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AI Agenda
Amazon’s ‘Switzerland’ Days Are Over; Are LLMs Cheating on Benchmark Tests?; OpenAI Quietly Develops Customizable GPTs
Sept. 25, 2023
The Electric
Exclusive from The Electric: GM’s New CTO Says the Company Should Make Its Own Batteries
Sept. 25, 2023
The Weekend
What a Brazilian Steakhouse Says About the Tech Economy
Sept. 23, 2023
The Briefing
SpaceX, Klaviyo, LLMs: Highlight Stories From This Week
Sept. 22, 2023
Pro Weekly
Pro Weekly: Readers Temper Their Optimism About Tech
Sept. 22, 2023
Creator Economy
YouTube Ushers in Fresh Wave of Creator AI Tools
Sept. 21, 2023
Dealmaker
The New VC Mantra: It's ‘Time to IPO’
Sept. 21, 2023
Crypto Global
Behind the Scenes at Paradigm
Sept. 20, 2023

Briefings

Amazon Agrees to Invest up to $4 Billion in AI Startup Anthropic
Sept. 25, 2023
Writers Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios to End Strike
Sept. 24, 2023
Cybersecurity Venture Firm Cyberstarts Closes $480 Million Fund
Sept. 23, 2023
Apple Adds Option to Switch From Google Search in Safari
Sept. 22, 2023
Unity Technologies Issues Apology, Revises New Business Model
Sept. 22, 2023
Biden Administration Wants to Know Cloud Providers’ AI Customers
Sept. 22, 2023
Snap Ad Executive Rob Wilk Exits After Short Tenure
Sept. 22, 2023
FTC to File Long-Awaited Amazon Lawsuit
Sept. 22, 2023
Amazon to Put Ads on Prime Video, Charge $3 For Ad-Free Tier
Sept. 22, 2023
Microsoft to Release AI Features For Windows Users Next Week
Sept. 21, 2023
Cisco to Buy Splunk in $28 Billion Cybersecurity Deal
Sept. 21, 2023
Rupert Murdoch Steps Down as Chair of Fox and News Corp.
Sept. 21, 2023

Subscriber comments

Pano anthos

on Why Dave Clark and Ryan Petersen Butted Heads at Flexport

Pano anthos

on A Tangled Mess of Tech: JPMorgan’s Tall Task to Integrate First Republic

Tech is the least of their issues. They have essentially disavowed the commitments and strategy that FRB executed with the private equity and startup community. The defections in the key banking roles testify to this. We had high hopes for Chase but better systems do not compare to relationships and networking, which is how the startup world works, unfortunately. Chase is treating FRB clients like SMB accounts. Good luck!

Jud Valeski

on OpenAI Considers Creating an App Store for AI Software

Reckoning is coming for OpenAI… they’d be smart to get the marketplace going in earnest. Playing with what mostly amounts to a hallucinating NLP engine is losing steam quickly. Time for thousands of adjacent flowers to bloom.

Joseph Bohrer

on Investors Say They’re Fed Up With Amazon’s Big Bets

I feel like I've been waiting 15 years to read an article like this. Aside from the lack of discipline and transparency on unrelated investments, the retail business has never delivered the consistent profits that were promised years ago and that were the reason investors held a profitless company all those years.

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.

Latest Articles

Art by Clark Miller

Exclusive

MasterClass Takes a Crash Course in Frugality

By Paris Martineau · Sept. 25, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

MasterClass had a problem with the shoot featuring its latest star instructor, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger. The startup was emerging as a poster child of the new media landscape, one that was bringing Hollywood-style...

Image: Art by Clark Miller

Art by Clark Miller.

Runners’ Highs: Tech’s Serial Marathoners on Their Favorite Long-Distance Runs

By Annie Goldsmith · Sept. 23, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

Despite Silicon Valley’s drift toward sports that require an octagon, long-distance running still ranks highly. In our recent Brain-Body Investment Survey, running was respondents’ second most time-consuming form of exercise, right after weightlifting. True to form, tech executives are applying their competitive spirit to the... Despite Silicon Valley’s drift toward sports that require an octagon, long-distance...

