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

Photo by Getty.

Merchants Hike Prices on Amazon and DTC Sites, Pause China Inventory Orders

By Ann Gehan and Theo Wayt · Apr 8, 2025 10:37am PDT

Online sellers are responding to President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements by tacking on checkout fees—some with cheeky names—or planning to do so. At the same time, sellers are gaming out exactly how much to increase their list prices and when, based on fast-evolving trade policies and competitive pressures. Jolie Skin Co, a New... Online sellers are responding to President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements by tacking on...

Photo via Getty/Shane Burke

Rivals Unite Behind New Software for Agents, Threatening App Makers

By Jon Victor · Apr 8, 2025 10:00am PDT

Before we get to AI agents, we wanted to make sure you saw our story from last night on how the effects of the new U.S. tariffs are already rippling across tech—even prompting some companies to pause new enterprise software deals. We’ll be watching closely for any more disruptions as companies continue to make sense of what the changes in... Before we get to AI agents, we wanted to make sure you saw our story from last night on how the...

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Getty

Llama 4’s Rocky Debut

By Kalley Huang and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 8, 2025 7:15am PDT · 2 comments

Meta Platforms on Saturday released two versions of Llama 4, the newest generation of its flagship open-source large language model, called Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick. The release came a day after we reported that Meta had hit some snags with the new model, which had delayed its release a bit. At first glance, the new AI seemed to... Meta Platforms on Saturday released two versions of Llama 4, the newest generation of its...

A port in Shenzhen, China. Photo via Getty.

Tech’s Biggest Trade War Losers

By Theo Wayt · Apr 8, 2025 6:00am PDT

A port in Shenzhen, China. Photo via Getty.

Tech’s Biggest Trade War Losers

By Theo Wayt · Apr 8, 2025 6:00am PDT

Trump’s aggressive trade moves mean every U.S. tech company, large and small, now faces threats to its business. A pullback in e-commerce and ad spending could hammer Amazon and Meta Platforms, and general macroeconomic malaise could hurt cloud computing growth. Less obvious threats, however, are brewing as a global trade war intensifies. EU... Trump’s aggressive trade moves mean every U.S. tech company, large and small, now faces threats...

The Port of Oakland this weekend. Photo via Getty

Tariffs Threaten Silicon Valley’s AI Gold Rush

By Natasha Mascarenhas, Jon Victor, Sri Muppidi and Rocket Drew · Apr 7, 2025 6:13pm PDT · 1 comment

A stock market rout triggered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese and European goods is threatening to end the artificial intelligence–powered gold rush that has buoyed Silicon Valley for more than two years. Eric Bahn, a co-founder of early-stage venture firm Hustle Fund, is advising startups the firm has backed to be more... A stock market rout triggered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese and European goods...

Photo via Getty

Microsoft and Netflix Are Safe Tech Names in Storm

By Martin Peers · Apr 7, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Is your seatbelt still holding? Monday’s ups and downs in the stock market would be enough to give anyone whiplash. The good news, for tech investors at least, is that things weren’t all bad. Quite a few stocks went up, including Nvidia, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Broadcom. The biggest losers included Apple, down 3.7%, and Tesla, down 2.6%,... Is your seatbelt still holding? Monday’s ups and downs in the stock market would be enough to...

The construction site of the Docklands Data Centre Campus where Microsoft was negotiating to lease space. Photo by Getty.

Tariffs Trouble Oracle

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 7, 2025 7:15am PDT · 1 comment

Before we get to tariffs, we wanted to make sure you saw Stephanie and Jessica’s scoop on OpenAI discussing acquiring a startup created by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and ex-iPhone designer Jony Ive to develop a personal artificial intelligence device. Although Altman isn’t technically classified as a cofounder of the startup, io Products, the... Before we get to tariffs, we wanted to make sure you saw Stephanie and Jessica’s scoop on OpenAI...

Sam Altman, Left, and Larry Ellison. Photos via Getty, art by Clark Miller

Pressure Rises on Oracle to Finish OpenAI Data Center

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 7, 2025 6:00am PDT

Sam Altman, Left, and Larry Ellison. Photos via Getty, art by Clark Miller

Pressure Rises on Oracle to Finish OpenAI Data Center

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 7, 2025 6:00am PDT

Oracle is building a data center in Abilene, Texas, the size of 17 football fields for OpenAI. Currently, it’s empty and incomplete. If it stays that way much longer, OpenAI can walk away from the deal, which could cost Oracle billions of dollars, according to two people working with the company on the project. While it’s unlikely OpenAI would... Oracle is building a data center in Abilene, Texas, the size of 17 football fields for OpenAI....

Sam Altman, left and Jony Ive. Photos via Getty

OpenAI Has Discussed Buying Jony Ive and Sam Altman’s AI Device Startup

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 6, 2025 3:02pm PDT · 3 comments

OpenAI in recent weeks discussed acquiring a startup its CEO Sam Altman has been working on with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive’s studio to develop an artificial intelligence-powered personal device, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal talks. They are also discussing partnership options beyond a full acquisition, one of the... OpenAI in recent weeks discussed acquiring a startup its CEO Sam Altman has been working on with...

