The Information

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The Briefing
Why the Return to the Office Is Inevitable
June 8, 2023
Creator Economy
Twitch Capitulates, Reddit May Not
June 8, 2023
Dealmaker
Stability AI Drama Spotlights VC Accountability
June 8, 2023
Crypto Global
Breaking Down the SEC’s Double Whammy
June 7, 2023
The Takeaway
This Is How Sam Altman Works the Press and Congress. I Know From Experience.
June 7, 2023
The Electric
The Electric: The U.S. Battery Program Spreads the Wealth. Will That Save It?
June 5, 2023
The Weekend
Live from SF, It’s Tech Week
June 3, 2023
Pro Weekly
Pro Weekly: Generative AI Spurs Cloud Demand—and Competition
June 2, 2023

Partners

Briefings

Developers of Fast-Rising ‘Falcon’ AI Become a Hot Commodity
June 8, 2023
Twilio Sells India Business ValueFirst, Issues Additional Proxy Materials
June 8, 2023
Third-Party Reddit App to Shut Down
June 8, 2023
Google Says Office Attendance Will Count in Performance Reviews
June 8, 2023
More Google Contract Workers Seek to Unionize
June 8, 2023
General Motors to Join the Tesla Supercharger Network
June 8, 2023
Former Amazon Media Boss Jeff Blackburn Joins Roku’s Board
June 8, 2023
Mark Zuckerberg Jabs at Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset
June 8, 2023
OpenAI Rival Cohere Raises $270 Million, Including From Oracle and Nvidia
June 8, 2023
Silicon Valley Law Firm Cooley Offers to Pay Associates $100K To Start Later
June 8, 2023
TikTok-Owner ByteDance Allowed China to Monitor Hong Protestors, Suit Charges
June 7, 2023
Lionel Messi’s Potential MLS Deal Includes Revenue from Apple TV+
June 7, 2023
Fintech Firm Rho in Talks to Buy Startup Formerly Known As Party Round
June 7, 2023
Amazon Plans to Launch Ad-Supported Prime Video Tier
June 7, 2023
Binance.US Pauses OTC Trading, Delist Some Trading Pairs
June 7, 2023
Stitch Fix Shares Jump Over 25% On Cost-Cutting Plans
June 7, 2023
CNN Chief Departs
June 7, 2023

Subscriber comments

Brad Templeton

on SoftBank’s Onetime Pizza-Robot Darling Shuts Down

It was a silly investment for the time. One obvious flaw is that the pizza tasted terrible. Which is odd because we should start seeing foods that robots make flawlessly -- if given a great formula and training from a great chef, allowing that food to scale in a way it could not before. But pizza already scales.

Yutaka Okura

on Google Invests in AI Startup Runway to Wrest Cloud Business From AWS

Google used to always aim high - like B-HUG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) as they call it internally. But their recent investment looks like just following social technical trend, rather than setting the trend. I would like them to regain dynamism of leading the society, further investing in moonshot type of activities such as they used to do it at GoogleX.

Carsten Schmidt

Carsten Schmidt

on TikTok Is Not the Enemy

While TikTok is certainly shady, there hasn’t been any clear evidence that shows they are guilty. I think the government owes it to the people to provide clear evidence of this being a clear security threat before banning a service.

Ivan Bou

on Musk Tells Tesla Staff He Must Approve All Hiring—Again

Carly Fiorina and Mark Hurd did the same at HP for many years. It kept creating a situation where sales people would love and territories would stay open for months and months because approvals took forever. When you don't trust people to manage to a budget and then use use blunt instruments to massage numbers to quarterly targets, this is what you do.

Andrew Hopkins

on Scared of Leaking Data to ChatGPT? Microsoft Tests a Private Alternative

Controlling the data feeding "private models" is part of the problem though. The more data you can feed a "private model", the more likely you are to derive value from it... but, how do you control access to data that could be sensitive or regulated? You have to control the output as well.

Jason Geater

on Silicon Valley’s Realtors, Like Its Bankers, Are Having a Tough Month

Shows just how much free money has artificially inflated assets prices (into the stratosphere) in the most highly-levered asset class. Exacerbate the issue by making said loans against fantasy VC valuations sounds like a recipe for success: ‘This founder has liquidity issues, but they have a billion in founder stock.…We’re going to ascribe value to that and give them a loan. We’re not like the boring banks who need a salary" This will certainly end well when all of the "unicorn" founder borrowers start defaulting on their mega-mansions.

