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

Art by Clark Miller

Artificial Intelligence

A Marketplace to Solve AI Copyright Woes?

By Abram Brown · Dec 28, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Nearly a century ago, Isaac Asimov laid out his Three Laws of Robotics, a set of commandments imagining how artificial beings should interact with humans. The tenets underpin much of modern science fiction, and they tend to knock around in the minds of the people developing modern technology, too. Trip Adler, a co-founder of Scribd—which... Nearly a century ago, Isaac Asimov laid out his Three Laws of Robotics, a set of commandments...

President-elect Donald Trump in Phoenix on December 22. Photo via Getty.

Trump Asks the Supremes to Delay a TikTok Ban

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 27, 2024 5:00pm PST

The sleepy Friday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be not so sleepy after all. President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon asking to delay the effective date of a law banning TikTok. The law will ban TikTok on Jan. 19—one day before Trump takes office—unless it can find a buyer that... The sleepy Friday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be not so sleepy after all....

Art by Clark Miller (book covers courtesy of their publishers)

20 Great Books to Read Over the Holidays

By Abram Brown · Dec 27, 2024 11:52am PST

One of Neal Stephenson’s favorite texting buddies is Seamus Blackley, a creator of the Xbox when he was at Microsoft and a former agent at Creative Artists Agency. Their friendship extends back years, and they often trade notes and thoughts on whatever technology has come to fascinate them. A while ago, they got to talking about radiation... One of Neal Stephenson’s favorite texting buddies is Seamus Blackley, a creator of the Xbox...

Photo via Getty

Pro Weekly: Cloud Spending Soars

By Akash Pasricha and Jon Victor · Dec 27, 2024 8:00am PST

Photo via Getty

Pro Weekly: Cloud Spending Soars

By Akash Pasricha and Jon Victor · Dec 27, 2024 8:00am PST

Welcome back!Selling cloud services is a good business these days. More than a dozen companies in our Cloud Database have increased their cloud spending lately. For many, it reflects a broader push to embed artificial intelligence into every part of their business. Those AI offerings are powered by cloud computing.Take Snap, for example. We now... Welcome back!Selling cloud services is a good business these days. More than a dozen companies in...

Skild AI robots. Photo by Skild AI

Startups to Watch

9 Robotics Startups to Watch

By Rocket Drew · Dec 27, 2024 6:00am PST · 4 comments

To train artificial intelligence–powered robots to pick a book off a shelf a decade ago, researchers had to direct the robots to perform the task roughly 500 times before the robots learned to imitate the motion, recalls Brad Porter, founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics, which is developing robots to work in hospitals and warehouses.... To train artificial intelligence–powered robots to pick a book off a shelf a decade ago,...

Beyoncé's NFL halftime show on Netflix. Photo via Getty.

Netflix and the NFL Won on Christmas. What About the Fans?

By Sahil Patel · Dec 26, 2024 4:15pm PST

A lot of eyes were on Netflix on Christmas Day—not just to see whether the Kansas City Chiefs could clinch their home-field advantage in the playoffs by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers (they did), or if Beyoncé could put on a Super Bowl–worthy halftime show during a regular-season game in Houston (she did). Those eyes were also scrutinizing the... A lot of eyes were on Netflix on Christmas Day—not just to see whether the Kansas City Chiefs...

Art by Clark Miller

Where Is Venture Capital Going in 2025?

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Dec 26, 2024 2:00pm PST

Dealmakers, it’s been a history-making year. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, the largest venture capital fundraise in history—only to have Databricks beat that record with its $10 billion haul in December. Then there were the acqui-hires, topped by Google paying $2.7 billion for the talent and technology behind Character AI.But the year wasn’t... Dealmakers, it’s been a history-making year. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, the largest venture...

Art by Clark Miller.

Microsoft and OpenAI’s Secret AGI Definition

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 26, 2024 7:15am PST

Art by Clark Miller.

Microsoft and OpenAI’s Secret AGI Definition

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 26, 2024 7:15am PST

Finally, a verifiable, numbers-based description of artificial general intelligence has arrived!Whether AGI has or hasn’t been “achieved” by AI developers has been a hotly debated topic due to its fuzzy and subjective definition. OpenAI has publicly described AGI as automated systems that outperform people at “most economically valuable... Finally, a verifiable, numbers-based description of artificial general intelligence has arrived!...

Sam Altman and Satya Nadella. Photos via Getty.

Microsoft and OpenAI Wrangle Over Terms of Their Blockbuster Partnership

By Amir Efrati and Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 26, 2024 7:00am PST · 3 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to convert the artificial intelligence developer, which is governed by a nonprofit, into a for-profit corporation. His biggest hurdle is Microsoft, which has outsize influence on the process after having committed more than $13 billion to OpenAI. The companies have been negotiating potential changes in OpenAI’s... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to convert the artificial intelligence developer, which is governed...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Stakes in Amazon’s Union Battle With Delivery Drivers

By Theo Wayt · Dec 26, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

As the Teamsters union ramps up an organizing push aimed at Amazon, the owners of the thousands of independent companies that deliver orders for the e-commerce titan are growing increasingly jittery about their future. In a private chat group for owners of those businesses—subcontractors whom Amazon says are the legal employers of the... As the Teamsters union ramps up an organizing push aimed at Amazon, the owners of the thousands...

Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, earlier this month. Photo via Getty

Mexico Gives a Lump of Coal to Online Sellers

By Theo Wayt · Dec 24, 2024 4:25pm PST

Christmas Eve is usually the last day of a frantic holiday sprint for staff at e-commerce and logistics companies, after which they can expect to kick back and enjoy a comparatively calm couple of months. Not this year. Virtually any business that moves its products across borders has to be on guard as world leaders jockey to position... Christmas Eve is usually the last day of a frantic holiday sprint for staff at e-commerce and...

Photo via Getty.

What Happens to VCs’ Forgotten Startup Toys?

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 24, 2024 2:01pm PST · 1 comment

Photo via Getty.

What Happens to VCs’ Forgotten Startup Toys?

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 24, 2024 2:01pm PST · 1 comment

The gifting season is upon us, with kids and adults alike tearing into their new toys and gadgets while must-have presents from just a few years before sit forgotten. Venture capitalists can probably relate. In the tech world, we’re wrapping up year two of VCs splurging on shiny new artificial intelligence startups. AI startups to automate... The gifting season is upon us, with kids and adults alike tearing into their new toys and gadgets...

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Photos via Amazon/Adobe Stock.

Amazon Wants Merchants to Sell Everywhere—Except Temu

By Jing Yang, Qianer Liu and Theo Wayt · Dec 24, 2024 10:52am PST · 1 comment

For popular China-based Amazon merchants, bargain site Temu has been an attractive new place to sell their wares. And Amazon hadn’t been doing much to stop them from branching out. That’s all changed in recent weeks, several major Amazon merchants said. Amazon representatives have been offering incentives such as free advertising and... For popular China-based Amazon merchants, bargain site Temu has been an attractive new place to...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Has Discussed Making a Humanoid Robot

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Dec 24, 2024 8:31am PST

Over the past year, OpenAI has dropped not-so-subtle hints about its revived interest in robotics: investing in startups developing hardware and software for robots such as Figure and Physical Intelligence and rebooting its internal robotics software team, which it had disbanded four years ago.Now, OpenAI could be taking that interest to the... Over the past year, OpenAI has dropped not-so-subtle hints about its revived interest in...

From left, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Apple's Tim Cook and Steve Jobs

How Apple Developed an Nvidia Allergy

By Wayne Ma · Dec 24, 2024 6:00am PST

Like most big tech companies with artificial intelligence ambitions, Apple has little choice but to use chips from Nvidia, whose graphics processing units are practically a de facto standard in the development and running of AI software. But Apple is working on ways to spend less on Nvidia chips without undermining its success in AI. Instead of... Like most big tech companies with artificial intelligence ambitions, Apple has little choice but...

Peter Thiel. Photo via Getty

Tech Wields New Political Power in Old-Fashioned Ways

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 23, 2024 5:00pm PST

Peter Thiel. Photo via Getty

Tech Wields New Political Power in Old-Fashioned Ways

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 23, 2024 5:00pm PST

A decade ago, Peter Thiel wrote somewhat famously that “competition is for losers.” He was interested in backing startups that looked like Google, whose products were so good “that no other firm can offer a close substitute.” A caveat he offered was that he wasn’t interested in backing monopoly businesses that look like “government favorites.”... A decade ago, Peter Thiel wrote somewhat famously that “competition is for losers.” He was...

Art by Clark Miller

Nvidia, OpenAI and Their Rivals Expand AI Turf Wars

By Amir Efrati · Dec 23, 2024 7:30am PST · 3 comments

Nvidia, a chip giant, says it can develop a cloud services and software business to rival Amazon Web Services. OpenAI, an artificial intelligence developer, has been developing server chips and a browser to reduce its dependence on Nvidia and Google, respectively. And Elon Musk hired a data center team to build one of the biggest supercomputing... Nvidia, a chip giant, says it can develop a cloud services and software business to rival Amazon...

Sam Altman. Photo by Getty

OpenAI Wows the Crowd as New Scaling Law Passes Its First Test

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 23, 2024 7:00am PST · 3 comments

OpenAI’s next-generation reasoning model—called o3 for a funny reason—seriously impressed researchers and developers last week.Specifically, o3 and o3-mini (a smaller version of the model) scored impressively on a number of extremely difficult math and coding benchmarks, beating out competitors like Anthropic and Google by a lot. It also reached... OpenAI’s next-generation reasoning model—called o3 for a funny reason—seriously impressed...

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI Has Edge Over Google in Winning Publishers’ Business

By Catherine Perloff · Dec 23, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

OpenAI’s efforts to license news publishers’ content for training its large language models are beginning to pay business dividends. Publishers are increasingly opting to use OpenAI’s artificial intelligence tools for their operations rather than Google’s, publishing executives say. OpenAI has signed more than a dozen... OpenAI’s efforts to license news publishers’ content for training its large language...

Art by Clark Miller

Will Sports Gambling Copy Crypto’s Playbook?

By Abram Brown · Dec 21, 2024 7:00am PST

Art by Clark Miller

Will Sports Gambling Copy Crypto’s Playbook?

By Abram Brown · Dec 21, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! This edition of Weekend is especially exciting: It marks the debut of a new coverage area for us and the arrival to The Information of a talented reporter. Sara Germano, a veteran of the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, has joined Weekend to helm The Arena, Weekend’s new franchise devoted to covering... Welcome, Weekenders! This edition of Weekend is especially exciting: It marks the debut of a...