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

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Recent Editions

Art by Clark Miller

The Space Baby Era Is Here

By Amy Dockser Marcus · Jan 30, 2026 9:10am PST

Last fall, a plane took off from Ottawa, Ontario, with some unusual cargo: a collection of nonviable human embryos and eggs. Once the aircraft reached a high altitude, the pilot made arcs in the air, creating short intervals of weightlessness that gave researchers on board a chance to study the possible effects of space-like microgravity on... Last fall, a plane took off from Ottawa, Ontario, with some unusual cargo: a collection of...

Duane Kuang, founding managing partner of Qiming Venture Partners. Photo courtesy of Qiming.

Q&A

U.S. Investors Should Return to China, Says Top Chinese Venture Capitalist

By Jing Yang · Jan 30, 2026 6:02am PST · 1 comment

China’s AI startups need backing, and a slew of recent initial public offerings in the country should convince U.S. venture capitalists to return to its tech sector, says a top Chinese investor. “U.S. capital has the highest propensity to invest in breakthrough technology, and this pocket of capital has been hesitant about China,” said Duane... China’s AI startups need backing, and a slew of recent initial public offerings in the country...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty Images.

AI’s Dealmaking Frenzy

By Martin Peers · Jan 29, 2026 5:00pm PST

AI’s insatiable need for cash is proving to be a dream for dealmakers. Our scoop from Wednesday night that OpenAI was in talks to raise as much as $60 billion from Nvidia, Microsoft and Amazon was followed by a Wall Street Journal report today that Amazon alone might put in $50 billion. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Thursday that Elon Musk was... AI’s insatiable need for cash is proving to be a dream for dealmakers. Our scoop from Wednesday...

Sundry Photography/Getty Images

A SpaceX Merger Would Reward Musk Loyalists

By Katie Roof · Jan 29, 2026 4:05pm PST · 1 comment

Sundry Photography/Getty Images

A SpaceX Merger Would Reward Musk Loyalists

By Katie Roof · Jan 29, 2026 4:05pm PST · 1 comment

Before we get into today’s news, check out a string of scoops from my colleague Sri on the rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI, she reported last night, is talking to Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft about raising up to $60 billion to fill out its $100 billion fundraising, which would widen its funding lead over rival Anthropic. But Anthropic... Before we get into today’s news, check out a string of scoops from my colleague Sri on the...

Subscriber Survey

Optimism Wanes as AI Risks Take Center Stage

By Shane Burke · Jan 29, 2026 12:04pm PST

Optimism among The Information’s readers about the tech industry’s near-term outlook has fallen to its lowest level since President Donald Trump’s tariffs spooked markets last April, according to our latest monthly subscriber survey. This month, 38% of readers said conditions would worsen in the next six months, up from 25% in December 2025. At... Optimism among The Information’s readers about the tech industry’s near-term outlook has fallen...

Microsoft Commercial CEO Judson Althoff. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg.

Microsoft Reveals It’s the No. 2 Seller of AI Apps Behind OpenAI

By Aaron Holmes · Jan 29, 2026 10:30am PST · 5 comments

Microsoft’s slightly-slowing growth in cloud server rentals cast a pall over its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, but the company had a salve to numb that sting: It’s generating significant revenue from AI software subscriptions.During its earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella revealed one of the most hotly anticipated figures investors and... Microsoft’s slightly-slowing growth in cloud server rentals cast a pall over its quarterly...

Photo by Christopher Juhn/Getty Images

ICE Says It Uses AI From Palantir, OpenAI; Meta’s Humanoid Robot Training Plan

By Erin Woo and Jyoti Mann · Jan 29, 2026 7:00am PST

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday released a new database describing its use of artificial intelligence last year, including how Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within DHS, relied on technology from Palantir and OpenAI.ICE has been a flashpoint around the country after government agents fatally shot two people... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday released a new database describing its use...

Photos by Getty Images

ByteDance, Alibaba to Launch New Models in Race for AI Supremacy in China

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Jan 29, 2026 5:00am PST · 1 comment

Photos by Getty Images

ByteDance, Alibaba to Launch New Models in Race for AI Supremacy in China

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Jan 29, 2026 5:00am PST · 1 comment

The battle for AI dominance in China is reaching new heights. Tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba Group are both poised to release their next flagship AI models around the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, in what could be the most consequential battle in the country’s tech sector. ByteDance is preparing to release three new AI... The battle for AI dominance in China is reaching new heights. Tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a full pivot away from electric vehicles. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Musk Talks Up Optimus, But Tesla's 2025 Was Saved By Plain Old Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jan 29, 2026 4:38am PST

Tesla CEO Elon Musk makes much of the shining future of the driverless Cybercab and the Optimus robot. As for revenue today, one of the company’s few bright spots is batteries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk makes much of the shining future of the driverless Cybercab and the Optimus...

CEO Sam Altman. Photo by Getty Images.

Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon in Talks to Invest Up to $60 Billion in OpenAI

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 28, 2026 6:55pm PST · 1 comment

OpenAI is lining up huge checks from some of its biggest tech partners, as it seeks to raise up to $100 billion to fund growing demand for its AI. Nvidia, an existing investor whose chips power OpenAI’s AI models, is in talks to invest up to $30 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Microsoft, a longstanding backer with... OpenAI is lining up huge checks from some of its biggest tech partners, as it seeks to raise up...

Orlando Bravo, co-founder of Thoma Bravo. Photo by Getty Images.

Thoma Bravo-Backed Anaplan Prepares Confidential IPO Filing

By Valida Pau and Cory Weinberg · Jan 28, 2026 5:20pm PST

Anaplan, a business-planning software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, is taking steps toward an initial public offering and could file confidentially for the listing in the coming weeks, people familiar with the discussions said. The listing would be a sign that IPOs for PE-backed software companies could soon rebound. ... Anaplan, a business-planning software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, is...

