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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Don’t Break Up Google, The Information Readers Say

By Scott Thurm · Oct 15, 2024 12:09pm PDT

Google should not be forced to sell or spin off parts of its business, even though a judge found the company has violated antitrust laws, most respondents to a survey by The Information said. A majority of survey respondents also said they don’t think breaking up Google is realistic and a plurality said it would hurt rather than help the... Google should not be forced to sell or spin off parts of its business, even though a judge found...

Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Charity Could Soon Be Worth $40 Billion

By Rocket Drew · Oct 15, 2024 7:00am PDT

Score one for OpenAI? Before we get to today’s column, we should flag Aaron’s scoop yesterday about OpenAI hiring one of Microsoft’s most prominent artificial intelligence researchers. It must be a welcome relief for OpenAI to be on the receiving end of such a move for a change.Onto today’s issue…Between headlines about OpenAI’s... Score one for OpenAI? Before we get to today’s column, we should flag Aaron’s scoop...

Art by Clark Miller.

Compliance Pros in Hot Demand as Crypto and Fintech Firms Staff Up

By Yueqi Yang · Oct 15, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

For years, many crypto and fintech startups viewed hiring staffers to ensure their businesses followed the rules as an afterthought. Hires to oversee compliance with financial regulations aren’t a flashy sign of growth like software engineers or big-name product hires. Now, compliance staffing has become top of mind for these companies,... For years, many crypto and fintech startups viewed hiring staffers to ensure their businesses...

Photo via Adobe.

Netflix’s Earnings Will Test Pricey Stock

By Martin Peers · Oct 14, 2024 5:00pm PDT

Photo via Adobe.

Netflix’s Earnings Will Test Pricey Stock

By Martin Peers · Oct 14, 2024 5:00pm PDT

It may feel like we’ve just finished earnings season—but hey, time flies when you’re having fun. Yes, earnings are upon us again. Netflix, as always, kicks off tech’s roster of quarterly reports on Thursday. And there are a bunch of recent buyers of Netflix stock who have much riding on what the streaming giant reports.Netflix stock has hit new... It may feel like we’ve just finished earnings season—but hey, time flies when you’re having fun....

Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Newest Possible Threat: Ex-CTO Murati; Google’s Mini-ChatGPT Moment

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · Oct 14, 2024 8:00am PDT

When it comes to recruiting and retaining artificial intelligence researchers, OpenAI has faced tougher competition this year from old and new rivals. Now it’s facing pressure from a very recent former employee: ex-chief technology officer Mira Murati.Murati, whose last day was Friday, October 4 and now is as an advisor to the company, has been... When it comes to recruiting and retaining artificial intelligence researchers, OpenAI has faced...

Hannah McClellan, VP of Operations and Amazon Pharmacy, speaks at Amazon's Delivering the Future conference in Nashville last week. Photo via Getty.

Amazon Looks to Streamline Its Mishmash of Grocery and Pharmacy Brands

By Theo Wayt · Oct 14, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

After a decade of acquisitions and internal product launches in groceries and pharmacy delivery, Amazon is taking steps to streamline the mishmash of services it now operates and reinvigorate growth in both markets. For instance, Amazon has begun to unify its two online pharmacy operations, which consist of PillPack, a service Amazon bought for... After a decade of acquisitions and internal product launches in groceries and pharmacy delivery,...

Photo Credit: Erin Beach

Partner Content

WTF Summit Recap: Jessica Lessin’s Fireside Chat With Amazon’s Colleen Aubrey

By The Information Partnerships · Oct 13, 2024 1:54pm PDT

As the artificial intelligence hype cycle wanes, business leaders are pushing to move beyond experimental approaches and find applications that yield tangible value for their business. But with an emerging technology like AI, it can be difficult to distinguish between groundbreaking new use cases and short-lived fads. For Colleen Aubrey,... As the artificial intelligence hype cycle wanes, business leaders are pushing to move beyond...

Photo Credit: Erin Beach

WTF Summit Recap: Insights From Leaders in Connected Experiences

By The Information Partnerships · Oct 13, 2024 1:52pm PDT

Photo Credit: Erin Beach

Partner Content

WTF Summit Recap: Insights From Leaders in Connected Experiences

By The Information Partnerships · Oct 13, 2024 1:52pm PDT

Smart devices and connected apps are a part of daily life for many people—sharing our location, keeping an eye on our homes, and even monitoring our sleep cycles and heart rates. This ecosystem of connected experiences offers new conveniences and insights, but it also raises critical questions about information overload, data privacy, and... Smart devices and connected apps are a part of daily life for many people—sharing our...

Photo by Erin Beach.

Partner Content

WTF Summit Recap: Jessica Lessin’s Fireside Chat With Amazon’s Beth Galetti

By The Information Partnerships · Oct 12, 2024 7:52am PDT

When Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people, experience and technology, joined the company in 2013, it employed around 100,000 people—a number that has since exploded to 1.5 million. The responsibility of overseeing one of the world’s largest workforces requires Amazon to balance two crucial outcomes:... When Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people, experience and technology,...

Who Will Save the Kids From Bad Tech?

Who Will Save the Kids From Bad Tech?

By Abram Brown · Oct 12, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Ben Horowitz, an investor of many contrasts • Social Media: The moms at war with social media• The Top 5: Our favorite protein bars • From AI to Chelsea Clinton’s Plea, Inside The Information’s Latest WTF Summit • Plus: SF’s nerd mecca; the videogame company obsessed... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Ben Horowitz, an investor of many...

