Inside a Seattle middle school that just banned phone use on campus | Smartsheet in acquisition talks | Microsoft vet joins UiPath board

School phone bans: Many students walking into Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in Seattle this week turned off their phones and locked them inside fabric pouches. It’s a familiar scene at schools across the country as educators try to rein in the widespread use of smartphones on campus. GeekWire reporter Lisa Stiffler spent time inside the middle school to learn more about how the ban works and what students, teachers, and administrators are saying about it. Read more.

Smartsheet acquisition talks: The Seattle-area enterprise software giant is in discussions to be acquired by private equity firms, according to a report from Reuters. Smartsheet, valued at more than $7 billion, reported its latest quarterly results Thursday, with year-over-year revenue growth of 17% to $276.4 million. Read more. 

Tech Moves: Microsoft vet and Madrona managing director S. Somasegar joined the board of UiPath; Trupanion named John Gallagher as COO; former Starbucks leader Grace Yoo is now at the Washington State Dept. of Commerce; and more key personnel changes.

Library hack recovery: Seattle Public Library shared details about steps it is taking to strengthen its tech infrastructure, three months after a ransomware attack crippled the institution and its 27 branches. Read more.

• Related: Public WiFi is back up again at the Sea-Tac Airport as the Port of Seattle continues to recover from its own outage caused by a suspected cyberattack. (Port of Seattle)

What video games did you love growing up? For Phil Spencer , it was Robotron. Speaking at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, the Microsoft gaming chief also shed light on key decisions that shaped the gaming industry. Read more.

Microsoft's Project Silica is helping students create the 21st-century equivalent of NASA's Golden Record, which will document humanity's heritage for future generations — or space aliens — in a set of laser-blasted glass platters. Read more.

Hot Links:

• An online tool that lets voters fix their ballots is at the center of a new lawsuit filed by Washington state’s Republican Party. (KUOW)
• The debate continues over whether to classify Amazon delivery drivers as employees of the company. (CNBC)
• Legal software company Clio is getting its logo on Vancouver Canucks jerseys for the upcoming hockey season. (Canucks)
• The Department of Energy dedicated its first hybrid-electric research vessel, dubbed the RV Resilience, at an event on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. (PNNL)

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