Dueling visions of Amazon; HBO Max launch; Saving the Cinerama

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast.

Amazon and critics wage a PR war in the company’s first virtual annual meeting. One employee said working at an Amazon warehouse is like getting the "golden ticket," but a former employee and critic talked of "toxicity" in the company's culture. We watched, and cringed, and we’ll tell you all about it. Former employee and activist Maren Costa said: “Toxicity is embedded in our operations as pollution causes stunted lung development, asthma, and higher death rates from COVID-19 concentrated in black and brown communities. This is environmental racism.” The meeting started with vignettes from front-line workers highlighting the company’s investment in fighting COVID-19, expected to cost $4 billion this quarter alone.

HBO Max, the new streaming service engineered in Seattle, launches without support from its tech neighbor, Amazon -- and there’s an interesting backstory. The service costs $14.99 a month and includes access to 10,000 hours of content, including original HBO shows, popular movies and classic television. But you won't find it on Amazon's Fire TV. The company contends HBO Max should be part of the current HBO subscription service it offers through Prime.

And some iconic entertainment and tech destinations in Seattle -- the Cinerama and Living Computers Museum -- suddenly face an uncertain future and possible demise. We’ll explain why. And we'll discuss why it might make good business sense for Amazon to buy the Cinerama. Vulcan plans to close Vulcan Arts + Entertainment and Vulcan Productions by the end of the year, calling into question whether some of its organizations will ever return.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.