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

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The Under-the-Radar Investors That Wrote Massive Checks to Databricks

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 17, 2024 3:31pm PST

Many of the investment firms that wrote some of the largest checks into Databricks’ record-smashing $10 billion fundraising haul announced Tuesday are among the tech world’s best known venture names, such as Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital and Insight Partners.Then there’s an investment giant that is expected to wire at least $300 million to... Many of the investment firms that wrote some of the largest checks into Databricks’...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Nvidia Says It Could Build a Cloud Business Rivaling AWS. Is That Possible?

By Anissa Gardizy and Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 17, 2024 2:49pm PST · 2 comments

In the past two years, Nvidia has quietly gone into competition with its biggest customers: cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. Nvidia now rents out servers powered by its artificial intelligence chips to businesses directly, and also provides software to help them develop AI applications. Nvidia says it is already among... In the past two years, Nvidia has quietly gone into competition with its biggest customers: cloud...

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Creator Economy

The Year In Charts, From Podcasts to Startup Funding

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 17, 2024 2:00pm PST

We published a ton of our popular charts and tables this year, comparing everything from TikTok’s growing list of rivals to shifts in how creators make money. After looking back at our work, three data points stand out for representing major themes in the creator economy this year.First up: podcasting’s big boom. The most popular hosts,... We published a ton of our popular charts and tables this year, comparing everything from TikTok’s...

Via Talkie.

A Booming Competitor to Character.AI Plots Its Next Move

By Juro Osawa · Dec 17, 2024 7:05am PST

Via Talkie.

A Booming Competitor to Character.AI Plots Its Next Move

By Juro Osawa · Dec 17, 2024 7:05am PST

Many of you may not have heard of Talkie, a competitor to Character.AI in providing personalized artificial intelligence chatbots.But Talkie, developed by Chinese firm MiniMax, is one of the most-downloaded AI apps in the U.S., according to multiple firms that track downloads. Its core base of users is young people, many of whom use the app for... Many of you may not have heard of Talkie, a competitor to Character.AI in providing personalized...

Jensen Huang. Photos by Getty.

China Poised to Investigate More U.S. Tech Deals After Nvidia Probe

By Jing Yang and Qianer Liu · Dec 17, 2024 4:30am PST

As the U.S. restricts China’s access to American technology, Beijing is striking back—with antitrust reviews of both ongoing and long-completed acquisitions. The Chinese antitrust regulator’s decision a week ago to investigate Nvidia for alleged violations of antitrust rules in relation to its 2020 purchase of Mellanox... As the U.S. restricts China’s access to American technology, Beijing is striking...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty

Nvidia on the Outs as Tech Stocks Rally

By Martin Peers · Dec 16, 2024 5:00pm PST

Is Nvidia’s great bull run over? For the moment, at least, it seems so. Even as other big tech stocks have been riding the wave of bullish sentiment in recent weeks—shares of Apple, for instance, hit $251 on Monday, giving it a market capitalization of $3.8 trillion—Nvidia stock has been going in the opposite direction. On Monday it was down... Is Nvidia’s great bull run over? For the moment, at least, it seems so. Even as other big tech...

The Venture Capitalists Set to Win Big in 2025

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Dec 16, 2024 2:12pm PST · 4 comments

For three years, venture capitalists struggled to return cash to their investors. In 2025, many believe the dam is about to break. With more than a dozen tech startups on track to list publicly next year, early and large investors in companies including Klarna, Chime and CoreWeave will have the opportunity to cash out their shares. Below, we... For three years, venture capitalists struggled to return cash to their investors. In 2025, many...

Art by Mike Sullivan via Midjourney

Runway Shows There’s Money to Be Made in AI Video Too; ‘Scaling Laws’ and Reasoning Dominate NeurIPS

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 16, 2024 7:20am PST

Art by Mike Sullivan via Midjourney

Runway Shows There’s Money to Be Made in AI Video Too; ‘Scaling Laws’ and Reasoning Dominate NeurIPS

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 16, 2024 7:20am PST

AI-generated video seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance this month: OpenAI released its long-awaited Sora video model last Monday and startup Pika released an updated version of its video AI on Friday.Still, the question remains as to whether video model developers can make money off such tools, especially given how expensive and finicky... AI-generated video seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance this month: OpenAI released its...

The Airbnb Leaders Charged With Reigniting Growth

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 16, 2024 6:00am PST · 2 comments

Airbnb rebounded strongly from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, however, revenue is projected to grow less than 12%, down from 40% as recently as 2022. To reignite growth, CEO Brian Chesky a year ago shifted Dave Stephenson, the company’s longtime chief financial officer, to a role plotting new products and international... Airbnb rebounded strongly from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, however,...

Photo: Getty

The Electric: While Musk Rides High With Trump, His Empire Faces a Multifront Challenge

By Steve LeVine · Dec 16, 2024 4:30am PST

Tesla is always out to sell cars, but this month it’s really out to sell cars: In both the U.S. and China, customers can take a five-year, Tesla-financed loan on one of its electric vehicles at 0% interest. They can get three months of free charging at its Supercharger stations and three months of free use of its autonomous driving software, not... Tesla is always out to sell cars, but this month it’s really out to sell cars: In both the U.S....