Art by Clark Miller

Europe Has Figured Out How to Tame Big Tech. Can the U.S. Learn Its Tricks?

By Chris Stokel-Walker · Sept. 22, 2023 11:00 AM PDT · 23 comments

Late last month in Belgium, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) had a pressing question for Paul Tang, a Dutch politician and member of the European Parliament. How had they done it, she asked him. How had the EU managed to bring big tech to heel? The liberal Massachusetts senator, alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), had stopped off in... Late last month in Belgium, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) had a pressing question for Paul...

microsoft startups

Instacart’s Fake IPO and Why Hiring in Tech Is So Broken

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sept. 22, 2023 10:21 AM PDT

Like all industries, Silicon Valley gets set in its ways. So I particularly enjoyed a comment from Sam pointing out the absurdity of tech hiring practices on this week's episode of More or Less. It is definitely food for thought, along with our debate about when tech companies should go public. Hope you enjoy! Spotify Apple YouTube... Like all industries, Silicon Valley gets set in its ways. So I particularly enjoyed a comment...

If AI researchers can meet Nat Friedman's Vesuvius Challenge, “It’ll be the first time we’ve read handwriting that hasn’t been seen in 2,000 years.” Art by Clark Miller

Nat Versus the Volcano: Can an AI Investor Solve an Ancient Mystery from the Ashes of Vesuvius?

By Margaux MacColl · Sept. 22, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

If AI researchers can meet Nat Friedman's Vesuvius Challenge, “It’ll be the first time we’ve read handwriting that hasn’t been seen in 2,000 years.” Art by Clark Miller

Nat Versus the Volcano: Can an AI Investor Solve an Ancient Mystery from the Ashes of Vesuvius?

By Margaux MacColl · Sept. 22, 2023 9:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

Long before men’s daily thoughts about ancient Rome became a TikTok meme, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman’s mind was regularly turning toward the Roman Empire. In the early pandemic months of 2020, he ripped through Philip Matyszak’s “24 Hours in Ancient Rome,” a book that, by his own admission, was “written... Long before men’s daily thoughts about ancient Rome became a TikTok meme, former GitHub CEO...

Art by Clark Miller

SpaceX’s Starship Setback Could Hold Up Cellphone Ambitions

By Becky Peterson · Sept. 22, 2023 6:28 AM PDT

When SpaceX’s new Starship rocket exploded during a test flight in April, the company largely painted it as a success to have even gotten the 400-foot-tall behemoth off the ground. But inside the company, some employees were worried that the setback could delay, among other things, a SpaceX plan to provide wireless coverage to cellphones... When SpaceX’s new Starship rocket exploded during a test flight in April, the company...

GGV Capital partners Jeff Richards, Jenny Lee, Hans Tung and Glenn Solomon. Photos by Getty

venture capital

Another Major Venture Firm to Separate China Investment Partners Following U.S. Pressure

By Juro Osawa and Kate Clark · Sept. 21, 2023 9:49 AM PDT

GGV Capital, a prominent venture capital firm managing $9.2 billion in assets, plans to separate its China and U.S. teams following scrutiny from lawmakers in Washington about the national security implications of the firm’s investments in Chinese artificial intelligence and semiconductor firms, according to a notice the firm sent to its... GGV Capital, a prominent venture capital firm managing $9.2 billion in assets, plans to separate...

Subscriber Survey

The Information Readers Are Wary of Doing Business With China

By Akash Pasricha · Sept. 21, 2023 9:20 AM PDT

Readers of The Information are hesitant to do business with China and also have grown more pessimistic about the global outlook for technology companies, according to our most recent survey. More than one-third of survey respondents think President Joe Biden’s China policies aren’t tough enough, even after Biden last month banned... Readers of The Information are hesitant to do business with China and also have grown more...