Amber Hayes

on LinkedIn Faces Growing Complaints From Recruiters Over Rising Prices

Amber Hayes VP of recruiting, HR Operations and Mobility - Unity Technologies Totally agree. Their product has not improved, and prices continue to rise, significantly. We have partnered with seekout as the continued cost increases with LinkedIn are not sustainable in the long term.

Latest Articles

Art from Unsplash

Exclusive

Rise of New Open-Source AI Model Sparks Startup Acquisition Talks

By Jon Victor and Amir Efrati · June 8, 2023 1:58 PM PDT · 1 comment

In recent weeks, open-source software funded by the United Arab Emirates burst on the artificial intelligence scene as one of the most promising challengers to proprietary large-language models developed by OpenAI and...

Image: Art from Unsplash

Art by Clark Miller.

Black Founders Needed SVB

By Rodney Williams · May 23, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

My first SXSW was 11 years ago. Arriving there in 2012 with just an idea for my first company—a secure communications platform called Lisnr—was scary, to say the least. I wasn’t on any event lists. But more than that, there wasn’t any programming aimed at encouraging Black founders, or even seemingly any desire to do so.... My first SXSW was 11 years ago. Arriving there in 2012 with just an idea for my first...

Chart by Mike Sullivan.

Enterprise Software’s Laggards: Firms Growing Slowly And Still Burning Cash

By Akash Pasricha · May 23, 2023 7:47 AM PDT · 1 comment

It’s the age-old refrain in American business: You have to spend money to make money. And it’s particularly true of the tech industry, where startups pour millions into untested new businesses and technologies. Investors usually don’t mind companies burning cash as long as they’re growing quickly—but some enterprise... It’s the age-old refrain in American business: You have to spend money to make money. And...

Photo by Bloomberg

google microsoft

Google and OpenAI’s Next Battleground: Firefox?

By Jon Victor · May 23, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

The race between Google, OpenAI and Microsoft for chatbot supremacy has only just begun. But the companies may soon compete to put their artificial intelligence–powered chatbots in front of nearly 200 million people who use Mozilla’s Firefox web browser each month. Mozilla plans to prominently feature a chatbot like Google’s... The race between Google, OpenAI and Microsoft for chatbot supremacy has only just begun. But the...

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok. Photo by Bloomberg

TikTok Says U.S. Survival Plan is Going Forward. Its Cloud Provider Isn’t So Sure

By Anissa Gardizy · May 22, 2023 7:30 AM PDT · 1 comment

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok. Photo by Bloomberg

TikTok Says U.S. Survival Plan is Going Forward. Its Cloud Provider Isn’t So Sure

By Anissa Gardizy · May 22, 2023 7:30 AM PDT · 1 comment

TikTok’s leaders have spent much of this year telling Washington insiders the company was moving forward with Project Texas, a plan to run the viral video app in a way that alleviates U.S. government concerns about potential meddling by China. The reality isn’t so simple. Project Texas requires Oracle, the app’s cloud provider,... TikTok’s leaders have spent much of this year telling Washington insiders the company was...

Graphic by Shane Burke. Photos via Shutterstock/Wikimedia.

How Meta’s Acquisition of Giphy Went South

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Maria Heeter · May 22, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

When a U.K. antitrust regulator initially ordered Meta Platforms to sell Giphy 18 months ago, it hoped to ensure that the startup—a library for animated images known as GIFs—would prosper as an independent company. Instead, Giphy’s once-promising business has atrophied under Meta’s ownership, making finding a buyer a tall... When a U.K. antitrust regulator initially ordered Meta Platforms to sell Giphy 18 months ago, it...

Art by Clark Miller.

Scene and Heard

ai entertainment

While Hollywood Writers Fret About AI, Visual Effects Workers Welcome It

By Scott Alan Lucas · May 20, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 7 comments

Is there anybody here who is afraid of AI taking their job?” Visual effects veteran James Blevins, whose credits include “The Mandalorian,” “Icarus,” “Air Force One” and “Space Jam,” was speaking last Wednesday to a crowd of several hundred people at the Hollywood offices of FYI, the... Is there anybody here who is afraid of AI taking their job?” Visual effects veteran James...

