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

Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd has returned as chief executive. Photo by Getty

Bumble and Match Need to Woo Investors

By Anita Ramaswamy · Mar 24, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Dating apps are looking for love. Consumers, and investors, are looking elsewhere. Bumble, Tinder, Hinge and the like were once part of the popular crowd. That’s been changing for a while now. Any lingering affection that investors had for them was wiped out last month when weak earnings, poor outlooks and declining users sent stocks tumbling. Dating apps are looking for love. Consumers, and investors, are looking elsewhere. Bumble,...

In 2023, China's JAC Group released the Yiwei, powered by a sodium-ion battery. Photo: Courtesy JAC

The Electric: Sodium Ion Batteries Only Seem Cheaper Than Traditional Lithium Ion

By Steve LeVine · Mar 24, 2025 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

In a drive to cut costs and their reliance on China’s supply chain, Western startups have been developing batteries using cheap and abundant sodium in place of lithium, today’s standard. But an extended plunge in the price of the fastest-growing type of lithium-ion battery has flipped the script, making it far cheaper to snub sodium for now. In a drive to cut costs and their reliance on China’s supply chain, Western startups have been...

From left, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photos via Getty

OpenAI and Meta Seek AI Alliance With India’s Reliance

By Sri Muppidi and Amir Efrati · Mar 22, 2025 9:18am PDT · 1 comment

OpenAI executives in recent months have spoken multiple times with their counterparts at Reliance Industries, which owns the world’s largest oil refinery, India’s top wireless carrier and numerous retailers, about a potential product and sales partnership, according to two people who spoke to executives at both companies. OpenAI wants Reliance... OpenAI executives in recent months have spoken multiple times with their counterparts at Reliance...

Art by Clark Miller

Heroes, Villains and a Startup Spy

By Abram Brown · Mar 22, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

Heroes, Villains and a Startup Spy

By Abram Brown · Mar 22, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside the Deel-Rippling spy drama• The Arena: Exclusive new database! Meet all the techies who own sports teams• The Top 5: The people who help Silicon Valley hone its taste in art • Politics and Policy: Why Section 230 may finally get changed • Biotech: The woolly mammoth gets... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside the Deel-Rippling spy drama• The...

Art by Clark Miller

Why the Woolly Mammoth Startup Felt It Needed to Hire a Hollywood Director

By Abram Brown · Mar 22, 2025 6:00am PDT

A while back, Thomas Tull, billionaire Hollywood mogul turned venture capitalist, invited a group of friends to a rodeo in Dallas. One of those people was Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based startup backed by Tull that hopes to resurrect the woolly mammoth. Another was Mike Dougherty, a director who has made several... A while back, Thomas Tull, billionaire Hollywood mogul turned venture capitalist, invited a group...

Art by Clark Miller

The Art Advisers Who Help Tech Moguls Buy Masterpieces

By Todd Plummer · Mar 22, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Well-chosen art is the ultimate flex. The right Twombly or Basquiat on a wall telegraphs more than just taste: It implies access, wealth and an understanding of very expensive assets and how they appreciate over time. In other words, it’s exactly the type of thing to hang in a bedroom or the front hall of an Atherton manse. But should you go... Well-chosen art is the ultimate flex. The right Twombly or Basquiat on a wall telegraphs more...

Photo via Getty

StubHub's Pricey IPO Ticket

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2025 3:52pm PDT

For the second Friday in a row, a long-anticipated IPO candidate made it official. Last week it was Klarna, and today it’s StubHub. And as I read StubHub’s prospectus today, I couldn’t help but think of a twist on an old idiom: Hell hath no fury like a founder scorned. The filing revealed that Eric Baker—StubHub’s founder, who was fired... For the second Friday in a row, a long-anticipated IPO candidate made it official. Last week it...

Art by Clark Miller. (Photos: Getty Images)

The Information’s Database of the Tech Moguls Who Own Sports Teams

By Sara Germano · Mar 21, 2025 12:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller. (Photos: Getty Images)

The Information’s Database of the Tech Moguls Who Own Sports Teams

By Sara Germano · Mar 21, 2025 12:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Last June, the Boston Celtics clinched their 18th NBA Championship, making them the most decorated pro basketball franchise of all time. On Thursday, Symphony Technology co-founder Bill Chisholm reached an agreement to buy the team at a valuation of $6.1 billion, giving the Celtics yet another title: the most expensive U.S. sports club ever... Last June, the Boston Celtics clinched their 18th NBA Championship, making them the most...

Google’s $32B Deal and a Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 21, 2025 11:14am PDT

On this week’s More or Less: Google’s $32B deal and a Silicon Valley spy scandal! Apple Spotify On this week’s More or Less: Google’s $32B deal and a Silicon Valley spy scandal! Apple Spotify ...

Pro Weekly: Big Tech Pessimism Sets In

Pro Weekly: Big Tech Pessimism Sets In

By Akash Pasricha · Mar 21, 2025 8:00am PDT

Talk about a U-turn. In January and February, readers of The Information were overwhelmingly optimistic about the tech sector’s prospects. This month, however, readers turned the most pessimistic they’ve been in two years.Readers also said they feel less confident about each of the 14 companies we ask them about each month. That largely aligns... Talk about a U-turn. In January and February, readers of The Information were overwhelmingly...

