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

Mike Sullivan via Midjourney

Where AI Valuations Are Cheap

By Sri Muppidi and Rocket Drew · Dec 2, 2024 7:00am PST

Some recent fundraisings, including for video generator Synthesia, have suggested valuations for AI startups are coming down to earth. But at 30 times next year’s revenue, you wouldn’t exactly call these deals cheap. You could, however, use that description for the startups that provide computing resources to AI developers.Take Lambda, a... Some recent fundraisings, including for video generator Synthesia, have suggested valuations for...

Ali Ghodsi. Art by Clark Miller. Screenshots via YouTube.

Databricks’ ‘Truth-Seeking’ CEO Wants to Be Bigger Than Salesforce

By Jon Victor · Dec 2, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

New managers acclimating to life at data analytics software firm Databricks are often shocked when CEO Ali Ghodsi calls up one of their team members out of the blue to question them about a product they’re working on. Or drops into a low-level meeting unannounced. Or phones the data scientists working for a customer. For Ghodsi, it’s... New managers acclimating to life at data analytics software firm Databricks are often shocked...

Byd introduces its electric Shark pickup in Mexico City in May. Photo: Photo: Mariceu Erthal/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: How Trump Set the Stage for a Grand EV Bargain With China

By Steve LeVine · Dec 2, 2024 4:30am PST

Last March, President-elect Donald Trump, addressing a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, dove into a recurring theme: Chinese automakers were planning to build plants in Mexico and export their electric cars into the U.S. tariff free, exploiting a loophole in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty. Trump said that if elected, he would stop them... Last March, President-elect Donald Trump, addressing a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, dove into...

Art by Clark Miller

The Value of Self-Exile

By Abram Brown · Nov 30, 2024 7:00am PST

Art by Clark Miller

The Value of Self-Exile

By Abram Brown · Nov 30, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Shopping: The Information’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide • E-commerce: A bet on Big Brother billboards • The Top 5: What to wear to Silicon Valley’s holiday parties • Plus, we feast!: A lover scorned and scorched; a buddy film seasoned with punchlines and pathos; the TikToker who cheeses for... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Shopping: The Information’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide...

What to Wear to Silicon Valley’s Holiday Parties

By Esther Achara · Nov 30, 2024 5:00am PST

As every Silicon Valley titan surely knows, assembling a holiday party wardrobe that works across occasions—perhaps time zones, too—requires considerable strategic thinking: Underperformance isn’t an option, and neither is cutting deeply against the cultural grain. Thankfully, stylist Victoria Cárdenas Hitchcock has a... As every Silicon Valley titan surely knows, assembling a holiday party wardrobe that works across...

Teenagers in Melbourne, Australia, on their phones. Photo by Getty.

What Australia’s Social Media Kids Ban Means for Tech

By Martin Peers · Nov 29, 2024 2:00pm PST

While U.S. tech executives were tucking into their turkey on Thursday or guzzling Koia shakes, Australian lawmakers were approving a law that bans children under 16 from having a social media account. Whoa! Australia is a relatively small country whose revenue contribution to Meta Platforms, Snap or TikTok is likely minuscule. But investors have... While U.S. tech executives were tucking into their turkey on Thursday or guzzling Koia shakes,...

Art by Clark Miller.

‘Everyone’s Desperate’: Consumer Startups Bet on Mobile Big Brother Billboards

By Ann Gehan · Nov 29, 2024 10:00am PST · 2 comments

When Huel, a London-based startup that sells protein bars and powdered meals, was plotting an expansion push into America earlier this year, the company’s executives knew they needed to make a splash. Huel’s $200 million in annual revenue came from online sales mostly in Europe—in the U.S., it hoped to win over customers in... When Huel, a London-based startup that sells protein bars and powdered meals, was plotting an...

Anthropic's Dario and Daniela Amodei. Photo via Getty.

Pro Weekly: Megadeals Dominate AI Funding

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 29, 2024 8:30am PST

Anthropic's Dario and Daniela Amodei. Photo via Getty.

Pro Weekly: Megadeals Dominate AI Funding

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 29, 2024 8:30am PST

Anthropic’s sibling co-founders, Dario and Daniela Amodei, had much to celebrate over Thanksgiving dinner this year. One week ago, Amazon said it would be stuffing their company with yet another $4 billion investment. It’s the second time Amazon has done so—it announced its first Anthropic investment of that size into the company back in... Anthropic’s sibling co-founders, Dario and Daniela Amodei, had much to celebrate over...

Photo via AP.

ByteDance’s Global AI Ambition Runs Into Obstacles

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Nov 29, 2024 6:00am PST

TikTok owner ByteDance, whose artificial intelligence chatbot is a major hit in China, wants to compete worldwide in generative AI. But those plans could be complicated by the geopolitical and regulatory storms surrounding TikTok, as well as the technical challenges it has encountered. Inside ByteDance’s AI research and development... TikTok owner ByteDance, whose artificial intelligence chatbot is a major hit in China, wants to...

Art by Clark Miller

The Information’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

By The Information Staff · Nov 28, 2024 5:00am PST · 3 comments

Ho, ho—oh, hello there! And welcome back to a spirited new tradition at The Information: our annual holiday gift guide. This is a list of our favorite things, and none of these selections came to our attention through a publicist’s pitch. Rather, a few simple guiding principles guided us as we assembled this roll. We genuinely love... Ho, ho—oh, hello there! And welcome back to a spirited new tradition at The Information:...

Amazon Senior Vice President Rohit Prasad. Image via Getty.