Photo via Getty

TikTok Plans Seattle Beachhead for Shopping Expansion

By Erin Woo · Sept. 21, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

Photo via Getty

TikTok Plans Seattle Beachhead for Shopping Expansion

By Erin Woo · Sept. 21, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

As TikTok seeks to compete with Amazon, it’s planting a flag in the e-commerce giant’s backyard. The video app company is using the Seattle area as the base for an aggressive expansion into online shopping, the company confirmed. TikTok is offering existing employees in other TikTok offices, such as Los Angeles and New York... As TikTok seeks to compete with Amazon, it’s planting a flag in the e-commerce...

From left, a Google TPU, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan and Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian. Photos via Getty, Google and YouTube.

google semiconductors

To Reduce AI Costs, Google Wants to Ditch Broadcom as Its TPU Server Chip Supplier

By Wayne Ma, Anissa Gardizy and Jon Victor · Sept. 21, 2023 1:22 AM PDT · 1 comment

Google executives have extensively discussed dropping Broadcom as a supplier of artificial intelligence chips as early as 2027, according to a person with direct knowledge of the effort. In that scenario, Google would fully design the chips, known as tensor processing units, in-house, the person said. The move could help Google save billions of... Google executives have extensively discussed dropping Broadcom as a supplier of artificial...

Andrew Bialecki, CEO of Klaviyo (left), and Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify (right). Photos via Klaviyo and Getty.

Shopify Scores a Quick Win in Klaviyo IPO

By Ann Gehan and Cory Weinberg · Sept. 20, 2023 6:36 AM PDT

Count Shopify as one of the beneficiaries of the thawing market for initial public offerings. The e-commerce software giant is set for a windfall from a successful debut of Klaviyo, the marketing and data automation startup that priced its IPO at a fully diluted valuation of $9.2 billion late Tuesday. Shopify stands to gain a quick $295 million... Count Shopify as one of the beneficiaries of the thawing market for initial public offerings. The...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Instagram Power Users Are Fuming Over Its $12-a-Month Subscription

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 19, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 4 comments

In late August, Jenny French discovered Instagram had disabled her account. That was a blow, since nearly half the prospects for her U.K. business, which trains physical therapists, jewelry boutiques and other clients on how to increase their Instagram reach, came from the account. But French figured she had an in with Instagram that would allow... In late August, Jenny French discovered Instagram had disabled her account. That was a blow,...

An Albertsons grocery store in L.A. Photo by Getty.

Instacart’s Secret Deals With Grocery Giants

By Cory Weinberg · Sept. 18, 2023 7:00 AM PDT · 8 comments

An Albertsons grocery store in L.A. Photo by Getty.

startups Finance

Instacart’s Secret Deals With Grocery Giants

By Cory Weinberg · Sept. 18, 2023 7:00 AM PDT · 8 comments

When Instacart goes public on Tuesday, at least one shareholder likely to make money is its own customer: grocery giant Albertsons, one of several retailers that quietly struck stock deals with Instacart years ago that remained a closely held secret inside the delivery company, people familiar with the matter said. The grocery company’s... When Instacart goes public on Tuesday, at least one shareholder likely to make money is its own...

Art by Mike Sullivan

entertainment media/telecom

Disney-Charter Deal Could Prompt More Cable TV-Streaming Bundles

By Sahil Patel · Sept. 18, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

Last week, Charter Communications, the No. 2 cable provider, and Walt Disney Co. cut a deal to include Disney streaming services, such as Disney+ and a new ESPN service still in the works, with Charter’s cable television packages. That pact could be a watershed for traditional TV gatekeepers that want a piece of the action from the... Last week, Charter Communications, the No. 2 cable provider, and Walt Disney Co. cut a deal to...

Flexport founder Ryan Petersen. Photos via Getty and Flexport.

Can Ryan Petersen Fix Flexport?