What'll you have? Expensify CEO and founder David Barrett has high hopes for his workspace-cafe-lounge concept in San Francisco. Art by Clark Miller

A Lounge, an Office and a Strike Against Silicon Valley’s ‘Factory Mentality’

By Jon Steinberg · May 19, 2023 11:00 AM PDT · 20 comments

On May 9, Expensify issued a quarterly earnings report that even its likable longtime CEO couldn’t soften. It had been a “nuclear winter” for the economy, David Barrett told shareholders. There were silver linings for his expense management software company, but “don’t get me wrong, this quarter sucked.” His... On May 9, Expensify issued a quarterly earnings report that even its likable longtime CEO...

From left, Major League Pickleball owners Dude Perfect, Heidi Klum, Eva Longoria, Gary Vaynerchuk, Mark Cuban, Naomi Osaka, Kate Upton, David Dobrik, LeBron James and Tom Brady. Photo-composite by Clark Miller. Gary Vaynerchuk by Michael Nagle/Bloomberg, Kate Upton by Humberto Vidal, Lebron James by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images.

The Hot New Trophy Asset: A Pro Pickleball Team

By Abram Brown · May 19, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 11 comments

From left, Major League Pickleball owners Dude Perfect, Heidi Klum, Eva Longoria, Gary Vaynerchuk, Mark Cuban, Naomi Osaka, Kate Upton, David Dobrik, LeBron James and Tom Brady. Photo-composite by Clark Miller. Gary Vaynerchuk by Michael Nagle/Bloomberg, Kate Upton by Humberto Vidal, Lebron James by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images.

The Hot New Trophy Asset: A Pro Pickleball Team

By Abram Brown · May 19, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 11 comments

It was power lunch hour in midtown Manhattan and Central Park’s new pickleball courts had filled up with the type of sporty executives who once preferred to talk business over 18 holes of golf. I’d gone to paddle around with Samin Odhwani, an investor at NBA star Kevin Durant’s 35 Ventures, and hear about one of the... It was power lunch hour in midtown Manhattan and Central Park’s new pickleball courts had...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

YouTube Undercuts Amazon on Streaming Push

By Sahil Patel · May 19, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

YouTube and Netflix are the most-watched streaming services in America. But it is Amazon that has come closest to building a streaming version of cable TV with its Prime Video Channels service, which lets Prime subscribers easily sign up for a wide range of streaming services run by other companies. It’s an enormously profitable business,... YouTube and Netflix are the most-watched streaming services in America. But it is Amazon that has...

Art by Clark Miller.

How to Be a Crypto Whistleblower

By Poppy Alexander · May 18, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

In the past few months, both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have brought aggressive enforcement actions against crypto exchanges. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, Tron founder Justin Sun and Terra founder Do Kwon have all been either charged or sued by one of these two agencies. Meanwhile, the... In the past few months, both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures...

Instacart CEO Fidji Simo. Photo by Getty.

startups Finance

Instacart’s Ad Business Surges

By Cory Weinberg · May 18, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 5 comments

Instacart has become an advertising powerhouse. The grocery-delivery firm’s ad revenue totaled about $740 million last year, up 30% from 2021, according to a person familiar with the matter. That’s a striking increase, given that the digital ad market was largely stagnant last year. Nearly 30% of Instacart’s 2022 revenue came... Instacart has become an advertising powerhouse. The grocery-delivery firm’s ad revenue...

Sridhar Ramaswamy. Photo by Getty

Snowflake in Talks to Buy Search Startup Neeva in AI Push

By Kevin McLaughlin, Jon Victor and Amir Efrati · May 17, 2023 1:36 PM PDT · 5 comments

Sridhar Ramaswamy. Photo by Getty

Snowflake in Talks to Buy Search Startup Neeva in AI Push

By Kevin McLaughlin, Jon Victor and Amir Efrati · May 17, 2023 1:36 PM PDT · 5 comments

Database software provider Snowflake has been in advanced talks to acquire Neeva, a search startup founded by former top Google ad tech executive Sridhar Ramaswamy, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions. Buying Neeva could help Snowflake offer artificial intelligence software that helps companies search for information... Database software provider Snowflake has been in advanced talks to acquire Neeva, a search...

