The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Introducing The Information’s Tech Sentiment Tracker

By Shane Burke · Apr 4, 2024 6:00am PDT

When The Information began surveying readers about their outlook for 14 big tech companies in February 2023, the tech industry was in turmoil. Stocks were receding from their pandemic highs and layoffs were surging. Today, major stock indices are at all-time highs and tech companies big and small are racing to capitalize on advances in... When The Information began surveying readers about their outlook for 14 big tech companies in...

Photo: Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Five Things Tesla Needs to Do—Now

By Steve LeVine · Apr 4, 2024 4:30am PDT

In November, Tesla released its long-promised, Matrix-styled Cybertruck pickup, and two months later a refurbished Model 3 sedan that Motor Trend called “something to get excited about.” Next year, the company aims to release a new version of its high-end Roadster that CEO Elon Musk calls a cross between a car and a rocket ship. And in case... In November, Tesla released its long-promised, Matrix-styled Cybertruck pickup, and two months...

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

DOJ’s Facile Crusade Against ‘Competing’ Company Directors

By Martin Peers · Apr 3, 2024 5:00pm PDT

We’ve learned this week just how flexible the government’s definitions of “monopolist” and “competition” are. On “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” Monday night, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan declared that a company can be judged monopolist if it mistreats its customers and gets away with it. By that definition, any bank or phone... We’ve learned this week just how flexible the government’s definitions of “monopolist” and “...

Olympian Tobin Heath at The Information's Creator Economy Summit.

Sports Influencers Are Having a Moment

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 3, 2024 4:48pm PDT

Olympian Tobin Heath at The Information's Creator Economy Summit.

Creator Economy

Sports Influencers Are Having a Moment

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 3, 2024 4:48pm PDT

Our Creator Economy Summit in Los Angeles was a success yesterday, with wide ranging discussions about how creators are running startups and how everyone is viewing two of the biggest news stories—a potential TikTok ban and the rise of generative AI. One of the most interesting discussions was around sports. As we’ve written, professional... Our Creator Economy Summit in Los Angeles was a success yesterday, with wide ranging discussions...

Photo by Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images.

Musk’s xAI is Poaching Engineers From Tesla

By Becky Peterson · Apr 3, 2024 10:38am PDT

As Elon Musk builds his xAI artificial intelligence startup, he’s having to compete with big tech giants and a slew of other startups for talent. One place he’s managed to snare several promising engineers from, though, is close to home—Tesla. Last month, Tesla machine-learning scientist Ethan Knight became the third Tesla... As Elon Musk builds his xAI artificial intelligence startup, he’s having to compete with...

Michelle Khare, Adam Rose and Diplo. Photos by Getty

Creator Economy Summit

Diplo, YouTubers: Going Direct to Fans on Social Media Has Shifted Control

By Laura Mandaro · Apr 3, 2024 9:40am PDT

Online influencers drawing consumer attention and ad dollars from traditional media have made one thing very clear: They only want to ink deals with Hollywood on their own terms. “We’ve been really fortunate to have cool conversations with various studios and production companies—but honestly, at this time, no one has really... Online influencers drawing consumer attention and ad dollars from traditional media have made one...

Art by Clark Miller

How to Regain Control Over Your Data

By Frank H. McCourt Jr. and Michael Casey · Apr 3, 2024 9:00am PDT · 3 comments

The Telecommunications Act of 1996, which compelled the “Baby Bell” telephone networks to allow competing services to operate over their lines, included a less well-known provision that has proved transformative: that customers be allowed to keep their telephone numbers when changing providers. This modest clause helped break the... The Telecommunications Act of 1996, which compelled the “Baby Bell” telephone...

Nvidia H100 chips. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Startups That Bought Too Many Nvidia Chips May Have to Rent Them Out

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 3, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Nvidia H100 chips. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Startups That Bought Too Many Nvidia Chips May Have to Rent Them Out

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 3, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Throughout last year, some venture capitalists raised concerns about artificial intelligence startups that used much of the capital they raised to buy or rent specialized servers powered by Nvidia chips. While spending gobs of money on those servers was all well and good for major cloud providers like Google—which also funded many of these... Throughout last year, some venture capitalists raised concerns about artificial intelligence...

Why YouTube Decided to Take Over Cable Television

By Sahil Patel · Apr 3, 2024 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

It might be the bleakest chart in the media business: the severe loss of subscribers in recent years among cable and satellite companies, which for decades were the primary way people subscribed to old-fashioned television channels such as CBS and ESPN. Amid the gloom, though, one company has stood out: YouTube TV, which has grown from zero... It might be the bleakest chart in the media business: the severe loss of subscribers in...

Ibotta advertising at an NBA game in 2022. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images.

Judging the Rubrik and Ibotta IPO Beauty Pageant

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 2, 2024 5:00pm PDT

In the beauty pageant of initial public offerings, the latest tech companies to step to the stage, Ibotta and Rubrik, are trying to showcase the “glow-up” transformations they’ve undergone in the past two years.In early 2022, couponing startup Ibotta was struggling for relevance, barely growing and burning cash, looking more like a candidate for... In the beauty pageant of initial public offerings, the latest tech companies to step to the...

