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

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Getty

Zuckerberg’s AI Psychological Warfare

By Martin Peers · Jul 14, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Mark Zuckerberg is trying to psych out his rivals in artificial intelligence. That’s one interpretation of his Threads post on Monday, declaring that Meta is “going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars” on AI computing capacity to build “superintelligence”—a new buzzword for the most advanced AI imaginable. That’s a more aggressive... Mark Zuckerberg is trying to psych out his rivals in artificial intelligence. That’s one...

Art by Mike Sullivan

ByteDance Developing Mixed Reality Goggles in Challenge to Meta

By Juro Osawa and Wayne Ma · Jul 14, 2025 8:55am PDT

Competition in mixed reality devices is heating up. TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, is working on a lightweight mixed reality device that resembles a pair of goggles, according to three people with direct knowledge of the project. It’s following in the footsteps of Meta Platforms, which has been working on a similar product scheduled for release in... Competition in mixed reality devices is heating up. TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, is working on a...

Photos via Getty

Grok 4 is the Real Deal

By Rocket Drew and Amir Efrati · Jul 14, 2025 7:00am PDT

Before we get to today’s main column about Grok 4, we wanted to share four things we learned from the craziness on Friday, when Google snatched the CEO and technology behind Windsurf, a competitor to Cursor that OpenAI had agreed to buy for $3 billion just two months ago. Before we get to today’s main column about Grok 4, we wanted to share four things we learned from...

Art via Mike Sullivan

Google Finds a Crack in Amazon’s Cloud Dominance

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jul 14, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art via Mike Sullivan

Google Finds a Crack in Amazon’s Cloud Dominance

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jul 14, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Earlier this year, when The Browser Company was looking for a cloud provider to power the artificial intelligence features in a web browser it was developing, the startup’s leaders asked Amazon Web Services if it could handle the work. Winning this business was important to AWS. The Browser Company projected it would eventually spend tens of... Earlier this year, when The Browser Company was looking for a cloud provider to power the...

Art by Clark Miller

A Tech Bro Gets Flooded By Hate

By Abram Brown · Jul 12, 2025 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Dylan Field thrived after the Adobe deal died• Artificial Intelligence: Silicon Valley’s summer obsession? AI note taking • Plus, our Recommendations: A true crime podcast about a ninth life; the Roosevelts and the panda bear; and revisiting a cruise from hellAugustus Doricko has... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Dylan Field thrived after the Adobe...

Art by Clark Miller

Artificial Intelligence

How Granola—and AI Note Taking—Grabbed Silicon Valley’s Attention

By Abram Brown · Jul 12, 2025 6:00am PDT · 9 comments

At the moment, many in the tech industry have developed a rather profound addiction to Granola. No, not to the crunchy breakfast-time oats—but to a software product made by a two-year-old startup that has come to dominate a crowded field of artificial intelligence–powered note-taking options. The tool from Granola, which was valued... At the moment, many in the tech industry have developed a rather profound addiction to Granola. ...

Meta's Menlo Park, Calif. campus. Photo via Getty

Where AI Researchers Will Be Happy

By Martin Peers · Jul 11, 2025 3:00pm PDT

We got big news this afternoon in the AI world, as we learned that OpenAI’s talks to buy Windsurf, maker of the popular Codeium AI coding assistant, have ended—and Google has hired Windsurf’s CEO and some staff. For more on this drama, see our story here. Lots of questions remain unanswered, including what these developments mean for... We got big news this afternoon in the AI world, as we learned that OpenAI’s talks to buy...

Google to Pay $2.4 Billion for Windsurf Staff, IP After Startup Ends OpenAI Talks

By Miles Kruppa, Natasha Mascarenhas and Erin Woo · Jul 11, 2025 2:49pm PDT · 7 comments

Google to Pay $2.4 Billion for Windsurf Staff, IP After Startup Ends OpenAI Talks

By Miles Kruppa, Natasha Mascarenhas and Erin Woo · Jul 11, 2025 2:49pm PDT · 7 comments

OpenAI’s discussions to buy Windsurf, the maker of a popular artificial intelligence coding assistant formerly known as Codeium, have ended. Instead, Google will hire Windsurf’s CEO, Varun Mohan, and some of the startup’s staff, both Google and Windsurf said. The monthslong talks between OpenAI to buy the startup for $3 billion ended in recent... OpenAI’s discussions to buy Windsurf, the maker of a popular artificial intelligence coding...

Art by Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

With Figma IPO, Dylan Field Bounces Back From Adobe Fiasco

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 11, 2025 9:38am PDT · 3 comments

The main Department of Justice building, across from the National Archives in Washington, was the kind of brooding edifice Dylan Field had walked through a lot in 2023 as he tried to convince governments around the world to let him sell Figma, the design software startup that had been his life, to Adobe for $20 billion. He made a final attempt... The main Department of Justice building, across from the National Archives in Washington, was the...

The Information Deep Research

Pro Weekly: Anthropic's Revenue Surge; Digging Into xAI

By The Information Staff · Jul 11, 2025 8:46am PDT

Welcome to the latest edition of our Pro newsletter. As you know, we recently launched Deep Research, our dedicated dive into the trends and data shaping the tech landscape.This week, Elon Musk’s xAI dominated headlines, with Linda Yaccarino stepping down as CEO of X, the company’s Grok chatbot coming under fire and xAI unveiling its latest... Welcome to the latest edition of our Pro newsletter. As you know, we recently launched Deep...

