The Insider: Starbucks mum on rumor it will offer free Wi-Fi

FREE WI-FI AT STARBUCKS? The blog mill heated up last week following a prediction by Computerworld that Starbucks would begin offering free Wi-Fi in order to compete with McDonald's, which is peeling away some customers with less- expensive coffee.

Brandon Borrman, a Starbucks spokesman, didn't exactly shoot down the idea when he told the Seattle P-I that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.

The company gave a similar response regarding a prediction from an analyst earlier this year that Starbucks would raise its prices, which the company did shortly after saying it wouldn't comment on rumors or speculation.

As Computerworld notes, the international coffee retailer was a pioneer in rolling out wireless Internet access for customers with its T-Mobile connections, which can be used for a connection fee.

But the practice, which began in 2002, appears a bit outdated as independent coffee shops and Tully's, a small Seattle-based chain, offer free Wi-Fi as a way to differentiate themselves from Starbucks.

McDonald's said earlier this month that it would offer free wireless Internet access across its 1,200-strong restaurants in Britain, making it the country's biggest provider of free wireless broadband access.

ON TARGET IN RENTON: Now that Australian-based Westfield Group has decided to quit picking on Renton's retail project called The Landing, everything seems on Target.

A Target store has become the first retailer to open in the 68-acre urban village under construction just off Interstate 405, in Renton's South Lake Washington neighborhood.

Earlier this year, Westfield's Southcenter Mall in Tukwila stopped its efforts to derail the project and agreed to a legal settlement.

JOBSTER CEO LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB? Jason Goldberg's days at the helm of Jobster may be numbered. Sources close to the Seattle online recruiting startup say that the outspoken co-founder and chief executive is planning to step down as soon as a replacement is found.

Jobster spokesman Christian Anderson said that Goldberg remains the CEO and recently traveled to New York, where he was trying to drum up new business. He declined further comment.

However, a source close to the company says a search committee has been formed to identify candidates for the top job. The committee is led by Goldberg, who remains one of the largest shareholders.

Meanwhile, Valleywag reported that Goldberg's partner recently quit his job at the Seattle advertising firm Wong Doody in order to attend graduate school, possibly on the East Coast.

Even though Jobster has raised about $48 million from Ignition Partners, Mayfield, Trinity Ventures and others, it has encountered plenty of trouble over the past 18 months. It laid off 41 percent of its staff at the beginning of the year, and several key executives have left, most recently co-founder and chief technology officer Phillip Bogle.

Goldberg has taken plenty of heat for his management style and in-your-face blog, something he addressed in an interview with the P-I earlier this summer. At the time, the entrepreneur -- who previously worked for President Clinton and T-Mobile USA -- said that Jobster "is not about Jason Goldberg."

Pretty soon, that might actually be the case.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I guess it was a little bit like, where did the other $50 million go?"

Trulia Chief Executive Pete Flint on his reaction upon learning that Seattle-based Zillow.com, an online real estate competitor, had raised an additional $30 million in venture capital financing. (Read more about Flint's comments on online real estate.)