Starbucks is laying off 224 more workers tied to its Seattle headquarters, according to a new state filing. The coffee giant says the layoffs don’t represent a new round of cutbacks, but rather the lingering effect of restructuring work announced earlier this year.

About 120 of the 224 are employees who were offered roles in Starbucks’ new Nashville office and declined to relocate, according to the filing. Those roles are expected to be filled in Tennessee.

The remaining 104 in the notice filed Thursday stem from the restructuring that Starbucks announced in May, and fall largely within the group that designs, sites and builds its coffeehouses.

Not all 224 are based in Seattle. The filing covers employees who work at or report to Starbucks’ headquarters at 2401 Utah Ave. S., so some are located elsewhere in the country while reporting to managers at the Seattle campus. Starbucks did not say how many are based in Washington state.

The reductions are part of the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround CEO Brian Niccol launched after taking over in September 2024 — an effort that has paired store-level technology upgrades and a simplified menu with a restructuring of the company’s corporate ranks.

Starbucks has now laid off 537 corporate workers tied to its Seattle headquarters this year, across three state filings: 61 in a tech reorganization in May, 252 at the support center later that month, and the 224 disclosed this week.

Starbucks is targeting $2 billion in cost reductions over two years under Niccol, and has shed more than 2,300 corporate jobs companywide since last year, according to Bloomberg.

At the same time, Starbucks is building out its Nashville office, a $100 million investment expected to house 2,000 support jobs within five years. The company has said the majority of its corporate teams will remain in Seattle.

The design and development cuts come later than the rest of the May restructuring because the executive who leads the group, Stephen Piacentini, joined Starbucks from Chipotle in April, and the organizational changes in his group weren’t finalized when the May restructuring was announced.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the 224 workers covered by the filing report to Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters but not all are based in Seattle.

A friendly challenge sparked by a portrait of Jimothy, Seattle’s favorite short-spined raccoon, has now drawn in 11 regional heavyweights — and with a big new donation from Amazon, driven the total raised for the Ballard Food Bank past $270,000.

Amazon announced Friday that it is adding an additional $200,000 to a pot that already included $71,975.31 in matching contributions from coffee and software giants, airlines, pro sports teams, and others.

The corporate generosity started as a grassroots effort on Instagram in July, where prolific Seattle artist Ryan Henry Ward auctioned a 24-by-24-inch painting of the internet-famous raccoon to benefit the food bank. Buyer Angela Galdabini won the piece with an exact bid of $6,543.21 — prompting Amazon to match the amount and issue a public callout challenging other local brands to step up.

Ten companies stepped up to match the bid: Alaska Airlines, Brooks Running, Microsoft, the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Kraken, Stanley 1913, Starbucks, T-Mobile, WaFd Bank, and Windermere Midtown.

It all sparked a Jimothy love-fest on social media with the brands responding to each other.

Jimothy’s path from Ballard backyards to corporate mascot of sorts began when photos and videos of the round raccoon started circulating online. Born with a rare condition that gives him a compressed, neckless posture, the creature quickly captured Seattle’s — and the internet’s — heart.

The flood of artwork, music, tattoos, food items, memes and more dedicated to Jimothy doesn’t appear to be slowing down, as this Reddit sub demonstrates.

The Mariners held a Jimothy night on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park, where the first 20,000 fans received trading cards with the raccoon’s “stats.” Ben Trammel, who shot video of Jimothy as a baby last year, threw out the first pitch. It all proved so popular that a second Jimothy night was added for Friday.

Amazon’s Disaster Relief team responds with emergency supplies to support victims of crises around the world. Recent efforts have provided aid following a hurricane in Jamaica, earthquakes in Venezuela and wildfires in France.

Devastation from wildfires on the eastern side of Washington hit especially close to home — for Amazon and number of companies in the state.

The Seattle-based tech giant announced this week that it is donating a range of supplies to assist nearly 65,000 people who have been evacuated from their homes in the Spokane area, as crews battle three major wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

“Washington is home to Amazon and to tens of thousands of our employees. As the situation evolves, we remain committed to supporting our employees and the wider community affected by the Spokane wildfires,” Abe Diaz, Amazon’s head of Disaster Relief, said in a statement.

Through its work with the American Red Cross, Save the Children, and local nonprofits in Spokane, Amazon is helping to donate and deliver more than 26,000 emergency supplies, including air purifiers, masks, diapers, and hygiene kits for displaced families. Heavy-duty gloves, boots, and hydration packets for firefighters are also arriving this week, and a second wave of donated supplies will follow.

