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

The Startups Developing Robot Hands; OpenAI’s Revenue Hopes

The Startups Developing Robot Hands; OpenAI’s Revenue Hopes

By Rocket Drew · Apr 24, 2025 7:00am PDT

Before we get into Thursday’s column, be sure to read my colleague Sri’s story on OpenAI’s revenue forecasts. The projections go a long way in explaining why investors led by SoftBank think OpenAI is worth $260 billion. While subscriptions to OpenAI’s pioneering ChatGPT will continue to make up the majority of revenue for the next five years,... Before we get into Thursday’s column, be sure to read my colleague Sri’s story on OpenAI’s...

Art by Clark Miller

Apple’s India Manufacturing Push Faces Spoilers, Including China

By Wayne Ma · Apr 24, 2025 6:00am PDT

For several years, Apple has been working hard to make more of its iPhones in India so it can reduce its dependence on China, where around 80% of its smartphones are currently made. The Chinese government and its tensions with India are getting in the way of that goal. Earlier this year, Chinese authorities refused to allow one of Apple’s... For several years, Apple has been working hard to make more of its iPhones in India so it can...

Elon Musk and his son X Æ walk off Marine One. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty

The Electric: A Reset for Tesla? Musk Pledges Focus But Robotaxi Remains Fuzzy

By Steve LeVine · Apr 24, 2025 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

The market-moving news from Tesla’s earnings call was Elon Musk promising to spend more time at the car company and less in Washington. It helped send the stock up nearly 8% on Wednesday, and it turned the outlook of even recently critical analysts positive again. Among them was Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives, who said the damage Musk had... The market-moving news from Tesla’s earnings call was Elon Musk promising to spend more time at...

Left to right: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and President Donald Trump. Photos via Getty.

Walmart Helps Bail Out Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 23, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Left to right: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and President Donald Trump. Photos via Getty.

Walmart Helps Bail Out Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 23, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy needs to send a thank-you card to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon—because it looks like Walmart just helped bail out Amazon. President Donald Trump’s signal on Tuesday that he might reduce tariffs on Chinese imports from the current level of 145% followed a meeting the president held with McMillon and the CEOs of Target and Home... Amazon CEO Andy Jassy needs to send a thank-you card to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon—because it...

Tastemade co-founder Steven Kydd. Photo via Getty

Creator Economy

Creator Economy M&A Picks Up in Q1

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 23, 2025 2:21pm PDT

This year is off to a solid start for creator economy acquisitions.We tallied at least a dozen acquisitions during the first three months of the year, up from four during the same period a year ago. In all of 2024, 31 companies in The Information’s Creator Economy Database were acquired. This year is off to a solid start for creator economy acquisitions.We tallied at least a dozen...

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI Forecasts Revenue Topping $125 Billion in 2029 as Agents, New Products Gain

By Sri Muppidi · Apr 23, 2025 10:16am PDT · 10 comments

For two years, ChatGPT has been OpenAI’s cash cow. But by the end of the decade, the company has told some potential and current investors it expects combined sales from agents and other new products to exceed its popular chatbot, lifting total sales to $125 billion in 2029 and $174 billion the next year, according to documents seen by The... For two years, ChatGPT has been OpenAI’s cash cow. But by the end of the decade, the company has...

Photo via Getty

OpenAI’s Bid To Get Google’s Search Data

By Erin Woo · Apr 23, 2025 7:00am PDT

Hello! Erin here, reporting from the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C. as federal judge Amit Mehta oversees a hearing on how to remedy Google’s illegal search monopoly.Much of the trial so far has centered not on Google’s traditional search engine—famous for its blue links—but on the AI-powered search market, as the government... Hello! Erin here, reporting from the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C. as...

Art by Clark Miller.

AI Agents Fall Short on Shopping

By Ann Gehan · Apr 23, 2025 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

AI Agents Fall Short on Shopping

By Ann Gehan · Apr 23, 2025 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Artificial intelligence heavyweights including OpenAI and Perplexity, along with commerce giant Amazon, are painting visions of AI tools acting as personal shoppers that can seamlessly buy stuff across the internet. But the handful of AI agents that have so far been released have had trouble with online shopping, since they’re easily tripped up... Artificial intelligence heavyweights including OpenAI and Perplexity, along with commerce giant...

Elon Musk. Photo via Getty

Tesla’s First Quarter Signals Bleak Year

By Martin Peers · Apr 22, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

When Elon Musk said in January that 2025 would be “a pivotal year for Tesla,” he surely wasn’t thinking of what has come to pass. The electric vehicle giant reported Tuesday that its auto revenues plunged 20% in the first quarter to their lowest level since 2021, dragging down Tesla’s overall revenue 9% and operating profit 66%. Tesla, which had... When Elon Musk said in January that 2025 would be “a pivotal year for Tesla,” he surely wasn’t...

Henry Ward, CEO and co-founder of Carta. Photo via YouTube.

Carta, the Startup for Startups, Tries to Restart Growth

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 22, 2025 3:47pm PDT

There are many ways to visualize the boom and slowdown in tech startups. One is the image of Carta CEO Henry Ward, dressed in a suit in a Midtown Manhattan hotel, describing how he once raised billions and is now trying to restart his company’s growth.Ward and I were sitting together, across the street from offices that house some of the largest... There are many ways to visualize the boom and slowdown in tech startups. One is the image of...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Getty

Creator Economy

Why Facebook Mulled Wiping Friends Lists

By Kalley Huang and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 22, 2025 2:02pm PDT

Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their most out-there strategies. Among the most extraordinary that have so far come to light in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms is CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “potentially crazy idea” in 2022 for refreshing Facebook: ... Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their...