Subscriber Survey

startups google

Readers Are Split on the Tech Outlook, but Bullish on Big Names

By Kalley Huang · May 17, 2023 7:00 AM PDT

Readers of The Information are split on the outlook for technology companies, but they’ve turned more optimistic about some big tech names. Asked whether conditions for technology companies would improve or worsen over the next six months, 35% of respondents to our latest reader survey said they would improve, 35% said they would worsen... Readers of The Information are split on the outlook for technology companies, but they’ve...

Workers at a Veho facility in Atlanta in 2021. Photo by Bloomberg.

startups e-commerce

SoftBank-Backed Veho Struggles as Logistics Startups Fail to Deliver

By Ann Gehan · May 17, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

After landing nearly $300 million from investors including SoftBank and Tiger Global Management in back-to-back funding rounds in late 2021 and early 2022, delivery startup Veho planned an ambitious expansion that would bring its home dropoff services to 50 cities across the U.S. by the end of last year. But Veho, which offers package deliveries... After landing nearly $300 million from investors including SoftBank and Tiger Global Management...

Photo by Shutterstock.

PayPal, Under Shareholder Pressure, Looks to Sell Xoom

By Cory Weinberg and Maria Heeter · May 16, 2023 3:57 PM PDT

PayPal has been seeking buyers for Xoom, a service that allows people to transfer money internationally, according to a person familiar with the matter. The sale efforts could signal that activist investor Elliott Management, which accumulated a stake last year, is having an impact on PayPal’s strategic thinking. PayPal acquired Xoom... PayPal has been seeking buyers for Xoom, a service that allows people to transfer money...

Art by Clark Miller.

AI Will Destroy Jobs. So What Are We Going to Do About It?

By Ben Parr · May 16, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 34 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

AI Will Destroy Jobs. So What Are We Going to Do About It?

By Ben Parr · May 16, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 34 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s appearance on Capitol Hill this morning is a powerful signal of just how quickly generative artificial intelligence has changed our lives. In the span of just a few months, large language model-based tools have gone from tech novelty to ubiquitous convenience that can do many of the things humans can do, from ... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s appearance on Capitol Hill this morning is a powerful signal of...

Twitter Org Chart Shows the 120 Leaders Musk’s New CEO Inherits

By Erin Woo · May 16, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

As Twitter’s new CEO, Linda Yaccarino is set to step into what may be the most difficult job in advertising: rehabilitating Twitter’s tattered reputation among major advertisers. A fresh update to our Twitter org chart gives a detailed look at the executive team who will help her. The chart lists more than 120 executives, managers... As Twitter’s new CEO, Linda Yaccarino is set to step into what may be the most difficult...

Elon Musk at a Tesla event in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 8. Photo via YouTube/Tesla

economy electric vehicles

Musk Tells Tesla Staff He Must Approve All Hiring—Again

By Becky Peterson · May 15, 2023 11:57 AM PDT · 3 comments

Just a few days after appointing a new CEO for Twitter, Elon Musk is back to micromanaging Tesla. In an email to staff at the electric vehicle maker on Monday, Musk said that Tesla can make no new hires unless he personally approves them, including contractors. He told executives to send him a list of hiring requests on a weekly basis, while... Just a few days after appointing a new CEO for Twitter, Elon Musk is back to micromanaging Tesla....

Art via Unsplash

Open-Source AI Is Gaining on Google and ChatGPT

By Jon Victor · May 15, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 9 comments

In February, Meta Platforms set off an explosion of artificial intelligence development when it gave academics access to sophisticated machine-learning models that can understand conversational language. Within weeks, the academics turned those models into open-source software that powered free alternatives to ChatGPT and other proprietary AI... In February, Meta Platforms set off an explosion of artificial intelligence development when it...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Screentime: The Author–Investor Searching for the Internet’s Next Hangout

By Annie Goldsmith · May 13, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

culture venture capital

Screentime: The Author–Investor Searching for the Internet’s Next Hangout

By Annie Goldsmith · May 13, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

Despite leaving Discord last year, Amber Atherton still spends many of her working hours on the social platform. The company’s former head of community—now a partner at early-stage venture firm Patron—Atherton builds relationships with her portfolio companies in a Discord “zen garden” designed for streaming lo-fi... Despite leaving Discord last year, Amber Atherton still spends many of her working hours on the...