the organization’s technology and cybersecurity capabilities, expand its use of data and AI, and “most importantly,” better serve patients, caregivers and communities.

– Former leader of Amazon Eat George named chief product officer Mother’s placeis a New York-based platform that helps families transition loved ones into assisted living. George, who will be based in the Seattle area, joins from Grubhub, where he served as SVP of Product. Before that, he was with Amazon for more than 16 years, leaving in 2022 as the head of the global transportation product.

“Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of building and expanding complex marketplaces that connect people, businesses, and service providers at critical times in their lives,” George said on LinkedIn. “What drew me to APM was the opportunity to apply those lessons to a very important mission.”

– Emory Clark he is now a founding designer at SageOxSeattle’s building tools for implementing teams where humans and AI code agents work together. The company launched in January and last month announced $15 million in funding.

Clark joins SageOx from the Learning Design Alliance. He previously founded Celipa, a startup that developed an app to enable bill splitting between friends.

– Mike Gaal has taken on a new role in Microsoftleading the Software & Digital Platforms team for Microsoft Americas and serving as general manager of Digital Natives. Gaal, who is based in San Francisco, has been with Microsoft for 14 years in 10 roles.

– Dr. Veena Shankaran named the first recipient of the Lert Family Endowed Chair at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Shankaran is a gastric cancer specialist and director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research.

– Space Northwestan organization that works to strengthen connections between industry, government and academia to grow the region’s space economy, has named new members to its board of directors. That’s right:

– And if you missed it:

• Dan Lewisfounder and former CEO of online clothing marketplace Convoy, is gone Microsoft starting a new company focused on one of the most expensive problems in artificial intelligence: the cost of running AI models. Read more.
• Sri Chandrasekar he is now the managing director of Seattle’s AI Housesto this day it is known as the AI ​​Incubator. Read more.