TechWire rewind: 2020 predictions; NC firms at CES; Microsoft’s incentives + 70 more headlines

As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.

Here was the hot news for January 6-10: Several NC companies presented their technology at CES; Wake County approved a $1.4 million incentive deal for Microsoft as it plans to make 500 new hires in Morrisville; Zillow named Raleigh among the “most livable” markets for tech jobs; new data shows rents are rising as available office space declines across the Triangle’s corporate real estate market; Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner shared his take on the 2020 economy; four years since a motorcycle accident left Whisky Kitchen Owner Michael Thor a quadriplegic, he finally got to test drive his new robotic arm.

We also covered NC Chamber’s Economic Forecast Forum: At the event, a panel of local economists and keynote speaker Truist CEO Kelly King downplayed the possibility of a recession. In another session, NC Economic Development Partnership CEO Chris Chung hinted that attendees can expect more job announcements for NC in the next few weeks.

Several North Carolina companies announced funding rounds last week, including: Durham-based Clutch Inc. ($5 million), Durham-based Boragen Inc. ($2 million), Raleigh-based Revibe ($250,000), Durham-based BioSkryb ($11.5 million), Charlotte-based AvidXchange ($130 million) and Raleigh-based Medicom Technologies ($700,000).

Check out TechWire’s comprehensive resource package for Triangle startups.

And, in national news: The U.S. economy added 145,000 jobs in December as the unemployment rate remains at a historic low of 3.5%; Facebook is ramping up its policies to remove deepfakes; the Trump administration is proposing new rules to regulate artificial intelligence; over 100 College Humor employees were laid off as owners sold the site.

Keeping with our Monday tradition, here’s a look back at 75 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week: