The Information’s 411 - Righting Ships

The Information’s intern Sam Lessin makes his first appearance on the Podcast, talking about his Monday column that looked at why troubled tech companies rarely pull out of a downward spiral. It isn’t that companies like Twitter and Yahoo aren’t staffed by talented people, but the very nature of tech companies—they’re reliant on a virtuous cycle of people, product and growth—make it hard to right the ship.

Amir joins Stephen Nellis, sitting in as host, to talk about his piece on low-cost Android phone maker Blu. Amir says the company represents the future of the smartphone business, which is increasingly low margin. Then he and Steve wade into Square’s S-1 filing, including what it reveals about Jack Dorsey’s ownership levels and the condition of its core business. Turns out the business isn’t as weak as some people might have expected, assuming you take out the disastrous Starbucks partnership.

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