Satya Nadella and Mark Zuckerberg. Getty Images

What We Learned From Meta, Microsoft and Tesla

By Martin Peers · Jan 28, 2026 5:00pm PST

Satya Nadella and Mark Zuckerberg. Getty Images

What We Learned From Meta, Microsoft and Tesla

By Martin Peers · Jan 28, 2026 5:00pm PST

If quarterly earnings announcements were a contest, Mark Zuckerberg would have won Wednesday. You might even say investors are coming to terms with Meta Platforms’ you-only-live-once approach to spending on AI. The owner of Facebook and Instagram reported stronger than projected fourth-quarter growth of 24% and projected that revenue growth... If quarterly earnings announcements were a contest, Mark Zuckerberg would have won Wednesday. You...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Hires at Least Seven Staffers From Coding Startup Cline

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 28, 2026 3:10pm PST

OpenAI has recently hired more than a half dozen employees from Cline, a startup that develops an open-source, AI-powered coding assistant, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed. The hires could help OpenAI accelerate improvements for its Codex coding product, which it sees as a key tool to make its AI more essential to large corporations as it... OpenAI has recently hired more than a half dozen employees from Cline, a startup that develops an...

Jerry Tworek. Screenshot via YouTube

Ex-OpenAI Researcher’s Startup Targets Up to $1 Billion in Funding to Develop a New Type of AI

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Wayne Ma · Jan 28, 2026 1:09pm PST · 1 comment

The wave of so-called AI neolabs seeking breakthroughs they think incumbents like OpenAI will miss continues to rise. Core Automation, an AI startup founded by former senior OpenAI researcher Jerry Tworek in recent weeks, aims to raise between $500 million and $1 billion in funding, according to a person who has spoken with the company. He wants... The wave of so-called AI neolabs seeking breakthroughs they think incumbents like OpenAI will...

How OpenAI’s Bids For Enterprise, Ad Dollars Could Play Out

By The Information Staff · Jan 28, 2026 12:32pm PST

OpenAI’s push beyond selling AI models and into enterprise software and digital advertising marks a shift in where power and profits could accrue in the tech industry. As the company moves into markets long dominated by established software vendors, consultancies and ad platforms, its expansion raises questions about which incumbents are most... OpenAI’s push beyond selling AI models and into enterprise software and digital advertising marks...

Yoshi Yokokawa, co-founder and CEO of Alpaca. Photo by Christinne Muschi/Getty Images

A Little-Known Broker Dominates Crypto Stock Tokens

By Yueqi Yang · Jan 28, 2026 10:00am PST · 1 comment

Yoshi Yokokawa, co-founder and CEO of Alpaca. Photo by Christinne Muschi/Getty Images

A Little-Known Broker Dominates Crypto Stock Tokens

By Yueqi Yang · Jan 28, 2026 10:00am PST · 1 comment

The fast-growing business of trading U.S. stocks as crypto tokens is enabling overseas investors to buy and sell shares of companies such as Tesla and Nvidia. The $1 billion industry relies on one little-known brokerage. Alpaca, a San Mateo, Calif.–based broker-dealer, maintains custody of nearly three-quarters of the market because few... The fast-growing business of trading U.S. stocks as crypto tokens is enabling overseas investors...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Information Finance

New SPAC Boom(let) Is the Same as the Last SPAC Boom

By Ken Brown · Jan 28, 2026 8:00am PST

Why wait for the mega AI initial public offerings expected later this year when you can invest in a nuclear fusion company or a MAGA crypto bank? These companies and other not-ready-for-IPO names are coming to the markets via special purpose acquisition companies.After SPACs vaporized billions of dollars during the boom-and-bust cycle early this... Why wait for the mega AI initial public offerings expected later this year when you can invest in...

Sam Altman. Photo by Kyle Grillot/Getty Images

What Went Wrong With OpenAI’s Year of Agents?

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Sri Muppidi · Jan 28, 2026 7:00am PST

A year ago, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a blog post that he expected 2025 to bring the first AI agents that could join the workforce and “materially change the output of companies.” Altman, like so many other AI leaders at the time, was being overly optimistic.As my colleagues Kevin and Sri have reported, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent, a product it... A year ago, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a blog post that he expected 2025 to bring the first...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Microsoft Moves to Respond to New Threats From Anthropic

By Aaron Holmes · Jan 28, 2026 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Anthropic’s launch of Cowork, an AI-powered tool that takes over a computer to handle workplace tasks involving numerous applications, from Microsoft Office apps to Slack, has reverberated through Microsoft’s ranks. In the days following the launch this month, Microsoft product leaders told colleagues that Cowork seemed like a competitor to 365... Anthropic’s launch of Cowork, an AI-powered tool that takes over a computer to handle workplace...

Stephen Ehikian, Chief Executive Officer of C3.AI. Screenshot via YouTube

C3.AI in Talks to Merge with Startup Automation Anywhere

By Valida Pau and Katie Roof · Jan 27, 2026 6:05pm PST

Stephen Ehikian, Chief Executive Officer of C3.AI. Screenshot via YouTube

C3.AI in Talks to Merge with Startup Automation Anywhere

By Valida Pau and Katie Roof · Jan 27, 2026 6:05pm PST

C3.AI, founded by tech industry veteran Thomas Siebel, is in talks to merge with privately held startup Automation Anywhere, which will effectively go public in the deal, according to people familiar with the discussions. C3.AI, which sells AI to large companies and government agencies, was the first branded AI stock when it went public in 2020.... C3.AI, founded by tech industry veteran Thomas Siebel, is in talks to merge with privately held...