Week In Geek Podcast: Would you hire a realtor on Amazon? Plus, Seattle’s tech diversity problems

Just three words on an Amazon placeholder page was enough to set off a frenzy of speculation and send real estate stocks tumbling: “Hire a realtor.”

It’s a sign that the e-commerce giant is making a new foray into real estate services, setting it up to compete with real estate tech companies like Seattle’s Zillow, whose stock prices fell at the news, and Redfin, which filed for an IPO just last week.

Will Amazon go full-throated into the real estate market? And would people look to Amazon for real estate services even if it did? We debate those questions on this episode of the Week In Geek.

Meanwhile, the tech diversity problem came home to roost in Seattle.

Noted venture capitalist and managing partner at Ignition Partners Frank Artale was forced to resign this week after multiple allegations of misconduct. It’s a stark reminder of the very real challenges that women face in the male-dominated tech and startup worlds — challenges that many hope more diversity can help overcome.

Seeking to help address those challenges, a new initiative from Redfin and several venture capital firms is encouraging companies they invest in to recruit one outside, diverse board member within two years of funding as a way to break the industry out of its homogenous culture.

Plus, Audi is bringing its car rental service, Silverfish, to Seattle and the City Council okays a controversial tax on the city’s wealthiest residents.

On the Random Chanel this week: We poke fun at Amazon’s Prime Day sale, and what does LeBron James have to do with a giant iceberg?

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