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

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

Photo: Getty

The Electric: Does Tesla Really Stand to Prosper From the Trump Presidency?

By Steve LeVine · Nov 21, 2024 4:30am PST · 4 comments

Since Donald Trump won reelection as president, many investors have assumed that the chief beneficiaries would include businesses run by Elon Musk, his biggest financial backer and recently his frequent companion. Investors have pushed up the share price of Musk’s one listed business—Tesla—36% since the Nov. 5 election. Since Donald Trump won reelection as president, many investors have assumed that the chief...

Jiang Fan. Photo by Getty

Alibaba Revamps E-Commerce Businesses As Competition Intensifies

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Nov 21, 2024 1:52am PST

Alibaba Group is placing all of its e-commerce businesses, both domestic and international, under one umbrella overseen by a single executive, according to a person close to the company, as the Chinese tech giant seeks to keep up with fast-moving competitors. The newly formed Alibaba E-Commerce Group, comprising domestic marketplaces Taobao and... Alibaba Group is placing all of its e-commerce businesses, both domestic and international, under...

Photo via Getty

Why Nvidia’s Investors Are So Hard to Please

By Martin Peers · Nov 20, 2024 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

Nvidia investors are, let’s face it, a bit like spoiled children. Here’s a company that posts a 94% increase in revenue from a year ago, which is quite a bit better than it had projected, and the stock falls! Sure, Nvidia’s growth rate has come down from the blazing-fast 260% or so of a few quarters ago, but did anyone imagine the company could... Nvidia investors are, let’s face it, a bit like spoiled children. Here’s a company that posts a ...

Redpoint Ventures’ Rashad Assir and Morning Brew’s Dan Toomey speak on a panel about the creator economy in New York on Monday. Photo: Media Summit | NYC

Why More Companies Will Hire Creators in 2025

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 20, 2024 2:09pm PST

Redpoint Ventures’ Rashad Assir and Morning Brew’s Dan Toomey speak on a panel about the creator economy in New York on Monday. Photo: Media Summit | NYC

Creator Economy

Why More Companies Will Hire Creators in 2025

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 20, 2024 2:09pm PST

Next year, expect more companies to hire creators as employees, either to represent their brands to the public or run their social strategies.On Monday I spoke to two creators who have joined companies in the past few years: Morning Brew’s Dan Toomey, who runs the media outlet’s Good Work YouTube channel, which covers business and finance... Next year, expect more companies to hire creators as employees, either to represent their brands...

Credit: Erin Beach

Partner Content

Recap: Will 2025 Be the Year of IPOs for AI?

By The Information Partnerships · Nov 20, 2024 11:49am PST · 1 comment

To call the last two years “tepid” for tech initial public offerings would be an understatement. In the wake of a record-smashing high in 2021, IPO deal proceeds plummeted 94% in 2022 and have been slow to recover. But 2025 could be looking up, with some big names likely to hit exchanges. At a recent event about artificial... To call the last two years “tepid” for tech initial public offerings would be an...

Subscriber Survey

Most Readers Oppose Return-to-Office Mandates

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 20, 2024 8:00am PST

Six in 10 readers of The Information oppose policies mandating that they work in an office every day, but executives and founders view such policies more favorably, according to our latest reader survey. A majority of respondents said their ideal is to be in the office three days a week or fewer. Respondents were slightly less optimistic than in... Six in 10 readers of The Information oppose policies mandating that they work in an office every...

Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy. Photo via Getty.

Snowflake Talks With Anthropic About AI Partnership

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 20, 2024 7:47am PST

Database provider Snowflake is talking with OpenAI rival Anthropic about letting Snowflake’s customers use Anthropic’s large language models to build artificial intelligence–powered applications, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The Anthropic agreement, if consummated, could help CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy... Database provider Snowflake is talking with OpenAI rival Anthropic about letting...

Writer cofounders May Habib and Waseem Alshikh. Courtesy of Writer.

What If LLMs Could Continue Learning?

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 20, 2024 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Writer cofounders May Habib and Waseem Alshikh. Courtesy of Writer.

What If LLMs Could Continue Learning?

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 20, 2024 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Here’s a question of paramount importance in AI: what if large language models could continue learning new information even after they’re done training? That’s the question that researchers at Writer, a $2 billion-valuation startup developing AI tools for enterprises, found themselves asking six months ago. Those researchers have now... Here’s a question of paramount importance in AI: what if large language models could continue...

Steve McLaughlin, screenshot via YouTube.

FT Partners’ Steve McLaughlin Fights ‘Blood Brothers’ Over Fees

By Michael Roddan · Nov 20, 2024 6:00am PST · 2 comments

In mid-2020, when cryptocurrency firm Circle needed to raise cash, CEO Jeremy Allaire sought out Steve McLaughlin, founder of investment bank FT Partners and a force in fintech dealmaking. For its services, FT wanted a percentage of any capital it raised for Circle, plus fees on any future fundraising or acquisition, even if FT wasn’t... In mid-2020, when cryptocurrency firm Circle needed to raise cash, CEO Jeremy Allaire sought out...

Nisa Leung, Managing Partner, Qiming Venture Partners. Photo by Getty.

Top Chinese VC Firm Qiming Plans Leadership Transition

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Nov 20, 2024 4:00am PST

Qiming Venture Partners, one of China’s leading venture firms, is planning a major leadership transition, one of the first of a generation of Chinese VC firms to take this step, according to three people with knowledge of the plan. Nisa Leung and Duane Kuang, two of Qiming’s managing partners, will gradually step back from their... Qiming Venture Partners, one of China’s leading venture firms, is planning a major...

