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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OpenAI’s Latest Rivals Are Getting Help From… OpenAI

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 5, 2024 9:51am PST

As artificial intelligence developers find it easier to catch up with OpenAI in reasoning than with traditional large language models—a topic Erin and I wrote about last week—they may be using a tried-and-true strategy.Researchers at OpenAI believe that some rival AI developers are training their reasoning models by using OpenAI’s o1 reasoning... As artificial intelligence developers find it easier to catch up with OpenAI in reasoning than...

Vimeo CEO Philip D. Moyer. Photo via Vimeo.

What Investors Are Missing About Vimeo’s Potential

By Anita Ramaswamy · Dec 5, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment

After a long slump, software stocks have gotten a lift from the market euphoria that has followed Donald Trump’s election. The exuberance has even spread to companies that sell video creation and distribution tools, such as Vimeo, despite the very real threat hanging over their business models: artificial intelligence–powered video... After a long slump, software stocks have gotten a lift from the market euphoria that has followed...

Visitors test Meta Quest 3 goggles at a Meta booth at the Hanover technology Fair in April. Photo by Getty

Meta to Farm Out Design for Mixed Reality Devices, Shift Some Production From China

By Kalley Huang, Wayne Ma and Juro Osawa · Dec 5, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Meta Platforms is changing how it designs and where it builds its mixed reality devices to stem deep financial losses and skirt a possible trade war between the U.S. and China. Meta is shifting part of the development and design of its mixed reality headsets to Chinese contract manufacturer Goertek, according to an employee at Goertek and two... Meta Platforms is changing how it designs and where it builds its mixed reality devices to stem...

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, displayed in March at the New York International Auto Show. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: U.S. Auto and Battery Makers Are Poised to Fight Trump’s Anti-EV Plans

By Steve LeVine · Dec 5, 2024 4:30am PST

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, displayed in March at the New York International Auto Show. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: U.S. Auto and Battery Makers Are Poised to Fight Trump’s Anti-EV Plans

By Steve LeVine · Dec 5, 2024 4:30am PST

U.S. auto and battery makers are challenging President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to eliminate or curtail federal subsidies on electric vehicles and battery materials. If Trump proceeds with his plans, they say, he would cost consumers thousands of dollars per vehicle and hurt their efforts to compete with Chinese rivals. U.S. auto and battery makers are challenging President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to eliminate or...

Peter DeSantis, Senior Vice President of AWS Utility Computing, at Amazon Re:Invent. Photo via Amazon.

Q&A

Amazon Tries to Lure Cloud Customers Away From Nvidia

By Anissa Gardizy · Dec 4, 2024 5:26pm PST · 1 comment

Amazon, like other cloud providers, makes money from artificial intelligence primarily by renting out servers powered by Nvidia’s AI chips to software developers and businesses. But now, Amazon Web Services is trying to convince those customers to use servers powered by Amazon’s own AI chips instead, said Gadi Hutt, who leads... Amazon, like other cloud providers, makes money from artificial intelligence primarily by renting...

Photo via Getty.

CEO Murder Spotlights Executive Security Spending

By Martin Peers · Dec 4, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

No one is ever likely to again question the money companies spend on executive security. Wednesday’s shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson, as he walked to a company investor conference in midtown Manhattan was a good reminder of why companies such as Meta Platforms, Snap, Coinbase and Tesla spend millions to protect their... No one is ever likely to again question the money companies spend on executive security....

"Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper at Wednesday’s DealBook Summit. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

Alex Cooper’s Trump Call; Influencer Marketing M&A

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 4, 2024 2:23pm PST

Alex Cooper’s popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast was one of a handful to host Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris in the run-up to November’s election. But she could have hosted both candidates. Donald Trump’s campaign reached out about appearing on the show, Cooper said on stage at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday. ... Alex Cooper’s popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast was one of a handful to host Democratic...

Khloe Kardashian. Photo via Getty.

Khloe Kardashian to Launch High-Protein Popcorn Brand

By Ann Gehan · Dec 4, 2024 1:11pm PST

Khloe Kardashian. Photo via Getty.

Khloe Kardashian to Launch High-Protein Popcorn Brand

By Ann Gehan · Dec 4, 2024 1:11pm PST

Khloe Kardashian is preparing to launch a line of high-protein snacks and popcorn called Khloud with the backing of Michael Kives’ firm K5 Global, deepening the ties between the former talent agent turned investor and the famous family. The collaboration highlights two still-hot areas in an overall sluggish consumer market—companies... Khloe Kardashian is preparing to launch a line of high-protein snacks and popcorn called Khloud...

Matt Garman delivers a keynote address during AWS re:Invent 2024. Photo by Getty.

Amazon’s Message to Nvidia and Anthropic; Andreessen Horowitz’s Latest AI Agent Bet

By Amir Efrati and Theo Wayt · Dec 4, 2024 7:00am PST

Amazon has relied on artificial intelligence from Anthropic and hardware from Nvidia to boost its cloud sales growth over the past two years. But at the company’s annual re:Invent conference on Tuesday, executives came out with swagger to change the narrative about how dependent it has been on these outside companies. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy... Amazon has relied on artificial intelligence from Anthropic and hardware from Nvidia to boost its...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple Hits Snags Adapting Baidu’s AI Models for China Users

By Qianer Liu and Wayne Ma · Dec 4, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Apple and Chinese search giant Baidu are working together to add artificial intelligence features to iPhones sold in China next year, according to two people familiar with the situation. But the two companies have run into snags that, if unresolved, could hurt Apple’s hopes of boosting iPhone sales in its second biggest market outside the... Apple and Chinese search giant Baidu are working together to add artificial intelligence features...