David Sacks. Photo via Getty

David Sacks’ Craft Ventures Lays Off Staff, Co-Founder Steps Back

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Erin Woo · Apr 5, 2025 4:27pm PDT

Craft Ventures, the eight-year-old venture firm co-founded by White House adviser David Sacks, last week laid off half a dozen employees who were largely involved in recruiting professionals for startups it backs, a spokesperson confirmed. It made the changes as the firm’s investors have shifted their focus to later-stage investments from very... Craft Ventures, the eight-year-old venture firm co-founded by White House adviser David Sacks,...

Art by Clark Miller

A Clearer Picture of OpenAI’s Next Battle

By Abram Brown · Apr 5, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The father-son duo who sparked a spy scandal • The Arena: The WNBA and its new tech owners have a merch problem• Plus, our Recommendations: A Birkin bag version of “Succession”; Amy Poehler, podcast goddess; and why America loves a cultWell, look at that: We’ve broken ChatGPT. A... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The father-son duo who sparked a spy...

Art by Clark Miller

The WNBA and Its New Tech Owners Have a Merch Problem

By Sara Germano · Apr 5, 2025 6:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

The WNBA and Its New Tech Owners Have a Merch Problem

By Sara Germano · Apr 5, 2025 6:00am PDT

Keia Clarke thought she had a handle on her surging customer demand. As chief executive of the New York Liberty, she runs the business of one of the WNBA’s hottest teams, whose recent on-court success has led to surging viewership and sales of tickets and merchandise. To prepare for the Liberty’s home opener at Barclays Center last spring,... Keia Clarke thought she had a handle on her surging customer demand. As chief executive of the...

Glean CEO Arvind Jain. Photo by Erin Beach.

Enterprise Search App Glean in Funding Talks After Passing $100 Million Revenue Pace

By Sri Muppidi · Apr 4, 2025 5:34pm PDT

Glean, a developer of search chatbots for businesses, is in talks with investors to potentially raise hundreds of millions of dollars in new financing, including money to buy out employee shares in a tender offer, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The six-year-old startup’s potential valuation in the deal couldn’t be... Glean, a developer of search chatbots for businesses, is in talks with investors to potentially...

Art by Clark Miller

How Deel’s Combative Father-Son Duo Sparked a Spy Scandal

By Michael Roddan and Cory Weinberg · Apr 4, 2025 4:52pm PDT · 5 comments

Philippe Bouaziz has always expected his only son to fight—and to fight alongside him. He made his hope plainly apparent on the day he chose his son’s name: Alexandre, a deliberate homage to Alexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian conqueror, Philippe has told people with evident pride. The name tied Alex closely together with his... Philippe Bouaziz has always expected his only son to fight—and to fight alongside him. He...

Photo via Getty

Klarna and StubHub Offerings Become Tariff Casualties

By Ken Brown · Apr 4, 2025 4:00pm PDT

That was fast. The window for technology company stock offerings slammed shut less than a week after it opened, dashing hopes that the moribund market would come to life this year.CoreWeave, the deal that was supposed to lead the pack in a reopened market, got done on Friday. StubHub and Klarna were waiting in the wings, until President Donald... That was fast. The window for technology company stock offerings slammed shut less than a week...

Can Tesla Survive? And the Future of OpenAI

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 4, 2025 3:50pm PDT

Can Tesla Survive? And the Future of OpenAI

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 4, 2025 3:50pm PDT

On this week’s More or Less: The battle lines are drawn on OpenAI. Apple Spotify On this week’s More or Less: The battle lines are drawn on OpenAI. Apple Spotify

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. Photo via Getty

Tether Eyes Issuing New Stablecoin for U.S. Market

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 4, 2025 2:21pm PDT

Tether, by far the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, says it plans to create a new stablecoin for the U.S. market this year if Congress passes crypto legislation. In an interview with The Information, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company “will move fast” to create a new token once the expected stablecoin legislation passes. Tether, by far the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, says it plans to create a new stablecoin...

A Seattle Orcas Major League Cricket game. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella co-owns the team. Photo via MLC.

Pro Weekly: Upstart Sports Leagues Gain Momentum

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 4, 2025 8:00am PDT

A few weeks ago, we published one of my favorite additions to The Information Pro, our Sports Team Owners Database. My colleague Sara Germano logged more than 50 sports franchises across nearly a dozen sports leagues that count tech entrepreneurs, executives and investors among their owners. I was struck by how many of these people have... A few weeks ago, we published one of my favorite additions to The Information Pro, our Sports...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Meta Nears Release of New AI Model After Performance Hiccups

By Kalley Huang · Apr 4, 2025 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Last spring, Meta Platforms was on a tear. It had just released Llama 3, a new generation of its large language model, to much praise from developers and independent reviewers. Almost a year later, though, that model’s successor, Llama 4, is running behind schedule. Meta has pushed back the release date of Llama 4 at least twice and could do so... Last spring, Meta Platforms was on a tear. It had just released Llama 3, a new generation of its...

Photo via Getty

What the Wall Street Bloodbath Reveals About Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 3, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Photo via Getty

What the Wall Street Bloodbath Reveals About Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 3, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Wall Street wisdom says when a recession is on the horizon, investors should flock to defensive companies that sell things people always need, like groceries and healthcare. At the same time, they should flee cyclical firms that sell optional stuff cash-strapped shoppers will avoid or put off buying, like luxury goods and furniture. Which... Wall Street wisdom says when a recession is on the horizon, investors should flock to defensive...