The Information You Missed

Happy Presidents’ Day Weekend! 

We’ll jump right into the stories of the week, which covered a lot of ground.

NEWS

Mutual funds use various methods to analyze the value of private tech companies and Alfred has the details. They include the revenue growth assumptions investors are using for companies like Uber and Palantir. Inside How Mutual Funds Value Private Tech 

Snapchat is bucking the social media playbook and trying an old-school approach to selling ads. Snapchat’s Push Against Branded Content

Twitter is getting cheaper but the numbers still don’t look pretty for anyone considering the deal, Amir says. Why Twitter is Hard to Buy 

Growth across several businesses is causing Amazon to really pull away from the pack when it comes to headcount. Amazon’s Exploding Employee Base 

If Honest Co. is the next to IPO, some of its investors will get a sweet deal. Honest Company’s Investor Ratchets 

BIG INTERVIEWS

The economy is teetering because a lot of things are happening at once, including tighter borrowing requirements, Goldman Sachs’s Gary Cohn tells Jessica. What’s Going on With the Economy 

What comes after apps? Kik and others think it’s messaging platforms that integrate with offline services. Kik and the Coming Bot Gold Rush 

SORRY STARTUPS...

Risk-averse employees are fleeing to bigger companies again. Startup Recruiting Woes Benefit Big Tech 

Big companies are widening their advantages over startups again because they have managed to get more efficient as they grow, not less, Sam writes. (Sorry, again, startups.) Why Startups Are Doomed Part Two 

And Jessica wrote about Parker Conrad, the founder who probably had the worst week, and the strange reaction some in Silicon Valley had to his fall. A Lesson for Founders from Parker Conrad 

OUR PODCAST

Tom, Cory and Alfred on their stories of the week. The Information’s 411: Hype Smoothie 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

As we prepare for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, we’re reminded about Samsung’s fall from dominance and this story, from almost years ago to the day. Software Saps Samsung’s Might