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks at re:Invent today. Photo by Amazon.

Apple Scratches Amazon’s Back

By Martin Peers · Dec 3, 2024 5:00pm PST

Here’s news we didn’t expect: Apple is endorsing Amazon’s cloud service. That’s what happened on Tuesday at Amazon Web Service’s annual conference, re:Invent, when an Apple artificial intelligence executive, Benoit Dupin, took the stage to talk up AWS—and to mention that Apple is using AWS’ custom-made chips for search and testing its AI chips.... Here’s news we didn’t expect: Apple is endorsing Amazon’s cloud service. That’s what happened on...

When Databricks Will Be As Big as Snowflake; A Sleeper Fintech IPO Candidate

When Databricks Will Be As Big as Snowflake; A Sleeper Fintech IPO Candidate

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 3, 2024 3:42pm PST · 2 comments

When Databricks Will Be As Big as Snowflake; A Sleeper Fintech IPO Candidate

When Databricks Will Be As Big as Snowflake; A Sleeper Fintech IPO Candidate

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 3, 2024 3:42pm PST · 2 comments

Ali Ghodsi is taking aim at giants. The Databricks CEO is no longer just sniping at $60 billion competitor Snowflake, but has ambitions for his company to be as big as $300 billion Salesforce, according to Jon Victor’s profile on the everywhere-at-once computer science professor. Reading the piece, I couldn’t help but think about the... Ali Ghodsi is taking aim at giants. The Databricks CEO is no longer just sniping at $60 billion...

Cameo CEO Steven Galanis. Photo courtesy of HBO.

Creator Economy

Cameo’s Open Casting Call

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 3, 2024 2:00pm PST

As shutdowns and acquisitions continue to hit the creator economy, some of the sector’s buzziest pandemic darlings are still chugging along and trying to revamp their businesses. The latest: On Tuesday, Cameo announced it’s making it easier for online personalities to sign up to join the video shoutout service. The startup said its new... As shutdowns and acquisitions continue to hit the creator economy, some of the sector’s buzziest...

Lina Khan. Photo by Getty

Microsoft’s AI Software Sales, OpenAI Deal Targeted by FTC Probe

By Aaron Holmes · Dec 3, 2024 11:24am PST

As the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ramps up its sweeping new antitrust investigation into Microsoft, FTC officials have been asking Microsoft's rivals about the impact of its artificial intelligence deals and range of products, according to someone involved in the discussions and a second person briefed on the discussions. Specifically,... As the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ramps up its sweeping new antitrust investigation into...

Art by Clark Miller

The Rush to AI Opens Doors to Cyberattacks

By 87-4424346 Spitler · Dec 3, 2024 10:42am PST · 2 comments

There’s much talk about superintelligent artificial intelligence that controls humans, leading to a grim dystopian future. That’s still largely hypothetical. A more immediate AI risk is playing out under our noses: a cascading, AI-fueled cyberattack. There’s much talk about superintelligent artificial intelligence that controls humans,...

AWS CEO, Matt Garman. Photo via Getty.

How AWS Can Move the Needle in AI; 2025’s AI Books

By Anissa Gardizy · Dec 3, 2024 7:00am PST

AWS CEO, Matt Garman. Photo via Getty.

How AWS Can Move the Needle in AI; 2025’s AI Books

By Anissa Gardizy · Dec 3, 2024 7:00am PST

Amazon Web Services’ annual conference for customers kicks off this morning with products AWS Chief Matt Garman said would be “needle-moving.” But what happened to the products unveiled by AWS at last year’s re:Invent?A year ago, Garman’s predecessor, Adam Selipsky, tried to make a splash by unveiling an artificial intelligence chatbot and... Amazon Web Services’ annual conference for customers kicks off this morning with products AWS...

Photo by Getty.

Temu and Shein Delivery Providers Face Labor Complaints

By Theo Wayt and Ann Gehan · Dec 3, 2024 6:00am PST

The growth of Temu and Shein has spurred the rise of little-known delivery startups that help them keep prices ultralow for shoppers. Now those budget delivery services are facing a growing number of legal complaints about their pay practices. With a click of a button, shoppers on these and other sites like AliExpress set in motion a delivery... The growth of Temu and Shein has spurred the rise of little-known delivery startups that help...

Photo via Getty

Judge Rebuffs Musk; Intel Searches for a Savior

By Martin Peers · Dec 2, 2024 5:00pm PST

These are heady days for Elon Musk, whose friendship with Donald Trump has accentuated his already immense power in the tech industry. But there’s one quarter where Musk can’t yet get what he wants: the Delaware courts.Late Monday afternoon, the Delaware judge hearing the long-running fight over Musk’s Tesla pay package reaffirmed her January... These are heady days for Elon Musk, whose friendship with Donald Trump has accentuated his...

The Rise of the Tech Bro

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 2, 2024 2:02pm PST

On the latest More or Less: A debate over the "tech bro" and a special guest from Hollywood. Hope you enjoy! Apple Spotify On the latest More or Less: A debate over the "tech bro" and a special...

Brex’s Leadership Reset

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 2, 2024 9:00am PST

Brex’s Leadership Reset

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 2, 2024 9:00am PST

Brex’s org chart, as it is today, is practically unrecognizable from a year ago. Six of CEO Pedro Franceschi’s seven direct reports stepped into their roles in the past 12 months. Plus, two co-CEOs ran the corporate card company until June, when co-founder Henrique Dubugras exited. This overhauled slate of top leaders is overseeing... Brex’s org chart, as it is today, is practically unrecognizable from a year ago. Six of CEO...