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

Amazon HQ in Seattle. Getty Images.

Amazon’s AI Shopping Overhaul

By Martin Peers · May 13, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Remember Bard? It was the original name of Google’s AI chatbot, but the Gemini brand long ago replaced it. Just as you’ve likely forgotten that history, you’re not likely to remember Rufus in 12 months’ time, either. Rufus, the name of Amazon’s AI-powered shopping chatbot, got tossed on Wednesday and replaced with Amazon’s well-established Alexa... Remember Bard? It was the original name of Google’s AI chatbot, but the Gemini brand long ago...

Erik Bernhardsson, Founder and CEO at Modal. Art by Clark Miller; YouTube.

Startup Modal in Talks to Raise at $4.5 Billion Valuation After Revenue Surges

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · May 13, 2026 10:49am PDT

Modal, a startup that rents out Nvidia graphics processing units and software to help developers run and train models as well as agents, is in talks to raise money at around a $4.5 billion valuation. That would be an 80% premium to its last valuation from just a few months ago, according to two people with knowledge of the round. The steep hike... Modal, a startup that rents out Nvidia graphics processing units and software to help developers...

Art by Mike Sulivan

Apple Explores Ways to Welcome AI Agents in the App Store

By Aaron Tilley · May 13, 2026 10:17am PDT

Apple is exploring ways to better incorporate AI agents into its App Store so it can benefit from the tech industry’s hottest trend while ensuring that the software in its store continues to play by its rules, according to people briefed on the matter. So far, the widespread embrace of agentic AI for software creation has put Apple on the... Apple is exploring ways to better incorporate AI agents into its App Store so it can benefit from...

Senators Thom Tillis, left, and Angela Alsobrooks. Photos via Getty Images.

Can Crypto Beat the Banks and Win Over Washington?

By Ken Brown · May 13, 2026 8:00am PDT

Senators Thom Tillis, left, and Angela Alsobrooks. Photos via Getty Images.

The Information Finance

Can Crypto Beat the Banks and Win Over Washington?

By Ken Brown · May 13, 2026 8:00am PDT

This is a critical week for the crypto industry. The most important crypto law ever to hit Congress is about to take a big step forward, and with the crypto market in the doldrums, the timing couldn’t be better.This could be the last chance for the long-delayed bill to become law, as vacations and election season suck up much of the rest of the... This is a critical week for the crypto industry. The most important crypto law ever to hit...

Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei. Photo via Getty Images

How Anthropic Could Take an OpenAI Supplier Off The Table

By Laura Mandaro · May 13, 2026 7:00am PDT

Is a big AI model maker about to take out a supplier to its archrival? That seems possible if a deal we reported on late Tuesday reaches the finish line. Anthropic is in talks to buy developer tools startup Stainless for at least $300 million, according to Stephanie and Katie. The New York startup makes software development kits that... Is a big AI model maker about to take out a supplier to its archrival? That seems possible if a...

Art by Clark Miller

Artificial Intelligence

Anthropic Flexes Pricing Power as Its Customers Willingly Eat the Cost

By Laura Bratton and Aaron Holmes · May 13, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Anthropic’s revenue growth is unprecedented. Newer Anthropic customers such as PagerDuty are a big part of the reason. Eric Johnson, chief information officer at PagerDuty, which helps software engineers respond to tech outages, said he is bracing for volatile costs as his company’s 1,200 employees start using Anthropic’s AI coding and other... Anthropic’s revenue growth is unprecedented. Newer Anthropic customers such as PagerDuty are a...

Junyang Lin, former lead researcher of Alibaba’s Qwen models. Art by Clark Miller; YouTube.

Former Alibaba Star Researcher Starts New AI Lab, Seeks $2 Billion Valuation

By Juro Osawa and Jing Yang · May 12, 2026 11:20pm PDT

Junyang Lin, former lead researcher of Alibaba’s Qwen models, is seeking to raise several hundred million dollars for his new AI lab, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The new AI lab will likely be valued at around $2 billion after the funding round, the people said, adding that the discussions are ongoing and the... Junyang Lin, former lead researcher of Alibaba’s Qwen models, is seeking to raise several hundred...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Sven Hoppe/Getty Images.