E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI Would Buy Chrome, Executive Testifies

By Erin Woo · Apr 22, 2025 12:02pm PDT · 3 comments

E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI Would Buy Chrome, Executive Testifies

By Erin Woo · Apr 22, 2025 12:02pm PDT · 3 comments

OpenAI would be interested in buying Google’s Chrome web browser if a court forced Google to sell it, an OpenAI executive testified on Tuesday in a court hearing related to how Google should be overhauled to remedy its illegal search monopoly. Nick Turley, head of product for ChatGPT, also testified that OpenAI had offered to pay Apple a share... OpenAI would be interested in buying Google’s Chrome web browser if a court forced Google to sell...

Art by Clark Miller

How Customers Get Around AI’s Poor Math Skills

By Jon Victor · Apr 22, 2025 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Healthcare providers and artificial intelligence vendors have touted AI’s potential to automatically interpret medical test results. But the technology still faces a major limitation: It struggles to do basic math. For example, Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot often can’t answer correctly whether a certain number falls within a given range.That’s a... Healthcare providers and artificial intelligence vendors have touted AI’s potential to...

Stock photo via Getty

Three New Ways Developers Are Using AI

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 22, 2025 7:00am PDT

It’s no surprise that software developers love AI tools. (Just look at the revenue growth of Anysphere, the creator of the popular AI-powered code editing software Cursor, from my colleague Natasha’s feature on the startup last month.)You’ve probably read lots about the most obvious ways that developers are using AI models to speed up software... It’s no surprise that software developers love AI tools. (Just look at the revenue growth of ...

The Uber Executives Running its Self-Driving Car Expansion

By Alex Perry · Apr 22, 2025 6:00am PDT

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said that by the end of the decade, 20% to 40% of the number of trips Uber completes in certain cities will be robotaxi rides. To drive that expansion, the ride-hailing company has staffed up over the past 14 months with autonomous vehicle experts from companies like Waymo and Nuro. Those new additions are part of... Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said that by the end of the decade, 20% to 40% of the number of...

Gail Slater (center), US assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division, and Todd Blanche (right), US deputy attorney general, today outside federal court. Photo via Getty.

DOJ Questions Google’s AI Tactics

By Martin Peers · Apr 21, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Gail Slater (center), US assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division, and Todd Blanche (right), US deputy attorney general, today outside federal court. Photo via Getty.

DOJ Questions Google’s AI Tactics

By Martin Peers · Apr 21, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Is Google up to its old tricks in the new world of artificial intelligence? That’s what the government alleges. The Justice Department made a big deal in court today—as it argued how Google should be overhauled to remedy its search monopoly—with the charge that the tech giant was repeating its past sins in search in an effort to become dominant... Is Google up to its old tricks in the new world of artificial intelligence? That’s what the...

Palo Alto Networks Offers a Smooth Ride in Turbulent Markets

By Anita Ramaswamy · Apr 21, 2025 10:00am PDT · 2 comments

If the Trump administration’s tariffs and other policies throw the economy into turmoil, cybersecurity stocks could be a safe haven for tech investors. Palo Alto Networks, one of the largest and best-diversified companies in a highly fragmented industry, has shown it can grow through slowdowns and will be relatively safe from tariffs. Palo Alto... If the Trump administration’s tariffs and other policies throw the economy into turmoil,...

Photo via Getty

OpenAI’s Agent Moment; Cursor’s AI Hallucination

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 21, 2025 7:30am PDT · 1 comment

Google’s role in the AI sector will be in the spotlight this week, as the Justice Department makes its case in a Washington court for how to deal with what the court has already found to be Google’s illegal search monopoly. We’ll keep you updated.Meanwhile, looking back at last week, we had both an AI snafu and—perhaps more importantly—OpenAI’s... Google’s role in the AI sector will be in the spotlight this week, as the Justice Department...

Bedrock Materials headquarters, Chicago. Photo: Courtesy Bedrock

The Electric: Why Bedrock Materials Returned Its Seed Funding to Investors

By Steve LeVine · Apr 21, 2025 6:22am PDT

In a Linkedin post early this month, Bedrock Materials CEO Spencer Gore announced he was shutting down less than two years after launching the sodium-ion battery startup. He will return most of the $9 million in seed round funds he had raised back to investors. In a Linkedin post early this month, Bedrock Materials CEO Spencer Gore announced he was shutting...

AWS Faces Backlash Over Limits on Anthropic’s AI

By Kevin McLaughlin and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 21, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

AWS Faces Backlash Over Limits on Anthropic’s AI

By Kevin McLaughlin and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 21, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Amazon has hitched its artificial intelligence wagon to Anthropic, investing $8 billion in the startup and heavily promoting its AI to customers of the Amazon Web Services cloud unit. But AWS has fumbled Bedrock, a key service its customers use to build applications with Anthropic AI models. Customers who have used Bedrock say its application... Amazon has hitched its artificial intelligence wagon to Anthropic, investing $8 billion in the...