Amazon relies on 12 Disaster Relief hubs across seven countries, and aid for Spokane is coming from a hub that opened in California’s San Bernardino Valley in 2024.

The global network first launched in the U.S. in 2021 and enables the company to respond to natural disasters in just a couple of days or less. The company says that since 2017, it has donated and delivered more than 30 million essential supplies in response to over 200 disasters around the world. 

In a post on LinkedIn on Wednesday, Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer at Amazon, said the fires created “a living nightmare” in Eastern Washington.

“Every natural disaster is one too many, but the latest one hits especially hard,” she wrote.

Amazon is not alone in providing aid.

Boeing announced that it’s donating $250,000 from its Charitable Trust to assist those impacted by Washington wildfires.

The aerospace company said the funding will support the Innovia Foundation of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, to help nonprofits, businesses and community organizations provide relief. 

Boeing employs more than 65,000 people in Washington. The company said it will match qualifying employee contributions made to charitable gift match programs in support of relief efforts.

F5 is assisting its employees and others in the broader Spokane community impacted by the fires, the company told GeekWire Wednesday.

The Seattle-based networking and security giant has a significant presence in Spokane Valley.

“The safety and well-being of our team members are our highest priorities during this challenging time of rapid evacuations and profound uncertainty,” an F5 spokesperson said, adding that the company is committed to ensuring employees have the resources they need to recover and rebuild.

To assist those directly affected, F5 said it is actively mobilizing support through two primary avenues:

• Direct Employee Assistance: Offering immediate aid to impacted employees through the F5er Emergency Relief Fund. Fully sustained by F5, the fund delivers direct financial relief to employees facing hardships, emergency evacuations, and long-term recovery efforts due to natural disasters.
• Community Donation Matching: F5 launched dedicated donation campaigns to nonprofits actively providing on-the-ground relief and matches employee donations and volunteer time — up to $5,000 USD annually per employee. 

Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab is putting its technology to use in the form of a building damage visualizer that uses satellite imagery to show the effects of the Spokane fires.

The lab supports HASTE (High-speed Assessment and Satellite Tracking for Emergencies), an open-source, no-code platform that turns vast amounts of data into actionable insights. Responders can assess destruction faster and more accurately, supporting relief and recovery efforts.

So far in the Spokane area, 16,171 buildings have been analyzed, with 624 buildings (3.9%) identified as damaged. Another 49 (0.30%) could not be analyzed due to smoke, haze, or clouds. Microsoft stresses that the results are considered preliminary and on-the-ground validation will be needed for an accurate understanding of the full impact.

Microsoft also told GeekWire that an employee giving campaign was launched to raise funds for the American Red Cross’s wildfire relief fund and the Innovia Foundation’s Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Fund. “With all employee donations fully matched by Microsoft, we remain committed to assisting those directly affected,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

T-Mobile is providing a range of services to help keep communities, customers, and first responders stay connected in the wake of the disaster. These include:

• Free Wi-Fi, device charging and supplies at its Five Mile Plaza Experience Store at 1910 W. Francis Ave. in Spokane.
• Unlimited talk, text and data to T‑Mobile, Metro by T‑Mobile, USCellular, Assurance Wireless, Mint and Ultra customers in impacted areas who don’t already have it. 
• Activation of T-Satellite with Starlink in impacted areas, enabling compatible devices to send basic text messages and text-to-911 if traditional connectivity is disrupted, while also delivering Wireless Emergency Alerts. 
• Wi‑Fi, device charging support and power packs at the Spokane Convention Center.

The Bellevue-based wireless provider, which is relaying updates online at its Emergency Response Hub, said it is also working to ensure that cell tower sites remain in operation after having restored service at each site. And T-Mobile is coordinating with state and local agencies to assess community needs and identify additional opportunities to support first responders and residents.

Starbucks is providing support through its foundation to the American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, and the Seattle-based coffee giant said it’s continuing to assess additional opportunities to support recovery efforts in Spokane. 

Customers at Starbucks coffeehouses across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska are invited to join in giving to the Red Cross’s Washington Wildfires 2026 campaign, a spokesperson told GeekWire.

Starbucks partners (employees) who are looking to help during times of need, or year-round, can contribute to the Caring Unites Partners (CUP) Fund, a financial assistance program funded by partners, for partners.