Google Sundar Pichai, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President-Elect Donald Trump via Getty. Art by Clark Miller

Musk Joined Call Between Trump, Google CEO

By Erin Woo · Nov 19, 2024 7:07pm PST · 7 comments

When Google CEO Sundar Pichai called Donald Trump to congratulate the president-elect on winning the election, a guest was on the line: Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, xAI and other companies, according to two people familiar with the situation. Musk’s appearance took Pichai by surprise, one of these people said. When Google CEO Sundar Pichai called Donald Trump to congratulate the president-elect on winning...

Photo via Adobe

Amazon’s Walmart Problem

By Theo Wayt · Nov 19, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Photo via Adobe

Amazon’s Walmart Problem

By Theo Wayt · Nov 19, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Walmart reported solid third-quarter numbers today, driving home what’s surely a sore point for Jeff Bezos: No matter how hard Amazon tries, it can’t conquer Walmart.The Arkansas retailer’s revenue grew 5.5% to $169.6 billion, and the company showed optimism about the holiday season by raising its full-year sales forecast. Investors are happy... Walmart reported solid third-quarter numbers today, driving home what’s surely a sore point for...

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi and ServiceTitan CEO Ara Mahdessian. Photos via Flickr and ServiceTitan.

Databricks’ $8 Billion Ask; ServiceTitan IPO Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 19, 2024 3:00pm PST · 2 comments

Good afternoon from Las Vegas, where I’m writing this newsletter from a hotel room with a Strip view of the Encore, the hotel where bankers, investors and tech executives will slide from meeting to meeting at Goldman Sachs’ annual private tech confab. Say hi if you’re there. (I’ll be one of the many bald guys roaming around, but I’m younger than... Good afternoon from Las Vegas, where I’m writing this newsletter from a hotel room with a Strip...

A mini drama on Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

Serial Shows Make a Comeback on TikTok and Instagram

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 19, 2024 2:03pm PST

Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social media work. Now, a second wave of attempts is coming. As Juro and I reported, TikTok is now considering adding TV-like dramas with minutes-long episodes, which have proven popular on its Chinese sister app Douyin. Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social...

From left, Sara Germano, Sri Muppidi, Catherine Perloff and Kevin McLaughlin.

The Information Hires Four Reporters to Deepen Coverage of Startups, AI and Sports

By The Information Staff · Nov 19, 2024 8:00am PST · 2 comments

The Information is pleased to announce the hiring of three new reporters—Sara Germano, Sri Muppidi and Catherine Perloff—as well as the return of veteran reporter Kevin McLaughlin. Sara Germano will join The Information’s Weekend section from the Financial Times on Dec. 2, covering the business and future of sports—with a... The Information is pleased to announce the hiring of three new reporters—Sara Germano, Sri...

Photo via Getty

Is The End of Prompt Engineering Here?

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 19, 2024 7:00am PST

Photo via Getty

Is The End of Prompt Engineering Here?

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 19, 2024 7:00am PST

Techies know well that coaxing a large language model to give you a good answer can feel a bit like tricking a toddler. Developers have been known to write, “if you don’t give me the correct answer, I will be fired” in their prompts—successfully. That led to “prompt engineering,” a side hustle for techies who wanted to make easy money by... Techies know well that coaxing a large language model to give you a good answer can feel a bit...

Soccer players and co-founders of Re-Inc, Tobin Heath (far left) and Megan Rapinoe (center left), celebrate a goal in 2019. Photo via Getty.

Who’s Who Among Sports Media Startups

By Sahil Patel · Nov 19, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

The media sector is a no-no for most investors. The exception is sports. As big investors including Ares Management, Apollo Global Management and RedBird Capital Partners pour money into sports teams and leagues, a spate of media startups is emerging to both cover the culture of sports and stream some games. The media sector is a no-no for most investors. The exception is sports. As big investors...

Photos via Getty

Trump’s Tech Haves and Have-Nots

By Martin Peers · Nov 18, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

In tech, the story is going to be very much about the haves and have-nots over the next four years. Some tech firms will have juice with Donald Trump and some won’t. Trump’s Sunday night announcement that Brendan Carr will lead the Federal Communications Commission is more bad news for Meta Platforms, which increasingly looks to be one of the... In tech, the story is going to be very much about the haves and have-nots over the next four...

Ex-OpenAI CTO, Mira Murati. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Female Staff Complain of Gender Disparity After Murati Exit

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 18, 2024 2:32pm PST · 3 comments

OpenAI’s loss of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and safety systems chief Lilian Weng has galvanized concern among some of the remaining women at the firm that the management isn’t doing enough to promote and retain women, two people who have worked at the ChatGPT maker said. One female staffer circulated a memo to other women... OpenAI’s loss of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and safety systems chief Lilian Weng...

Canva's new CFO, Kelly Steckelberg. Photo via Getty.

Canva Hires Ex-Zoom CFO but Hedges on IPO Timing

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 18, 2024 11:00am PST

Canva's new CFO, Kelly Steckelberg. Photo via Getty.

Canva Hires Ex-Zoom CFO but Hedges on IPO Timing

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 18, 2024 11:00am PST

Design software firm Canva has hired Zoom Video’s longtime finance chief, Kelly Steckelberg, as its chief financial officer, filling a 10-month vacancy in which the company prioritized picking an executive who had taken a fast-growing company public. The hiring is important for Canva’s ability to go public, although its co-founder in... Design software firm Canva has hired Zoom Video’s longtime finance chief, Kelly...