Microsoft’s Stock Slide Raises Specter of Activist Investors

By Martin Peers · May 12, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Sven Hoppe/Getty Images.

Microsoft’s Stock Slide Raises Specter of Activist Investors

By Martin Peers · May 12, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Is it time for another activist investor to take a run at Microsoft? Shares of the iconic software giant are down nearly 16% so far this year, making it the worst performer of the big tech names. The Financial Times reported on Friday that British hedge fund TCI had sold “almost all” of its stake in Microsoft, citing uncertainty about how AI... Is it time for another activist investor to take a run at Microsoft? Shares of the iconic...

Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman. Getty Images.

Cerebras' Plum OpenAI Deal Is a Double-Edged Sword

By Cory Weinberg · May 12, 2026 4:33pm PDT

When some journalist writes the book on the AI boom, one critical chapter will start on Christmas Eve 2025. That was the day that Nvidia and OpenAI’s complicated frenemy relationship became incredibly lucrative for chip startups that focus on AI inference.We already know that Christmas Eve was the day the tech industry (and this newsroom)... When some journalist writes the book on the AI boom, one critical chapter will start on Christmas...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrives at the federal courthouse in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Artificial Intelligence

Altman Tries to Turn the Tables on Musk in Contentious Testimony

By Rocket Drew · May 12, 2026 4:26pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to turn the tables on Elon Musk in their legal battle, testifying that the tycoon abandoned the group they co-founded and worked to undermine its success. Altman’s appearance in court Tuesday marked the highest-stakes moment yet in the trial over Musk’s lawsuit, which centers on allegations that the OpenAI chief led... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to turn the tables on Elon Musk in their legal battle, testifying...

Stainless CEO Alex Rattray. Screenshot via YouTube/Stainless.

Anthropic in Talks to Buy Developer Tools Startup Used by OpenAI, Google

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Katie Roof · May 12, 2026 2:59pm PDT · 1 comment

Anthropic is in advanced talks to acquire developer tools startup Stainless for at least $300 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The four-year-old Stainless sells software to model makers including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google that helps developers, non-technical people and AI agents more quickly access AI models. Such... Anthropic is in advanced talks to acquire developer tools startup Stainless for at least $300...

Getty Images.

ServiceNow and FedEx Reflect the Great AI Pricing Divide

By Laura Bratton · May 12, 2026 12:45pm PDT

Getty Images.

ServiceNow and FedEx Reflect the Great AI Pricing Divide

By Laura Bratton · May 12, 2026 12:45pm PDT

Software companies such as HubSpot and Adobe have started pricing their AI tools based on the number of tasks the AI successfully completes rather than based on flat fees or the number of AI tokens they consume. Many more firms plan to follow suit, even as the practice is still being hotly debated.Some 31% of 230 enterprise software firms... Software companies such as HubSpot and Adobe have started pricing their AI tools based on the...

Partner Content

How AI Is Rewriting the Corporate Playbook

By The Information Partnerships · May 12, 2026 11:19am PDT

Perhaps the only thing outpacing AI spending is the volume of commentary dedicated to the technology’s disruption. And while business leaders aren’t lacking for insights, they are discovering that AI is evolving faster than any coherent playbook can keep up with. The result is that companies are making high-stakes decisions without clear... Perhaps the only thing outpacing AI spending is the volume of commentary dedicated to the...