Art by Clark Miller.

Politics and Policy

Section 230 May Finally Get Changed as Lawmakers Prep New Bill

By Paris Martineau · Mar 21, 2025 6:00am PDT · 5 comments

In June 1995, two young congressmen reached across the aisle to introduce legislation that would become the defining legal protection of the internet era: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields internet companies from liability for content created by users. Now, nearly 30 years later, another bipartisan duo hopes to... In June 1995, two young congressmen reached across the aisle to introduce legislation that would...

Photo via Getty

Apple Can’t Beat Spotify

By Martin Peers · Mar 20, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

Photo via Getty

Apple Can’t Beat Spotify

By Martin Peers · Mar 20, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

There are lots of reasons to be down on Apple nowadays. Its tentative steps into artificial intelligence have not gone well, leading to a high-profile executive shake-up today. Sales of its core product, the iPhone, are stagnant. The most recent attempt at a new product, the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, flopped. And as our Wayne Ma reported... There are lots of reasons to be down on Apple nowadays. Its tentative steps into artificial...

Photo via Insight Partners

Insight’s Wiz Win; CoreWeave’s Skeptics Speak Up

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 20, 2025 3:48pm PDT

Wiz’s $32 billion sale to Google is giving at least one venture capital megafund a case study for why it can pay to double and even triple down on top startups.Insight Partners, the VC and private equity giant that owns 8% of Wiz, wrote to limited partners Tuesday that the transaction turned a $213 million investment into $2.6 billion. Including... Wiz’s $32 billion sale to Google is giving at least one venture capital megafund a case study for...

CoreWeave Faces Reality Check on Bullish Growth Forecasts

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 20, 2025 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Last fall, artificial intelligence star CoreWeave shared astounding financial projections with private investors. It projected that revenue would quadruple to $8 billion in 2025 and cash burn would shrink by more than one-third to $4 billion, according to confidential investor documents. Those expectations appear a lot more sober now, as the... Last fall, artificial intelligence star CoreWeave shared astounding financial projections with...

Photo by Getty

Creator Economy

How Walmart Could Team Up With TikTok and Instagram

By Theo Wayt · Mar 20, 2025 2:33pm PDT

When people want to buy a product promoted by an influencer on Instagram or YouTube, the process can be clunky, often involving a maze of affiliate links or switching between multiple apps. Now, Walmart is working to make social shopping smoother by having more checkouts happen inside social apps themselves, the company’s chief technology... When people want to buy a product promoted by an influencer on Instagram or YouTube, the process...

Photo via Getty

Why Walmart Isn’t Sleeping on Agents

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 20, 2025 10:00am PDT

Photo via Getty

Why Walmart Isn’t Sleeping on Agents

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 20, 2025 10:00am PDT

Retailers have mixed feelings about web-browsing agents that can control a person’s browser to complete tasks for them.Some firms like DoorDash are concerned that an explosion of agents could overrun their sites with bots, lowering the value of their ads and creating distance between themselves and customers in the process. (That was the subject... Retailers have mixed feelings about web-browsing agents that can control a person’s browser to...

Art by Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

Inside the Nasty Feud Between Deel and Rippling That Became a Spy Drama

By Michael Roddan · Mar 20, 2025 9:44am PDT · 1 comment

Until this week, I didn’t know Keith O’Brien existed. The payroll compliance manager—and now accused corporate spy—was suddenly very interested in me. O’Brien’s curiosity was piqued last month when I was writing a story about a bitter feud between his company, Rippling, and its archrival, Deel. O’Brien allegedly searched for my name... Until this week, I didn’t know Keith O’Brien existed. The payroll compliance manager—and...

Subscriber Survey

Even Crypto Holders Don’t Like Trump’s Crypto Policies

By Akash Pasricha · Mar 20, 2025 9:00am PDT

The Trump administration’s policies to relax regulations around cryptocurrencies are unpopular with The Information readers, even among cryptocurrency owners, according to our latest survey. Readers also are more pessimistic about the outlook for the technology sector than at any time since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank two years ago. More... The Trump administration’s policies to relax regulations around cryptocurrencies are unpopular...

Photo of Donald Trump by Getty

Why Trump Is Good For Mistral and Cohere

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 20, 2025 7:00am PDT

It’s been about two months since President Donald Trump took office, and there’s still lots of uncertainty around how he’ll regulate the AI industry. That’s particularly when it comes to open source and how much information leading developers must share with the feds.One thing is clear, though: the Trump presidency will be good for AI developers... It’s been about two months since President Donald Trump took office, and there’s still lots of...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple is Losing Over $1 Billion a Year on Streaming Service

By Wayne Ma · Mar 20, 2025 6:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple is Losing Over $1 Billion a Year on Streaming Service

By Wayne Ma · Mar 20, 2025 6:00am PDT

Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook had questions about several pricey movie deals executives of Apple TV+, the company’s video-streaming service, had been striking, including for “Argylle,” a spy action-comedy starring Henry Cavill and Dua Lipa. The movie, which cost $200 million to produce, hadn’t found much of an audience or generated more... Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook had questions about several pricey movie deals executives of Apple...