Art by Clark Miller

There’s an Arms Race for the Next Million-Dollar Protein Bar

By Ashwin Rodrigues · Oct 12, 2024 5:38am PDT · 3 comments

The macro of the moment is protein, and it’s not much of a competition. Everyone is paying attention to their protein intake for one reason or another: The longevity movement’s practitioners are focusing on it for strength training. Anyone on a GLP-1 has likely gotten a doctor’s lecture on getting the right amount of protein.... The macro of the moment is protein, and it’s not much of a competition. Everyone is paying...

Art by Clark Miller

Mad Moms Stigmatized Drunk Driving. Their Next Target: Social Media

By Paris Martineau · Oct 12, 2024 5:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller

Mad Moms Stigmatized Drunk Driving. Their Next Target: Social Media

By Paris Martineau · Oct 12, 2024 5:00am PDT · 1 comment

When Andrew Gounardes needed help rallying support for two social media bills he’d introduced in the New York State Senate earlier this year, he knew who to call: Mothers Against Media Addiction. The New York-based nonprofit parental advocacy group had caught Gounardes’ attention even before it officially launched in March, thanks to... When Andrew Gounardes needed help rallying support for two social media bills he’d...

Google’s Antitrust Saga Continues

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 11, 2024 6:49pm PDT

Could a breakup be good for Google? The gang had a lot to debate and discuss. Plus, Jessica recaps The Information's WTF. Enjoy! Apple Spotify Could a breakup be good for Google? The gang had a lot to debate and discuss. Plus, Jessica...

Thursday night's Tesla event. Photo via YouTube

Musk’s Robotaxi Reveal Is a Dud for Investors

By Martin Peers · Oct 11, 2024 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment

You certainly can’t accuse Wall Street of being taken in by a glitzy presentation, at least not this week. Elon Musk’s big robotaxi reveal on Thursday night went down like a lead balloon with investors today. Tesla shares fell 9%, while shares of Uber, whose business is theoretically at risk from a Tesla robotaxi, rose nearly 11% to $86. That... You certainly can’t accuse Wall Street of being taken in by a glitzy presentation, at least not...

Photo by Erin Beach

The Information's WTF Recap

WTF Summit 2024 Weekend Wrap-Up: ICYMI

By The Information Staff · Oct 11, 2024 12:30pm PDT

The Information’s annual summit for women in tech, media and finance is a wrap! This year’s sold out conference in Napa Valley included leaders from Amazon, Google, J.P. Morgan, Salesforce, PagerDuty, Instacart, Block, Airbnb and many more. In case you missed some of the coverage, here is your weekend WTF reading. Artificial intelligence is... The Information’s annual summit for women in tech, media and finance is a wrap! This year’s sold...

Art by Clark Miller

The Ben Horowitz Paradox

By Julia Black · Oct 11, 2024 9:00am PDT · 3 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The Ben Horowitz Paradox

By Julia Black · Oct 11, 2024 9:00am PDT · 3 comments

On the night of Sept. 21, a group of Black entrepreneurs, investors and Congressional Black Caucus members navigated a labyrinth of gated security to reach a megamansion with views of the Las Vegas Strip. Their hosts: venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, his wife Felicia and Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Democratic congressional group. As... On the night of Sept. 21, a group of Black entrepreneurs, investors and Congressional Black...

Left, Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng, the co-founders of Pika. Right, Anthony Woods, Raj Dutt and Torkel Ödegaard, co-founders of Grafana Labs. Photos via Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Pro Weekly: The Latest on Our Most Promising Startups

By Akash Pasricha · Oct 11, 2024 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome back!October is an exciting time in our newsroom. Every year, we probe our sources and assemble The Information’s list of the 50 most promising startups. The 2024 list—our fifth edition—will appear later this month. Ahead of that, I revisited our previous years’ lists to see how our picks are doing. You can track all 200 of our prior... Welcome back!October is an exciting time in our newsroom. Every year, we probe our sources and...

Art by Clark Miller.

ByteDance’s CFO Is IPO Ready, but the Company Isn’t

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Oct 11, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

Until Julie Gao joined ByteDance as chief financial officer two years ago, she was one of the highest-profile initial public offering lawyers in Asia. Over the course of 20 years, she helped take public a succession of Chinese tech giants, including JD.com, Temu parent PDD Holdings and Meituan. The one company Gao hasn’t been able to take... Until Julie Gao joined ByteDance as chief financial officer two years ago, she was one of the...

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Photo via Getty.

The E-Mail Miscue That Undercut a $1 Billion Corporate Activism Campaign

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 10, 2024 5:00pm PDT

It’s become well understood that the high-stakes political world more closely mirrors the satire “Veep” than the prestige-draped “The West Wing.” Behind the pomp, circumstance and power are humans who, like all of us, are prone to bumbling mistakes. The same thing can be said, it seems, about highly choreographed, stealthy... It’s become well understood that the high-stakes political world more closely mirrors the satire...

Elad Gil. Photo via Getty

Elad Gil’s Latest AI Bet Is in Health

By Kate Clark and Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 10, 2024 4:14pm PDT

Elad Gil. Photo via Getty

Elad Gil’s Latest AI Bet Is in Health

By Kate Clark and Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 10, 2024 4:14pm PDT

The boom in artificial intelligence funding has extended into the healthcare sector, where startups are developing generative AI tools to improve patient care.Abridge, a six-year-old startup that uses AI to transcribe doctors’ conversations with their patients, is raising $250 million at a valuation of $2.5 billion before the investment,... The boom in artificial intelligence funding has extended into the healthcare sector, where...