The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Get smarter about the day’s news in tech, media and finance by following Silicon Valley’s most-read executive newsletter.

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Recent Editions

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI’s First Advertisers Can’t Prove ChatGPT Ads Work

By Catherine Perloff · Mar 21, 2026 9:00am PDT · 2 comments

As OpenAI prepares to open up ad sales to more marketers next month, it is trying to address what some advertisers say was lacking in the initial ad sales offering. Among other things, the ChatGPT creator is planning to streamline the process of ad buying, either in partnerships with ad tech firms or with its own ad management system. So far,... As OpenAI prepares to open up ad sales to more marketers next month, it is trying to address what...

Illustration: Clark Miller

AI’s Enthusiasm Chasm

By Abram Brown · Mar 21, 2026 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A rising star at Microsoft has a challenging new job• Defense Tech: Anduril’s big bet? An Ohio weapons factory • Tech Culture: Fat with funding, AI startups binge on private parties• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Blood Will Tell”; “The Complex” and “This Is Where... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A rising star at Microsoft has a...

Illustration: Clark Miller

Compute Costs? No, Caviar and Cocktails: In the Bay Area, AI Splurges on Private Parties

By Eli Rosenberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:47am PDT · 1 comment

Around the time last fall that Vercel tripled its valuation to $9 billion, the startup decided to throw a swank dinner party. It was a chance for Malte Ubl, the company’s chief technology officer, to talk shop and discuss the fast-changing landscape with a dozen so other Silicon Valley executives—and an opportunity for Vercel, a... Around the time last fall that Vercel tripled its valuation to $9 billion, the startup decided to...

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside Anduril’s Big Gamble: An Ohio Weapons Factory

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside Anduril’s Big Gamble: An Ohio Weapons Factory

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Just past the soybean farms in Pickaway County, Ohio, stands a flat-roofed building clad in blue and gray panels, with John Deere tractors near the entrance and hard hat–wearing construction workers busily laying pipes in the ground. The 866,000-square-foot factory isn’t much to behold—it looks like any of the many humble industrial... Just past the soybean farms in Pickaway County, Ohio, stands a flat-roofed building clad in blue...

Art by Clark Miller

Apple Acquisition Talks, Fraud Accusations: Behind One App Startup’s Nasty Split

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 21, 2026 5:00am PDT

Last summer, Apple held talks to acquire Lux Optics, a tiny startup that makes Halide, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed camera apps in the App Store. The deal never happened. Instead, a couple months after the talks ended, Apple began recruiting Sebastiaan de With, Lux’s co-founder and designer—a revelation to the startup’s... Last summer, Apple held talks to acquire Lux Optics, a tiny startup that makes Halide, one of the...

Art by Clark Miller

CIA Venture Arm Invests in Data Center Developer Prometheus Hyperscale

By Ann Davis Vaughan · Mar 20, 2026 3:33pm PDT

The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture investment arm, IQT, has invested in AI data center company Prometheus Hyperscale, which is developing campuses in Wyoming and Texas, the company said. Wyoming has long been a location for sensitive military assets, and the CIA’s investment suggests Prometheus could potentially run national security... The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture investment arm, IQT, has invested in AI data center...

Deepu Talla, Nvidia's Head of Robotics. Getty Images.

Q&A

Nvidia Robotics Chief: AI Agents Will Bring About ChatGPT Moment for Robotics

By Rocket Drew · Mar 20, 2026 10:00am PDT

Nvidia is so gung-ho about AI agents that it’s betting the buzzy software can power another one of its big bets: robots. The “agentic AI system is being built for digital first,” said Deepu Talla, Nvidia’s vice president of robotics and edge AI, or AI for powering devices, in an interview on the sidelines of Nvidia’s annual GTC conference in San... Nvidia is so gung-ho about AI agents that it’s betting the buzzy software can power another one...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

A Rising Star at Microsoft Promises a Restored Xbox—and No ‘Soulless AI Slop’

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 20, 2026 9:06am PDT

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

A Rising Star at Microsoft Promises a Restored Xbox—and No ‘Soulless AI Slop’

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 20, 2026 9:06am PDT

On a brisk, sunny San Francisco day last week, Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft’s $24 billion gaming business, had a very packed schedule. The videogame industry had gathered for the Game Developers Conference at the venerable Moscone Center downtown, and Sharma had meetings with the heads of several multibillion-dollar game publishers that... On a brisk, sunny San Francisco day last week, Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft’s $24...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

8 Questions Investors Need to Ask About SpaceX’s IPO

By Theo Wayt · Mar 20, 2026 6:00am PDT · 6 comments

SpaceX is aiming to raise tens of billions of dollars as soon as this summer in what could be the largest initial public offering in history. While CEO Elon Musk has proven he’s uniquely skilled at convincing investors to buy into his grand visions at gigantic valuations, anyone considering buying into the SpaceX IPO may be right to ask whether... SpaceX is aiming to raise tens of billions of dollars as soon as this summer in what could be the...

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Uber’s Self-Driving Car Quest

By Martin Peers · Mar 19, 2026 5:00pm PDT

For all the attention Nvidia gets for its relentless pace of new business partnerships, it can’t hold a candle to Uber. The ride-hailing giant seems to be on a quest to go into business with anyone who’s ever thought about developing a self-driving car. On Thursday, it announced a robotaxi deal with Rivian, the electric truck maker that is... For all the attention Nvidia gets for its relentless pace of new business partnerships, it can’t...