Amazon Develops Video AI Model, Hedging Its Reliance on Anthropic

By Kevin McLaughlin and Anissa Gardizy · Nov 27, 2024 5:50pm PST

Amazon has developed new generative artificial intelligence that can process images and video in addition to text, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter and two people who spoke with Amazon about its plans. The model could help customers search video archives for certain scenes, say a winning basketball shot, using simple... Amazon has developed new generative artificial intelligence that can process images and video in...

FTC Chair Lina Khan. Photo via Getty.

Microsoft’s Antitrust Luck Runs Out

By Martin Peers · Nov 27, 2024 3:20pm PST

FTC Chair Lina Khan. Photo via Getty.

Microsoft’s Antitrust Luck Runs Out

By Martin Peers · Nov 27, 2024 3:20pm PST

You have to hand it to Lina Khan. The Federal Trade Commission chair, appointed by outgoing President Joe Biden, is working until the bitter end (which is likely two months away). Bloomberg reported Wednesday afternoon that Khan had signed off on an antitrust investigation of Microsoft. That’s a big deal.Microsoft is the only one of the five big... You have to hand it to Lina Khan. The Federal Trade Commission chair, appointed by outgoing...

Photo via Getty

Creator Economy

TikTok’s Dirt Cheap Pricing Is a Ghost of Christmas Past

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 27, 2024 2:23pm PST

We’re in the second year of an intense holiday shopping drive on TikTok. Sadly for all you bargain hunters, the dirt cheap prices that teased TikTok users a year ago are no more. But the app is still heavily promoting discounts as it’s rolled out other improvements and features, like livestreaming. As I browsed the Shop tab on TikTok this... We’re in the second year of an intense holiday shopping drive on TikTok. Sadly for all you...

Sriram Krishnan. Photo via Flickr/Fortune.

Andreessen Horowitz’s Sriram Krishnan to Leave Firm, Discusses Role With Musk

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Erin Woo · Nov 27, 2024 12:46pm PST

Sriram Krishnan, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and former product leader at Twitter, is leaving the firm four years after joining, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Krishnan, 41, has had discussions with Elon Musk about joining the Department of Government Efficiency, the new entity incoming President-elect Donald... Sriram Krishnan, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and former product leader at Twitter,...

Eric Glyman, co-founder and CEO of Ramp. Photo by Getty.

Ramp Seeks Valuation Bump to $11 Billion in Share Sale

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 27, 2024 10:35am PST

Ramp, the business card and expense software startup, is discussing selling shares held by employees and other stockholders at a price that would value it at $11 billion, two people familiar with the deal said. That price would be 35% above Ramp’s highest valuation, set in 2022—near the end of the low-interest-rate funding... Ramp, the business card and expense software startup, is discussing selling shares held by...

Photo via Getty.

Where OpenAI Sees Paying Customers for o1

By Aaron Holmes · Nov 27, 2024 7:00am PST

Photo via Getty.

Where OpenAI Sees Paying Customers for o1

By Aaron Holmes · Nov 27, 2024 7:00am PST

OpenAI has a first-mover advantage in a realm known as reasoning, or artificial intelligence capable of solving complex problems with little human oversight, as we reported this week. Now, the startup is moving to cash in on that headstart by selling its reasoning model, known as o1, to corporate customers. I talked with OpenAI chief... OpenAI has a first-mover advantage in a realm known as reasoning, or artificial intelligence...

OpenAI's Giancarlo "GC" Lionetti. Photo via YouTube/Kleiner Perkins.

Q&A

OpenAI’s Sales Chief Sees ‘Paradigm Shift’ in Corporate AI Spending

By Aaron Holmes · Nov 27, 2024 6:00am PST

OpenAI, targeting nearly $4 billion in revenue this year, has generated the vast majority of those sales from individual consumers who pay for ChatGPT’s premium features. The company’s ability to hit its steep growth goals—as much as $100 billion in revenue by 2029—will hinge in part on its ability to sell to businesses.... OpenAI, targeting nearly $4 billion in revenue this year, has generated the vast majority of...

Photo via Getty

Why Apple Might Be Headed for Another Antennagate

By Martin Peers · Nov 26, 2024 5:00pm PST

It’s a bit early to be offering predictions for 2025, but here goes anyway. Chances are very good that sometime next year we’re going to hear a bunch of complaints about newly released Apple iPhones dropping calls more often than previous models did. In other words, we’re in for a repeat of the “Antennagate” brouhaha of 2010, when similar... It’s a bit early to be offering predictions for 2025, but here goes anyway. Chances are very good...

Michelle Volz. Photo via Andreessen Horowitz.

Andreessen Horowitz ‘Dynamism’ Partner to Launch Solo Fund

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Nov 26, 2024 3:18pm PST

More new venture managers are trying to raise new funds, bucking a slump in venture capital fundraising. The latest: Michelle Volz, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz on the American Dynamism team, is leaving the firm and raising her own fund to invest in the same type of startups, according to a person with direct knowledge of the fundraising... More new venture managers are trying to raise new funds, bucking a slump in venture capital...

Rappers Drake (left) and Kendrick Lamar (right). Photos via Getty.

Drake-Kendrick Beef Highlights Murkiness of Influencer Marketing

By Sahil Patel · Nov 26, 2024 2:08pm PST

Rappers Drake (left) and Kendrick Lamar (right). Photos via Getty.

Creator Economy

Drake-Kendrick Beef Highlights Murkiness of Influencer Marketing

By Sahil Patel · Nov 26, 2024 2:08pm PST

The biggest rap beef in music history now includes threats of legal action—and allegations that the most powerful music label in the world engaged in an illegal payola scheme by paying influencers to promote a hit song. The allegations illustrate the Wild West of influencer marketing, which lacks some of the enforcement mechanisms that keep... The biggest rap beef in music history now includes threats of legal action—and allegations that...