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI’s New Toy Could Be a Problem

By Abram Brown · Dec 14, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside tech’s embrace of devout Christianity• Media and Entertainment: Silicon Valley’s favorite videogames of 2024• The Top 5: The best disaster kit supplies • Plus: A play that morphs; America’s only universal creed; and a saga’s brilliant end.Santa won’t show up for weeks yet, but... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside tech’s embrace of devout...

Art by Clark Miller

Silicon Valley’s Favorite Video Games of 2024

By David Ewalt · Dec 14, 2024 5:00am PST · 5 comments

Art by Clark Miller

Media and Entertainment

Silicon Valley’s Favorite Video Games of 2024

By David Ewalt · Dec 14, 2024 5:00am PST · 5 comments

Despite China’s massive presence in the tech world, the country’s videogame industry never had a big-budget, AAA game release until this August, when Shenzhen-based Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong, an action role-playing game inspired by the classic Ming dynasty novel “Journey to the West” about a demigodlike... Despite China’s massive presence in the tech world, the country’s videogame industry...

Art by Clark Miller

How Techies Stock Their Disaster Kits

By Todd Plummer · Dec 14, 2024 5:00am PST · 2 comments

A twofold panic washed over Northern California last week. The first was very immediate when everyone’s phones got the same alert: an unexpected tsunami warning sparked by a rare 7.0 magnitude earthquake 40 miles off Cape Mendocino. In the end, it was a false alarm, and the warning was canceled. Yet that’s when the second panic hit,... A twofold panic washed over Northern California last week. The first was very immediate when...

Sora Reveal, Google’s AI Agents and Digital Trade Under Trump

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 13, 2024 3:31pm PST · 1 comment

This week on More or Less: Sora reveal, Google's AI agents and digital trade under Trump. Apple Spotify This week on More or Less: Sora reveal, Google's AI agents and digital trade under Trump. ...

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Broadcom Stock Soars on Upbeat AI Talk

By Martin Peers · Dec 13, 2024 3:00pm PST · 1 comment

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan wants some of Jensen Huang’s limelight. Stock of the chip and software firm rocketed 24% on Friday, the day after Tan claimed that the company had a “massive” opportunity in artificial intelligence chips over the next three years. Speaking on an earnings call on Thursday night, he said Broadcom had three customers whose AI... Broadcom CEO Hock Tan wants some of Jensen Huang’s limelight. Stock of the chip and software firm...

Art by Clark Miller

The Antichrist and the New Apostles

By Julia Black · Dec 13, 2024 9:03am PST · 19 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The Antichrist and the New Apostles

By Julia Black · Dec 13, 2024 9:03am PST · 19 comments

Worship at Epic Church in downtown San Francisco last Sunday began in a darkened room, on the second floor of a former factory building. The shades were drawn across the tall windows, while colored lights cast a theatrical glow on a band that sounded a bit like Arcade Fire—if Arcade Fire made worship music. A mostly millennial congregation... Worship at Epic Church in downtown San Francisco last Sunday began in a darkened room, on the...

Pro Weekly: Pessimism Permeates Our Survey

Pro Weekly: Pessimism Permeates Our Survey

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 13, 2024 8:00am PST

After a November full of optimism, The Information’s readers have turned decidedly pessimistic. Nearly 39% of respondents to our monthly survey expect conditions for technology companies to worsen over the next six months, outnumbering the 27% who expect conditions to improve. (The remainder expect conditions to stay the same.) Last... After a November full of optimism, The Information’s readers have turned decidedly...

AppLovin CEO, Adam Foroughi. Photo via AppLovin.

Why DTC Brands Suddenly Love AppLovin Ads

By Ann Gehan · Dec 13, 2024 6:00am PST

Direct-to-consumer retailers burned by higher digital ad prices over the past three years have grown desperate to reduce their dependency on Meta Platforms. So this fall, when mobile game giant AppLovin started letting retail brands buy ads that run within games like Legend of Slime and Sushi Roll 3D, the results seemed almost too good to be... Direct-to-consumer retailers burned by higher digital ad prices over the past three years have...

Vahe Kuzoyan, President & Co-Founder of ServiceTitan, at the Nasdaq MarketSite today in New York City. Photo by Getty.

ServiceTitan Runs With the Bulls in Well-Timed IPO

By Martin Peers · Dec 12, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Timing is everything. ServiceTitan, a smallish tech firm that specializes in selling software for plumbers, roofers and other tradespeople, demonstrated that on Thursday when its shares debuted on the public markets at $101 apiece, a 42% premium to its IPO price of $71. That translates to a market capitalization of about $9 billion, which is not... Timing is everything. ServiceTitan, a smallish tech firm that specializes in selling software for...

President-elect Donald Trump. Photo by Getty.

The Tech Insiders Who Could Join Trump’s Orbit

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Dec 12, 2024 4:37pm PST

President-elect Donald Trump. Photo by Getty.

The Tech Insiders Who Could Join Trump’s Orbit

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Dec 12, 2024 4:37pm PST

The list of venture capitalists and Silicon Valley insiders joining the next presidential administration is growing. Just this week, President-elect Donald Trump named Jacob Helberg, an adviser to Palantir Technologies and husband to Keith Rabois, a Khosla Ventures managing director, as a top economic policy and trade official. Helberg follows... The list of venture capitalists and Silicon Valley insiders joining the next presidential...