Photo via Getty

Huawei AI Chip Redesign Aims to Break Nvidia’s China Dominance

By Qianer Liu · Jul 11, 2025 6:00am PDT

China’s Huawei Technologies is plotting a fundamental redesign of its next artificial intelligence chip in a bid to seize market share from Nvidia. The Chinese tech giant is working on a new AI chip design that would allow its chips to be used for a wider array of AI development work than its current ones can handle, according to two people with... China’s Huawei Technologies is plotting a fundamental redesign of its next artificial...

Photo via Getty

Tesla’s Late to Shareholder Meeting—and Why It Doesn’t Matter

By Martin Peers · Jul 10, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Photo via Getty

Tesla’s Late to Shareholder Meeting—and Why It Doesn’t Matter

By Martin Peers · Jul 10, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Here’s a question: When was the last time anyone paid attention to a company’s annual shareholder meeting? More to the point, perhaps, when was the last time a company’s annual meeting really mattered? The answer to the first one (and maybe the second) is when a company drags its feet scheduling the meeting, as Tesla did—until today. On... Here’s a question: When was the last time anyone paid attention to a company’s annual shareholder...

Sarah Smith. Photo courtesy of Sarah Smith Fund.

How One New Solo GP Is Using AI to Identify Promising Founders

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Jul 10, 2025 3:36pm PDT · 8 comments

When former Bain Capital Ventures partner Sarah Smith raised a $16 million fund to back early-stage startups earlier this year, she decided to use artificial intelligence to answer a question that venture capitalists say usually comes down to human instinct: Which founders are worth meeting?The Menlo Park, Calif.–based investor developed a... When former Bain Capital Ventures partner Sarah Smith raised a $16 million fund to back...

TikTok creator Bryce Hall. Photo courtesy of "Skillhouse."

Creator Economy

A New Influencer Horror Film Shot at the Sway House

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 10, 2025 2:00pm PDT

Influencers aren’t just appearing on TV screens, but also increasingly on big screens. On Friday, a new horror film starring digital creators called “Skillhouse” will premiere in some AMC and Regal showhouses.The film follows 10 fictional influencers who are lured into a content house where they have to compete in social media challenges and... Influencers aren’t just appearing on TV screens, but also increasingly on big screens. On Friday,...

Art via Mike Sullivan

Why Some Companies Are Canceling ChatGPT Subscriptions

By Aaron Holmes · Jul 10, 2025 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Companies that buy artificial intelligence chatbots for their workers have many options, and some of them have started looking for the cheapest option. That could explain new data from payments startup Ramp, showing a slight dip in the percentage of Ramp customers that spent money on AI products like ChatGPT between May and June, to 42% from... Companies that buy artificial intelligence chatbots for their workers have many options, and some...

Art by Mike Sullivan

What the OpenAI Web Browser Means; Musk Says Grok 4 is No. 1

By Amir Efrati · Jul 10, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

What the OpenAI Web Browser Means; Musk Says Grok 4 is No. 1

By Amir Efrati · Jul 10, 2025 7:00am PDT

OpenAI’s embrace of Google Cloud servers isn’t stopping it from launching a direct assault on several of Google’s core products. Its next target: Chrome.Reuters on Wednesday reported that OpenAI’s web browser is coming soon. It’s been eight months since we broke the first news about OpenAI’s development of the browser, including its hiring of... OpenAI’s embrace of Google Cloud servers isn’t stopping it from launching a direct assault on...

A cryptocurrency exchange in Istanbul advertises Tether.

Why New U.S. Crypto Rules Will Reverberate Globally

By Yueqi Yang · Jul 10, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

The most important cryptocurrency bill in history could become law next week, but its immediate effect on everyday Americans will be negligible. Instead, the biggest impact will occur overseas, where it will boost both crypto and the dollar in the global economy. The law will bolster confidence in stablecoins, cryptocurrencies pegged to a... The most important cryptocurrency bill in history could become law next week, but its immediate...

The stationary storage battery plant that Lyten acquired from Northvolt. Photo: Damian Lemanski/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Scrappy Lyten Sees Survival in Drones and Acquisitions

By Steve LeVine · Jul 10, 2025 4:30am PDT

Last November, European battery developer Northvolt was struggling and looking for a buyer for its state-of-the-art lithium-metal manufacturing subsidiary in Silicon Valley. When none of the industry’s big players were interested, battery startup Lyten snapped up the assets, including $25 million in equipment, much of it new, and the... Last November, European battery developer Northvolt was struggling and looking for a buyer for...

Photo via Getty

Why Elon Musk’s AI Focus Doomed Linda Yaccarino

By Theo Wayt · Jul 9, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Oh, how times have changed! Just two years ago, Elon Musk hired Linda Yaccarino as the CEO of Twitter with a mandate to clean up relationships with advertisers, many of whom were worried about their products showing up next to hate speech. On Wednesday, Yaccarino unexpectedly announced her departure at a time when the merger of X with Musk’... Oh, how times have changed! Just two years ago, Elon Musk hired Linda Yaccarino as the CEO...

Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq. Photo via Getty

Nvidia Challenger Groq Discusses $6 Billion Valuation

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Cory Weinberg · Jul 9, 2025 3:28pm PDT · 5 comments

Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq. Photo via Getty

Nvidia Challenger Groq Discusses $6 Billion Valuation

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Cory Weinberg · Jul 9, 2025 3:28pm PDT · 5 comments

Groq, an Nvidia challenger that develops chips to power large language models, has talked to investors about raising between $300 million to $500 million at a $6 billion post-investment valuation, according to two people with direct knowledge of the fundraising effort. The deal discussions come as the company told investors its revenue will more... Groq, an Nvidia challenger that develops chips to power large language models, has talked to...