Partner Content

Beyond the Models: Where Investors Are Finding AI’s Next Wave

By The Information Partnerships · May 12, 2026 11:18am PDT

Getting in on the ground floor of the next AI wave can feel particularly elusive for investors. With billions continuing to pour into frontier models and the infrastructure powering them, much of that opportunity is already spoken for. For investors looking beyond hyperscalers and data centers, the question is no longer whether AI will reshape... Getting in on the ground floor of the next AI wave can feel particularly elusive for investors....

image via Getty

Microsoft Has Generated More Than $30 Billion in Revenue From OpenAI’s Technology, Spending

By Sri Muppidi and Aaron Holmes · May 12, 2026 11:08am PDT · 2 comments

For three years, Microsoft was the only cloud provider to sell OpenAI’s large language models to other businesses, an exclusive right it fought hard to preserve after investing $13 billion in the startup. But businesses bought more access to those models from OpenAI directly than from Microsoft over that time, new data show. Even so, Microsoft’s... For three years, Microsoft was the only cloud provider to sell OpenAI’s large language models to...

Judgment Labs cofounders (from left to right): Chief Scientist Andrew Li, CEO Alex Shan and CTO Joseph Camyre. Photo courtesy of Judgment Labs.

Why Lightspeed Backed This Agent Evaluation Startup’s Back-to-Back Rounds

By Stephanie Palazzolo · May 12, 2026 7:00am PDT

Judgment Labs cofounders (from left to right): Chief Scientist Andrew Li, CEO Alex Shan and CTO Joseph Camyre. Photo courtesy of Judgment Labs.

Why Lightspeed Backed This Agent Evaluation Startup’s Back-to-Back Rounds

By Stephanie Palazzolo · May 12, 2026 7:00am PDT

Alex Shan may not have been old enough to legally buy alcohol in 2023, but he was still old enough to start his own company and join the AI boom.Shan was 20 when he was first introduced to James Alcorn, an investment partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, through a fellow Stanford University classmate. Shan, who started college at 16, had... Alex Shan may not have been old enough to legally buy alcohol in 2023, but he was still old...

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, left, and Cerebras CEO, Andrew Feldman. Photos via Getty Images

OpenAI Is Making Billions Just by Promising to Buy From Suppliers

By Cory Weinberg · May 12, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Chipmaker Cerebras brought in one of the greatest pitchmen in tech, Sam Altman, to appear in a video to promote its $5.5 billion initial public offering. Seated on a gray upholstered couch and speaking softly, the OpenAI chief executive touted Cerebras’ chips as “the best high-speed inference offering in the world right now.” Altman has a strong... Chipmaker Cerebras brought in one of the greatest pitchmen in tech, Sam Altman, to appear in a...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo by Getty.

OpenAI to Save $97 Billion Through 2030 in Latest Microsoft Deal

By Sri Muppidi and Aaron Holmes · May 11, 2026 6:09pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has plenty of things to worry about. But paying OpenAI’s early backer Microsoft as much as $135 billion through 2030 as part of a revenue-sharing deal is no longer one of them. OpenAI’s initial agreement to pay 20% of its revenue to Microsoft could have amounted to that much if the ChatGPT maker ended... OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has plenty of things to worry about. But paying OpenAI...

Eran Zinman, co-CEO of Monday.com. Screenshot via YouTube/SaaStr AI.

Monday.com’s AI Hiring Lesson; BuzzFeed’s Rescue

By Martin Peers · May 11, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Digital media historians will be intrigued by news this afternoon that media mogul Byron Allen is buying control of once-important media outlet BuzzFeed. For more on this unusual deal, see below. Meanwhile... if you’re using mass layoffs as an indicator for AI’s impact on the job market, you may be looking in the wrong place. It might be smarter... Digital media historians will be intrigued by news this afternoon that media mogul Byron Allen is...

Capital, Not Compute, is the Real AI Bottleneck

By The Information Partnerships · May 11, 2026 9:19am PDT

Partner Content

Capital, Not Compute, is the Real AI Bottleneck

By The Information Partnerships · May 11, 2026 9:19am PDT

Satisfying AI’s ravenous appetite for power and compute has kicked off a once-in-a-generation infrastructure expansion that is also one of the most expensive in modern history. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has estimated a single gigawatt of capacity can cost as much as $50 billion. With McKinsey projecting data center demand could reach 156 GW by... Satisfying AI’s ravenous appetite for power and compute has kicked off a once-in-a-generation...