Marni Levine, Head of TikTok Shop’s U.S. Operations, Small and Medium Businesses (right), with The Information's Kaya Yurieff

Creator Economy

TikTok Shop, Twitch + AI, Ty Haney: Summit Highlights

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 2, 2024 4:16pm PDT

We’re hosting hundreds of attendees at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit and the conversations are flying. Here are some of the highlights so far.Marni Levine, who leads TikTok Shop’s U.S. operations for small and medium businesses, said the app doesn’t plan to reduce e-commerce content in its powerful For You tab, despite complaints... We’re hosting hundreds of attendees at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit and the...

Photo by Erin Beach

Outdoor Voices’ Ty Haney: New Creator Startup Takes From ‘Good and Bad’ of Her Experience

By Sahil Patel · Apr 2, 2024 2:03pm PDT

Photo by Erin Beach

Creator Economy Summit

Outdoor Voices’ Ty Haney: New Creator Startup Takes From ‘Good and Bad’ of Her Experience

By Sahil Patel · Apr 2, 2024 2:03pm PDT

Ty Haney left Outdoor Voices, the athleisure startup she co-founded, after a widely publicized dispute four years ago with the company’s board. Now she’s taking a new shot at one of the ideas that caused the rift: building loyal communities of users. “Having built a brand whose life was cut short for various reasons, I saw a... Ty Haney left Outdoor Voices, the athleisure startup she co-founded, after a widely publicized...

TikTok's Marni Levine. Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy Summit

TikTok Shop Chief: No Plans to Dial Back Shop Content

By Erin Woo · Apr 2, 2024 11:47am PDT · 1 comment

TikTok isn’t swayed by users complaining they’re seeing too much on their feeds from creators hawking products. “I’m not considering” dialing back the amount of e-commerce content on TikTok’s For You page, said Marni Levine, head of TikTok Shop’s U.S. operations for small and medium businesses, in... TikTok isn’t swayed by users complaining they’re seeing too much on their feeds from...

Chart by Shane Burke.

AI Valuations May Be Coming Down to Earth; A Glimpse of OpenAI’s Search Engine

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 2, 2024 7:00am PDT

The valuations of artificial intelligence startups, as a multiple of their projected future revenue, may be coming down from their peaks.Three months ago, we calculated such valuation multiples for eight prominent companies that sell consumer or enterprise services tied to large language models. On average, investors valued these companies at 83... The valuations of artificial intelligence startups, as a multiple of their projected future...

Tony Hoggett, Amazon's "grocery chief." Photos: Flickr/Tesco and Getty Images. Art: Shane Burke.

Amazon’s Grocery Stores to Drop Just Walk Out Checkout Tech

By Theo Wayt · Apr 2, 2024 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Amazon’s grab-and-go checkout system, Just Walk Out, has been a centerpiece of its ambitions to transform bricks-and-mortar supermarkets. Now Amazon is gearing up to open a new batch of grocery stores after an 18-month pause—and it’s ditching the technology. Tony Hoggett, Amazon’s senior vice president of grocery stores,... Amazon’s grab-and-go checkout system, Just Walk Out, has been a centerpiece of its...

Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Unbundles Teams—Are Customers Better Off?

By Martin Peers · Apr 1, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Unbundles Teams—Are Customers Better Off?

By Martin Peers · Apr 1, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

We got big news today from the world of enterprise software. Microsoft has decided to stop including its Teams feature, a rival to Slack and Zoom Video, by default in its Office suite of software services, at least for new customers. The software giant made this change in Europe last summer, after a regulatory inquiry in its Teams bundling... We got big news today from the world of enterprise software. Microsoft has decided to stop...

Photo via Shutterstock.

OpenAI Moves to Lessen Reliance on Some Nvidia Hardware

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 1, 2024 7:15am PDT · 2 comments

After breaking the news on Friday about how Microsoft and OpenAI are drawing up plans for an ambitious data center project costing as much as $100 billion, we were bombarded with questions from people across the artificial intelligence and cloud industries: What part of the country will it be located in? What chips would it use? How would the... After breaking the news on Friday about how Microsoft and OpenAI are drawing up plans for an...

Art by Mike Sullivan

YouTube Leaders Bring a New Focus on Financial Discipline

By Kaya Yurieff and Sahil Patel · Apr 1, 2024 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Not long after Mary Ellen Coe joined YouTube as chief business officer in late 2022, leaders at the streaming video behemoth began intensifying their questions about a team of YouTube staffers who provided support to content creators. They wanted to know if the team was worth the money YouTube was investing in it, said a person involved in these... Not long after Mary Ellen Coe joined YouTube as chief business officer in late 2022, leaders at...

Photo: Getty

The Electric: ‘Good Enough’ Batteries Threaten Lithium-Metal Startups

By Steve LeVine · Apr 1, 2024 4:35am PDT

In 2020, a mania erupted around next-generation electric vehicle batteries, especially lithium-metal batteries that promised 500 miles of driving range, twice as far as most EVs could go on a charge at the time. Investors mobbed QuantumScape, a California lithium-metal battery developer, whose share price rose almost sixfold in the month... In 2020, a mania erupted around next-generation electric vehicle batteries, especially...

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

By Abram Brown · Mar 30, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

By Abram Brown · Mar 30, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The skinny on Kim Kardashian’s Skims—and how it dodged retail armageddon.Beyoncé water and fake Pilsner: Our top 5 favorite New Age canned beverages that thirsty VCs love, too.Plus: The perils of inheritance; a man who could save us from our sinking world; and how a football star, a preacher and an actor... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The skinny on Kim Kardashian’s Skims—and how it dodged...