By Ann Gehan and Theo Wayt · Sept. 17, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

Ryan Petersen was getting antsy. This March, Petersen had handed over the CEO job at Flexport—the logistics company he’d founded a decade earlier, which had ballooned to an $8 billion valuation in 2022—to veteran Amazon executive Dave Clark. In July, Petersen joined venture capital firm Founders Fund as a partner. But just a... Ryan Petersen was getting antsy. This March, Petersen had handed over the CEO job at...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

A Is for Adaptogens, B Is for Body Sculpting: A Trending-in-Silicon Valley Health Glossary

By Annie Goldsmith · Sept. 16, 2023 6:01 AM PDT · 1 comment

Last month, The Information Weekend conducted our first-ever Brain-Body Investment Survey, asking subscribers about their exercise, wellness and beauty practices. The results emphasized Silicon Valley’s willingness to experiment and innovate—not just in their jobs, but on their bodies. Some of the practices respondents jotted down... Last month, The Information Weekend conducted our first-ever Brain-Body Investment Survey, asking...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Trouble With Walter: In His Elon Musk Tome, the Writer Shows Us the Perils of Access Journalism

By Adam Lashinsky · Sept. 16, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 75 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

The Trouble With Walter: In His Elon Musk Tome, the Writer Shows Us the Perils of Access Journalism

By Adam Lashinsky · Sept. 16, 2023 6:00 AM PDT · 75 comments

Walter Isaacson is the exotic bird of American letters, a charming and convivial bon vivant and raconteur, the life of many a dinner party, a studious biographer and a generous mentor. He blurbed both of my books, a kindness he’s bestowed on many authors, and he has been nothing but kind and gracious to me over the years. Unfortunately,... Walter Isaacson is the exotic bird of American letters, a charming and convivial bon vivant and...

Tim Cook introduces Apple Card during a launch event at Apple headquarters on March 25, 2019. Photo via Getty.

Goldman Sachs Makes Adjustments to Fix Apple Savings Account Problems

By Lauren Tara LaCapra · Sept. 15, 2023 2:19 PM PDT

Goldman Sachs has made changes to how it handles Apple Savings transactions in an effort to resolve problems some customers had experienced when making withdrawals, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Apple Card customers who flocked to new Apple Savings accounts after they launched in April found it difficult or impossible to... Goldman Sachs has made changes to how it handles Apple Savings transactions in an effort to...

The Apple Episode (Carbon Neutralish)

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sept. 15, 2023 12:06 PM PDT · 2 comments

This week, we took advantage of Brit and Dave's deep expertise in all things Apple for a fun episode about the company's new products, the state of hardware and how Apple will fare in the AI era. I loved hearing Brit share an anecdote about Steve Jobs. You'll know why when you hear it. And, of course, we got a few good... This week, we took advantage of Brit and Dave's deep expertise in all things Apple...

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPER) office in Sacramento, Calif. Photo by Getty.

startups venture capital

Thrive to Raise $300 Million From CalPERS Amid Dry Spell for VCs

By Kate Clark · Sept. 15, 2023 11:50 AM PDT

Thrive Capital is raising $300 million from California Public Employees' Retirement System, adding a marquee investor at a time when venture investors are finding it harder to raise money, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The addition of CalPERS, which manages $463 billion, marks the pension plan’s first... Thrive Capital is raising $300 million from California Public Employees' Retirement System,...

The People in Power at Tech Private Equity Juggernaut Thoma Bravo

By Rachel Graf · Sept. 15, 2023 10:30 AM PDT · 1 comment

enterprise Finance

The People in Power at Tech Private Equity Juggernaut Thoma Bravo

By Rachel Graf · Sept. 15, 2023 10:30 AM PDT · 1 comment

Orlando Bravo may be the face of Thoma Bravo, but he’s not the only one calling the shots. The hard-charging, helicopter-riding managing partner has become the most recognizable person at the software-focused private equity firm. But he’s surrounded by a cadre of trusted executives who help oversee Thoma Bravo’s massive $131... Orlando Bravo may be the face of Thoma Bravo, but he’s not the only one calling the shots....