COSTCO

Tech Moves: RealNetworks president resigns; Costco security exec departs; and more


— Mike Ensing, president and COO of RealNetworks, resigned this week. Ensing joined the publicly traded Seattle software company in 2020 as interim CFO, and was named president and COO later that year. He’ll remain a strategic advisor through Aug. 19. “I’m deeply grateful and appreciative for everything Mike has done during these turbulent 2 ½ years to help set Real up for the future,” RealNetworks chairman and CEO Rob Glaser said in a statement. Ensing previously spent eight years at Microsoft in various finance executive roles. He most recently was CFO at thrift store retailer Savers. RealNetworks, the streaming audio… Read More

Tech Moves: Seattle marketing vet joins Plenty of Fish; DocuSign CEO steps down; and more


— Christina Kozloff joined Vancouver, B.C.-based dating app company Plenty of Fish as chief marketing officer. Kozloff was previously VP of global marketing at Seattle-based Rosetta Stone, head of brand marketing at legal services firm Avvo, and held positions at Microsoft and Expedia. Plenty of Fish is part of large global online dating company Match Group, and aims to provide a “less prescriptive, low-pressure user experience.” — Doug Herrington, a veteran of Amazon’s consumer business, will be promoted to the new role of CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores following the departure of top consumer exec Dave Clark. Read more. — DocuSign… Read More

Direct-to-consumer casket startup raises $3.5M to boost product line and shipping speeds


Titan Casket, a startup that is disrupting the funeral industry with a direct-to-consumer model for casket purchases, has raised $3.5 million in new funding. The company’s mission is to make it easy to buy a casket online rather than at a funeral home, saving customers time and money during what can be an emotional process. Founded in 2016 by longtime casket manufacturer and supplier Scott Ginsberg, who serves as CEO, Titan also includes a husband-and-wife co-founding team in Bellevue, Wash. COO Josh Siegel previously spent more than eight years at Amazon and was chief product officer at cosmetic treatment review… Read More

How to buy a PlayStation 5

A year after launch, Sony’s PlayStation 5 remains (almost) as elusive as ever. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

While both the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition have been available for more than a year now, supply hasn’t caught up with the massive demand for Sony’s next-gen consoles, namely due to the ongoing global supply chain issues that have impacted everything from cars to consoles. So, how are you supposed to get your hands on either system without resorting to the secondhand market — or worse — scalpers? After all, the consoles are often gone in a matter of minutes, regardless of when and where the restock takes place.

Thankfully, there are ways to keep on top of restocks, which will increase your chances of securing the popular next-gen machine. And with a little patience, determination, and luck, you can still get a PlayStation 5 for the…

Continue reading…

Costco members can buy a PlayStation 5 console bundle right now

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you’re a Costco member, you now have another chance at nabbing Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. Right now, the retailer is selling the disc-based PS5 console in a bundle with an extra DualSense controller, a Pulse 3D wireless headset, a DualSense charging station, and four $25 PlayStation Store gift cards all for $789.99. If you want to take part but are not a member, you can also buy the $60 annual Costco membership here.

As always, double-check your billing and shipping address details are both correct, add the bundle to your cart, and try to check out as soon as you can. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to land the console today, doing so will reduce the time it takes to check out in the future and thus increases your…

Continue reading…

How Jeff Wilke’s industrial roots guided his approach at Amazon, and inspired him to help revive U.S. manufacturing


PITTSBURGH — In his 22 years at Amazon, including his role as the first CEO of the company’s Worldwide Consumer business, Jeff Wilke always kept the place he was raised, and the people he grew up with, in the back of his mind. “I always wanted to lead in a way that if I went back, and people from high school could ask me anything about what I was encountering, the decisions I made, how I made them, that they’d be proud of me,” Wilke said. Born at Allegheny General Hospital in 1966, Wilke grew up in the community of… Read More
+ More