TechWire rewind: 84 headlines to review, including NC tech jobs, Amazon jobs, startups raise cash + much more

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

Notable news stories from last week included: High-tech job openings in NC increased for the first time since the pandemic began; Amazon is hiring 3,000 people at its fulfillment center in Garner; Raleigh and NC score high among the top areas for remote work in the U.S.; Raleigh-based Brooks Bell is giving away proprietary software for free to help small companies compete with Amazon; Tesla picked Austin over NC for its new auto plant; President Trump visited the factory of a Triangle company that’s producing a COVID-19 vaccine; Durham VC firm IDEA Fund Partners raised $120,000 for its latest startup investment fund.

Several NC companies landed new funding last week, including Raleigh-based Next Century Spirits ($6 million), RTP-based Boragen ($300,500 SBIR grant), Raleigh-based Levitate ($6 million), Chapel Hill-based Altis Biosystems ($3.1 million), Durham-based Modern Energy Group ($100 million), Morrisville-based Tenax Therapeutics ($5 million) and Durham-based 8 Rivers Capital ($30 million in grant funds). Read more startup news in last week’s Startup Rewind here.

And, in national news: An Associated Press analysis found that PPP loans were approved and disbursed to larger firms faster than small businesses; IBM’s CEO sees progress in the company’s shift to cloud and AI, and is working to boost its bottom line after laying off thousands; the U.S. banned technology sales to 11 Chinese companies; LinkedIn is laying off 6% of its workforce; the U.S. indicted a group of Chinese hackers targeting vaccine development firms; as unemployment claims rise, Friday marked the end of the $600 benefit.

Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 84 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week: