GeekWire Radio: Uber tests flat rates, Microsoft’s Xbox Onesie, and inside the tech talent wars

This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast: Uber announced a beta test of a new flat rate program this week, designed to court “super users” in Seattle and other cities around the country. Users of the ride-hailing service in Seattle can pay $49 up front to gain access to $3 UberPool rides and $8 UberX rides during the month of September.

GeekWire reporter Taylor Soper joins us on the show this week to discuss details of the new plan, and the future of the company, including how driverless cars could impact the market. And GeekWire’s John Cook explains why he prefers Lyft over Uber. He’s in the minority: Uber can now claim up to 87% of the ride-hailing marketshare in the U.S., despite losses that are up to $1.27 billion this year.

We also dive into the phenomenon of the Xbox Onesie, a gaming garment unveiled by Microsoft Australia that has taken the internet by storm. But, despite the excitement, the company hasn’t yet announced a release date.

Plus, Kerry Van Voris, director of talent at Madrona Venture Group, joins us to talk about the ins and outs of Seattle’s increasingly competitive technology job market. We’ll discuss how startups can attract stellar engineers, how job candidates can improve their prospects, Amazon’s new experiment with part-time tech teams, and how Seattle stacks up against Silicon Valley.

Listen below or download the MP3 here.