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

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica E. 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

Dave Orr, Anthropic's new head of safeguards.

Anthropic’s New Safety Lead; The Startup Making Nvidia’s Software Easier To Use

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Aug 12, 2025 7:00am PDT

We might be a long way away from sipping Pina Coladas on a beach while AI-powered humanoid robots handle all our work. But we’re already starting to see how AI is upending society. Some ChatGPT users are lamenting that they’ve lost their “only friend overnight” with the latest GPT-5 update, while other headlines suggest AI chatbots can even... We might be a long way away from sipping Pina Coladas on a beach while AI-powered humanoid robots...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing in July. Photo via Getty

China Demands Companies to Halt Nvidia Chip Orders Over Security Concerns

By Qianer Liu · Aug 12, 2025 5:55am PDT

Just weeks after Nvidia reached a deal with President Trump allowing it to sell AI chips in China, the chipmaker has hit a new hurdle—Chinese authorities. China’s internet regulator in the past two weeks ordered local tech companies including ByteDance, Alibaba Group, and Tencent Holdings to suspend their purchases of Nvidia chips, citing... Just weeks after Nvidia reached a deal with President Trump allowing it to sell AI chips in...

Photo via Getty

The Pluses and Minuses of Trump’s Dealmaking

By Martin Peers · Aug 11, 2025 5:00pm PDT

For tech CEOs, having an investment banker playing the role of president has its advantages. President Donald Trump is displaying a willingness to consider all sorts of deals that might be verboten on national security grounds—as long as the government is getting paid. Not only is he allowing Nvidia to sell its China-specific H20 artificial... For tech CEOs, having an investment banker playing the role of president has its advantages....

OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Cursor CEO Michael Truell demo GPT-5. Photo via YouTube/OpenAI.

GPT-5 Ushers In AI’s ‘Trough of Disillusionment’

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Aug 11, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Cursor CEO Michael Truell demo GPT-5. Photo via YouTube/OpenAI.

GPT-5 Ushers In AI’s ‘Trough of Disillusionment’

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Aug 11, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

There’s no doubt: OpenAI’s GPT-5 is a good model.I’ve been talking to developers, who’ve had a chance to to use the AI now. As we predicted, the flagship AI improved in domains like coding—where it got better at both practical coding tasks and designing websites and apps—and creative writing. Developers told me that the new model is also better... There’s no doubt: OpenAI’s GPT-5 is a good model.I’ve been talking to developers, who’ve had a...

Unsolicited Term Sheets, Declining Dry Powder: Inside the AI Deal Rush

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Aug 11, 2025 6:00am PDT · 5 comments

Last year, when money was surging into artificial intelligence startups, even some venture capitalists involved in those deals worried that the high costs of AI and unreliable demand from businesses were setting up many startups for disappointment. Such skepticism, if not dead, is on its last legs. Monthly revenue that is doubling or quadrupling... Last year, when money was surging into artificial intelligence startups, even some venture...

Aionics' office in Palo Alto, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Aionics

The Electric: AI for Batteries Startups Don’t Earn Much. How They Hope to Make More

By Steve LeVine · Aug 11, 2025 4:30am PDT

Artificial intelligence startups like OpenAI are growing fast, generating multibillions of dollars in revenue. But the small industry of AI startups hoping to design better batteries is not sharing in the largesse. Artificial intelligence startups like OpenAI are growing fast, generating multibillions of...

Art by Clark Miller

A Fix for the Anxious Generation?

By Abram Brown · Aug 9, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Nvidia’s quiet rising stars? The CEO’s kids • The Top 5: The best at-home longevity tests• Plus, our Recommendations: “StanLand,” “King of Kings” and “Pee-wee as Himself” In Piedmont, Calif., a group of parents have been encouraging their friends to do the unthinkable: Take their kids... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Nvidia’s quiet rising stars? The CEO’s...

Art by Clark Miller

The Best At-Home Longevity Tests

By Todd Plummer · Aug 9, 2025 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The Best At-Home Longevity Tests

By Todd Plummer · Aug 9, 2025 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Green juices and meditation apps are so 2015. In the quest to live better and healthier, anyone interested in wellness is likely into data-heavy optimization for greater insight on their body’s longevity. And such data is now increasingly easy to accumulate at home with just a few drops of blood or saliva in tests that purport to reveal how fast... Green juices and meditation apps are so 2015. In the quest to live better and healthier, anyone...

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo via Getty

Meta’s AI Gamble

By Martin Peers · Aug 8, 2025 3:00pm PDT

How much financial stress can tech companies handle in their efforts to win the artificial intelligence race? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said today on CNBC he thinks the ChatGPT creator should continue “running at a loss” so it can continue to invest in computing capacity to keep advancing its AI models. In one way, he has to take that stance: He’s... How much financial stress can tech companies handle in their efforts to win the artificial...

Art by Clark Miller; image via Getty.

Nvidia’s Quiet Rising Stars? The Son and Daughter of Billionaire Founder Jensen Huang

By Anissa Gardizy · Aug 8, 2025 9:01am PDT · 4 comments

At an all-hands meeting earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang received a question that prompted him to talk about a personal topic: nepotism at Nvidia. In response, Huang acknowledged that Nvidia had indeed hired the children of many employees and insisted it didn’t bother him. He said he believed those parents wouldn’t have vouched for... At an all-hands meeting earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang received a question that...

Khosla Ventures’ Rabois on How AI Is Changing Everything About Startups

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 8, 2025 7:22am PDT · 2 comments

Silicon Valley is governed by a set of rules about how Silicon Valley is supposed to operate. There are pecking orders for just about everything from employees (engineers are king) to investors (most founders would take a check from Sequoia). But every once in a while, those rules change. And right now, they are changing a lot. The rise of... Silicon Valley is governed by a set of rules about how Silicon Valley is supposed to operate....

