Could fast-growing Google really be looking to chop 10,000 people from the payroll? Following reports that surfaced today, VentureBeat says the 10,000 figure "sounds insanely high" and doesn't wash with past actions of the search giant. But there are other signs that Google -- with about 30,000 contractors and full time employees -- may be scaling back, including reports that it is looking to reduce office space in New York and Kirkland. And CNET confirms that Google is scaling back its contractor work force.

Microsoft is looking to build 20 "supersize data centers" at a cost of about $1 billion apiece in a bid to compete with Google in the cloud computing arena, according to a BusinessWeek scoop. Could that lead to another boom along the Columbia River where tech titans have constructed data centers to to take advantage of cheap hydro power?

ShareBuilder, the online stock brokerage purchased by ING for $220 million last year, is moving its headquarters from Bellevue to 83 South King St. in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. The company plans to sublease about 130,000 square feet of space from Starbucks, which has been looking to sell or lease the building.

Two Seattle area companies -- MDRNA and Loud Technologies -- have received notifications from Nasdaq that their stocks are not in compliance with stock exchange.

Forbes puts together a list of 11 industries that venture capitalists still like, including renewable energy, energy storage, energy efficient devices, entertainment/video, transportation, carbon capture, biofuels, medical instrumentation/genetic testing, green construction, cloud computing/SaaS, Data as a service. Interesting that seven of the 11 categories are in what I would call the energy or clean tech arena.

Avvo, the Seattle online legal directory and attorney rating service, gets a plug in a segment of Good Morning America Now dubbed "fabulous freebies" that offers tips on using free online services.

Kara Swisher offers a take on why Facebook's bid to buy Twitter for $500 million failed.