The company is also offering a double match for Starbucks partner donations made to American Red Cross – Disaster Relief; Feeding America – Disaster Response; and World Central Kitchen – Disaster Relief Efforts.

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced that his office has activated its Disaster Relief Center (DRC) to encourage donations for communities hit by wildfires across Central and Eastern Washington.

The DRC operates as a specialized program under the Office of the Secretary of State’s Combined Fund Drive (CFD). The portal aggregates verified, registered crisis-relief nonprofits so state employees, retirees, and the broader public can quickly connect with vetted organizations providing immediate aid.

“In times of crisis, I know Washingtonians’ first thought is ‘How can I help?'” Hobbs said in a statement. “Anyone looking for a way to support our neighbors in Eastern Washington can feel confident their donations will go directly to organizations doing life-saving work on the ground.”

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown’s office is also encouraging people to take precautions to ensure wildfire relief donations go to reputable charities.

“The destruction in Spokane is heartbreaking, and generous people across our state want to help,” Brown said in a news release Wednesday. “It’s important to give safely to ensure your hard-earned money is helping those in need.”

The city of Spokane is accepting donations through its H.O.M.E. Starts Here Fund, which had attracted $234,000 from more than 1,100 donors by Wednesday.

The AG’s office is providing online tips to guide those giving to non-profits or charities.

When Starbucks scrapped an AI-powered inventory counting tool back in May, just nine months after revealing the new system, it landed as a surprise to those tracking the coffee giant’s high-tech ambitions. A new report from Fast Company tells the inside story of how the national rollout disintegrated — and why the Redmond, Wash.-based startup behind it was left “blindsided.”

Known as “Automated Counting,” the tool was built in partnership with NomadGo to scan backroom storage shelves using iPad Pros equipped with computer vision, spatial computing, and augmented reality. It was designed to automatically tally coffee bags, milk, syrups, and other key supplies.

The idea was to turn an hour-long manual chore into a 10-to-12-minute job so baristas could focus on making drinks and connecting with customers.

The technology was deployed rapidly across all 11,300 company-operated Starbucks locations in North America. But almost immediately, real-world store environments triggered rampant glitches, according to Fast Company.

Baristas reported camera errors — such as shiny refrigerator reflections doubling milk counts or the app misidentifying syrups and trash cans — while stores with spotty Wi-Fi frequently had their counting progress wiped out entirely mid-scan.

According to Fast Company, the technical breakdowns stemmed from both software limitations and outdated infrastructure. While NomadGo’s computer vision achieved 99% accuracy in controlled tests, CEO David Greschler noted that computer vision inherently struggles when inventory changes — requiring up to six weeks of retraining for seasonal holiday cups or limited-time packaging that NomadGo developers sometimes only learned about once items hit store shelves.

Compounding the problem, people involved in building the tool pointed to Starbucks’ backend network, which relies on a legacy IBM AS/400 system dating back to the 1990s, making it difficult for cutting-edge AI to process real-time store data reliably.

When Starbucks notified NomadGo on April 3 that it was pulling the plug, the startup was reportedly blindsided. Greschler called the decision “a complete surprise,” telling Fast Company that “there’s nothing you can do when leadership and strategy change.”

Within days of losing its centerpiece enterprise client, NomadGo was forced to lay off a large chunk of its 30-person workforce, according to the report, including the technical team that managed the Starbucks integration. Six weeks later, on May 18, Starbucks formally notified baristas that Automated Counting was retired, instructing them to rip the QR tracking codes off backroom shelves and return to manual tallies.

A Starbucks spokesperson provided GeekWire with this statement on Monday:

“Human connection is at the core of our business, which is why we have invested $500 million to put more partners (employees) in our coffeehouses. We use technology to support human connection, not to replace it. This tool was designed to simplify a routine task and give partners more time with their customers. When it fell short, we listened to feedback and changed course. That is what innovation looks like at Starbucks: listening, learning, and adapting.”

GeekWire also contacted NomadGo, and we’ll update this story when we hear back.

Despite retiring Automated Counting, Starbucks has pushed forward with other AI initiatives across its business. The coffee giant is building an AI-powered ordering companion inside its mobile app to translate cravings into custom recipes, while testing a ChatGPT integration that suggests drinks based on a customer’s mood or outfit.

For store staff, the company continues to rely on Green Dot Assist, a generative AI virtual assistant built to help baristas quickly look up recipes, standards, and store operating procedures.