Matt McClain/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

An SEC Idea That Could Jolt the IPO Market

By Katie Roof · Mar 19, 2026 3:33pm PDT

Quarterly earnings could be going away. Will this result in more IPOs?One of the hallmarks of investing in public stocks is receiving quarterly updates from the companies. Those financial results and, even more so, forecasts can sink or lift stocks. Preparing them is such a time-suck for company executives that some startup founders have pointed... Quarterly earnings could be going away. Will this result in more IPOs?One of the hallmarks of...

A RIVR ONE delivery robot. Screenshot via YouTube; art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Acquires Robotics Startup, Boosting Efforts to Streamline Deliveries

By Catherine Perloff and Valida Pau · Mar 19, 2026 1:13pm PDT

A RIVR ONE delivery robot. Screenshot via YouTube; art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Acquires Robotics Startup, Boosting Efforts to Streamline Deliveries

By Catherine Perloff and Valida Pau · Mar 19, 2026 1:13pm PDT

Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal that could help the commerce and logistics giant deliver packages to shoppers’ doors more efficiently. Based in Zurich and formerly known as Swiss-Mile, Rivr was valued at $110 million in an August 2024 funding round, according to PitchBook. Amazon and... Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal...

Art via Getty Images

Cohesity CIO Shows How AI Can Eat Into Revenues of ServiceNow, Splunk

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 19, 2026 12:05pm PDT · 1 comment

The debate over whether AI might replace traditional enterprise apps such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, and Workday often ignores a more likely near-term scenario: that AI will stop some customers increasing their spending on those apps.Brian Spanswick, chief information officer at data security firm Cohesity, which generates more than $2... The debate over whether AI might replace traditional enterprise apps such as Salesforce,...

Anjney Midha. Art by Clark Miller, image via AMP

AI Infrastructure

Early Anthropic Investor Develops a ‘Grid’ for AI Servers

By Anissa Gardizy · Mar 19, 2026 10:54am PDT · 1 comment

Anjney Midha, the former Andreessen Horowitz general partner and early personal investor in Anthropic, is finally ready to talk about his highly anticipated AI infrastructure venture, for which he was trying to raise more than $10 billion, my colleague Katie has reported.Midha says the new firm, AMP, is creating a “grid for AI,” similar to how... Anjney Midha, the former Andreessen Horowitz general partner and early personal investor in...

Giga Energy cofounders Brent Whitehead and Matt Lohstroh. Photo courtesy of Giga.

Meet Giga, a AI Data Center Developer That Has Barely Raised Capital

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 19, 2026 7:00am PDT

Startups developing data centers to power AI are among the most capital-hungry businesses around right now. Many are raising billions of dollars in equity and debt to build complicated facilities.There are few like Houston-based Giga Energy, however. Founded in 2019 by two Texas A&M juniors studying finance and industrial distribution, Giga... Startups developing data centers to power AI are among the most capital-hungry businesses around...

Melanie Perkins, Canva co-founder and CEO. Alisha Jucevic/Getty Images.

Why Canva Was Smart to Hold Off on an IPO

By Anita Ramaswamy · Mar 19, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Melanie Perkins, Canva co-founder and CEO. Alisha Jucevic/Getty Images.

Why Canva Was Smart to Hold Off on an IPO

By Anita Ramaswamy · Mar 19, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

A couple of years ago, design software firm Canva was one of the hot startups to watch, on everyone’s list of IPO candidates. But it sat out last year’s IPO class and now finds itself in an awkward spot. Not only is software out of favor with investors, who fret about how AI will disrupt it, but giant offerings coming from SpaceX, OpenAI and... A couple of years ago, design software firm Canva was one of the hot startups to watch, on...

LGES's Spring Hill, Tenn. iron battery production plant. Photo: Courtesy LGES

The Electric: The U.S. is Challenging China's Dominance of Iron Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Mar 19, 2026 4:30am PDT

Until recently, Western car and battery companies seemed to agree that there was no point challenging China’s near-monopoly on the production of iron-based batteries, which power most electric vehicles and are the battery of choice in AI data centers. Until recently, Western car and battery companies seemed to agree that there was no point...

Fal AI Co-Founder Burkay Gur. Getty Images.

Video Hosting Startup Fal in Funding Talks at $8 Billion Valuation

By Katie Roof · Mar 18, 2026 9:52pm PDT · 1 comment

Fal, a fast-growing cloud service for accessing and storing AI models that generate images, video, and audio, is in talks to raise $300 million to $350 million, according to a person with direct knowledge of the fundraise. The deal, which would nearly double the company’s paper valuation to around $8 billion from a financing three months ago,... Fal, a fast-growing cloud service for accessing and storing AI models that generate images,...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images.

Apple’s App Store Rules Are Stuck In Past

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 18, 2026 5:00pm PDT

It may be time for Apple to update the rules for its App Store. As we reported in this story today, app developers making apps that allow vibe coding—AI tools that let people without coding experience create apps easily—have run into delays getting their apps approved. Slowing down that process isn’t a good look for Apple, which has faced plenty... It may be time for Apple to update the rules for its App Store. As we reported in this story...

Art by Clark Miller

Inside Meta, a Rogue AI Agent Triggers Security Alert

By Jyoti Mann · Mar 18, 2026 2:31pm PDT

Art by Clark Miller

Inside Meta, a Rogue AI Agent Triggers Security Alert

By Jyoti Mann · Mar 18, 2026 2:31pm PDT

A rogue AI agent recently triggered a major security alert at Meta Platforms, by taking action without approval that led to the exposure of sensitive company and user data to Meta employees who didn’t have authorization to access the data. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the incident, while adding that “no user data was mishandled” as a result of... A rogue AI agent recently triggered a major security alert at Meta Platforms, by taking action...