Art by Mike Sullivan

Crypto’s Red-Hot Stock Trade Shows Signs of Cooling

By Yueqi Yang · Aug 8, 2025 6:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

Crypto’s Red-Hot Stock Trade Shows Signs of Cooling

By Yueqi Yang · Aug 8, 2025 6:00am PDT

Cracks are beginning to show in the booming market for stocks of companies—like Michael Saylor’s Strategy—that do little other than hold cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. These stocks became a wildly popular way for investors to speculate on bitcoin and recently on more exotic cryptocurrencies. Valuations for Strategy, and for... Cracks are beginning to show in the booming market for stocks of companies—like Michael...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo via YouTube/OpenAI.

OpenAI’s Apple-Like Moment

By Martin Peers · Aug 7, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Apple’s next iPhone unveiling is a month away, but OpenAI may have just sucked all the new tech product excitement out of the room with today’s GPT-5 unveiling. The livestream, featuring a parade of staffers highlighting the new flagship AI model’s range of impressive capabilities, was eerily reminiscent of an Apple iPhone event—slickly produced... Apple’s next iPhone unveiling is a month away, but OpenAI may have just sucked all the new tech...

Illustration via Getty

AI Startups Emulate China’s Hardcore 9-9-6 Work Culture

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Aug 7, 2025 3:35pm PDT · 1 comment

For a long time, U.S.-based founders and investors looked at China’s tech work culture—nicknamed 9-9-6 because employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week—as a grueling anomaly. But lately I’ve been hearing about employees at hard-charging artificial intelligence startups working even longer hours.The most vivid example came this week,... For a long time, U.S.-based founders and investors looked at China’s tech work culture—nicknamed...

A Northvolt plant in Poland in 2024. Photo by Getty

Tiny California Startup Buys Up Assets of Failed European Battery Giant

By Steve LeVine · Aug 7, 2025 2:30pm PDT

In November, Europe’s struggling home-grown battery champion, Sweden-based Northvolt, began to sell off assets in an effort to raise cash and pay off debt. It started with its northern California electric aviation battery subsidiary. Last month, it sold off its Poland-based stationary storage factory. And today, Northvolt said it had sold its... In November, Europe’s struggling home-grown battery champion, Sweden-based Northvolt, began to...

Mark Zuckerberg, left, and WaveForms AI co-founder Alexis Conneau. Photos by Getty

Meta Acquires AI Audio Startup WaveForms

By Kalley Huang · Aug 7, 2025 2:18pm PDT

Mark Zuckerberg, left, and WaveForms AI co-founder Alexis Conneau. Photos by Getty

Meta Acquires AI Audio Startup WaveForms

By Kalley Huang · Aug 7, 2025 2:18pm PDT

Meta Platforms has acquired WaveForms AI, a small startup working on artificial intelligence capable of understanding emotion and mimicking it in audio form, according to a person with direct knowledge. The acquisition comes as Meta continues to overhaul its efforts in AI, after stumbles earlier this year. In June, the social media giant hired... Meta Platforms has acquired WaveForms AI, a small startup working on artificial intelligence...

Sasha Kaletsky, managing partner at Creator Ventures.

Creator Economy

The Bull Case for Snap

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 7, 2025 2:06pm PDT · 1 comment

Snap’s stock plunged this week after reporting lackluster second-quarter results. But some investors still see reasons to be bullish about the company.Sasha Kaletsky, managing partner of early-stage venture firm Creator Ventures, said the Snapchat parent company has invested “incredibly aggressively” in Spotlight, its TikTok competitor, which... Snap’s stock plunged this week after reporting lackluster second-quarter results. But some...

Photo via Getty

OpenAI Says GPT-5 Is One-Size-Fits-All; New Open Model Was Cheap to Train

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Aaron Holmes · Aug 7, 2025 11:05am PDT

OpenAI unveiled its new flagship AI model, GPT-5, on Thursday. And with the launch, OpenAI seems to be moving more towards offering an entire AI system to its customers versus giving them the choice between models. The company said during a live-streamed presentation that it would be withdrawing user access to its older models, meaning that... OpenAI unveiled its new flagship AI model, GPT-5, on Thursday. And with the launch, OpenAI seems...

Art via Mike Sullivan

Chinese Models Lead the Pack on Video AI, for Now

By Rocket Drew · Aug 7, 2025 7:00am PDT

Before we get to today’s column, OpenAI is set to release its latest flagship model, GPT-5, later Thursday morning.We may have taken some of the wind out of the launch’s sails thanks to our reporting in recent weeks on how GPT-5 came together and what you can expect from the model (sorry OpenAI!), but there’s still lots to look forward to with... Before we get to today’s column, OpenAI is set to release its latest flagship model, GPT-5, later...

Photo by Getty

Trump’s New Chip Tariffs Could Raise Prices For Cars and Tools But Not AI

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Aug 7, 2025 6:38am PDT · 3 comments

Photo by Getty

Trump’s New Chip Tariffs Could Raise Prices For Cars and Tools But Not AI

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Aug 7, 2025 6:38am PDT · 3 comments

President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 100% import tariffs on semiconductors is unlikely to affect the advanced chips designed by Nvidia and big U.S. tech firms for artificial intelligence. But depending on how the tariffs are applied, they could raise the cost of older chips which power a wide range of consumer goods, from home appliances and... President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 100% import tariffs on semiconductors is unlikely to...