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

João Pedro Resende, Hotmart’s co-founder and CEO. Photo: Hotmart

Creator Economy

The New Influencer Gig: Teaching People to Use AI

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 20, 2024 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment

As new artificial intelligence tools from companies such as OpenAI and Midjourney have exploded, a cottage industry of creators has developed to teach others how to use them. They’re offering paid classes on how to craft a better prompt for ChatGPT or use AI for filmmaking. AI-related courses and products are a “rapidly growing” category... As new artificial intelligence tools from companies such as OpenAI and Midjourney have exploded,...

Mustafa Suleyman at the World Economic Forum in January. Photographer by Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

What (and Who) Mustafa Suleyman is Working With at Microsoft; What Perplexity’s Google Dependence Tells Us About the AI Race

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 20, 2024 7:15am PDT

Until Microsoft lit up the artificial intelligence world yesterday by appointing Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of AI startups DeepMind and Inflection, as head of its consumer AI business, the software giant lacked an executive who had built sophisticated generative AI models and products from scratch. As we’ve written, Microsoft’s own teams... Until Microsoft lit up the artificial intelligence world yesterday by appointing Mustafa Suleyman...

Art via Reddit/Shane Burke.

With IPO Looming, Reddit’s AI Pitch Faces Skeptics

By Cory Weinberg and Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 20, 2024 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

As Reddit executives and the company’s advisers try to reel in investors for its initial public offering, they’ve been using two seemingly magic words as part of their pitch: artificial intelligence. A slide deck for potential investors shows Reddit’s cartoon robot logo next to emblems of semiconductor companies Nvidia and Arm,... As Reddit executives and the company’s advisers try to reel in investors for its initial...

Mustafa Suleyman. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images.

Microsoft-backed Inflection Arranges Unusual Payout for Startup’s Investors

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Aaron Holmes · Mar 19, 2024 8:09pm PDT · 3 comments

Mustafa Suleyman. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images.

Microsoft-backed Inflection Arranges Unusual Payout for Startup’s Investors

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Aaron Holmes · Mar 19, 2024 8:09pm PDT · 3 comments

Microsoft’s decision to hire most of the staff of Inflection AI, including co-founders Mustafa Suleyman and Karén Simonyan, leaves the would-be OpenAI rival a shell of its former self. But Inflection has arranged an unusual deal for investors that should take the sting out of that blow. At the same time it revealed the staff... Microsoft’s decision to hire most of the staff of Inflection AI, including co-founders...

Marc Lore, the founder, chairman and CEO of Wonder Group. Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images.

Marc Lore Proves You Don’t Need an AI Angle to Raise Money

By Martin Peers · Mar 19, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Who says it’s hard for startups to raise capital? Marc Lore’s success in raising $600 million—in addition to $100 million he is contributing—for his restaurant startup, Wonder, is nothing short of stunning. As Lore acknowledged in a CNBC interview today, the fundraising wasn’t easy, given that most startups raising money nowadays are in... Who says it’s hard for startups to raise capital? Marc Lore’s success in raising $600 million—in...

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, leaves a meeting in Sen. John Fetterman’s office in the Russell Senate Office building on Thursday. Photo by Getty Images.

Creator Economy

The Slow-Motion TikTok Bill

By Erin Woo · Mar 19, 2024 2:51pm PDT

The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of Representatives last week, the bill’s momentum is slowing in the Senate. It’s too soon to tell whether Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, will bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Even before that, Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell,... The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of...

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Photo via YouTube/Stripe

AI Search Startup Perplexity Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Data

By Stephanie Palazzolo, Jon Victor and Aaron Holmes · Mar 19, 2024 1:11pm PDT · 5 comments

Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence–powered search engine, has become a Silicon Valley startup darling for taking on Google with conversational answers rather than a list of web links. Tech CEOs such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Dell’s Michael Dell have sung the praises of the startup, and it has raised more than $100... Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence–powered search engine, has become a Silicon...

Photos via Adobe Stock.

OpenAI and Apple’s Rude Wake-Up Call

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 19, 2024 7:00am PDT

Photos via Adobe Stock.

OpenAI and Apple’s Rude Wake-Up Call

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 19, 2024 7:00am PDT

St. Patrick’s Day didn’t bring OpenAI or Apple much luck. Yesterday’s Bloomberg report that the iPhone maker is in talks to license Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models to power new features for the iPhone was likely a blow to the ego of leaders at OpenAI, not to mention Apple’s own AI teams.It’s not yet clear what kind of valuable... St. Patrick’s Day didn’t bring OpenAI or Apple much luck. Yesterday’s Bloomberg report that the ...

Photo by Getty Images.

Temu Aims to Lessen Reliance on U.S. Shoppers

By Jing Yang · Mar 19, 2024 6:00am PDT

As Chinese shopping site Temu faces mounting hostility toward Chinese companies from U.S. politicians, it is looking to reduce its reliance on the U.S. market. Since it launched in the U.S. less than two years ago, the site, known for its ultralow prices, has caught fire with American shoppers. The U.S. accounted for 60% of total merchandise... As Chinese shopping site Temu faces mounting hostility toward Chinese companies from U.S....

Chris Lehane. Photo by Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images.

Chris Lehane, Tech’s Weather Vane; Google (Finally) Gets Some AI Respect

By Martin Peers · Mar 18, 2024 5:00pm PDT

Chris Lehane is beginning to look like the weather vane of tech. As we scooped today, the Clinton White House veteran is likely to join OpenAI, giving the ChatGPT creator some political muscle. Notably, Lehane is jumping to OpenAI after two years at crypto-focused venture capital firm Haun Ventures, which he joined in January 2022 as the crypto... Chris Lehane is beginning to look like the weather vane of tech. As we scooped today, the Clinton...

From left: Mike Gallagher, Lisa Monaco, Joe Biden and Shou Zi Chew. Photos by Getty

TikTok Spent Years Developing Data Security Plan: Washington Ignored It

By Juro Osawa, Jing Yang and Erin Woo · Mar 18, 2024 12:31pm PDT · 6 comments

In the past couple of years, TikTok has spent $1.5 billion and restructured its operations to appease a federal government committee reviewing national security risks posed by the company’s hugely popular app. TikTok has installed cumbersome internal restrictions on its U.S. operations, requiring a separate data security unit to review... In the past couple of years, TikTok has spent $1.5 billion and restructured its operations to...

Superlinked cofounders Ben Gutkovich and Daniel Svonava. Photo courtesy of Superlinked.

Apple’s Subtle Pitch to AI Researchers; Index Backs Former YouTube AI Manager in Latest ‘Vector Embedding’ Deal

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Wayne Ma · Mar 18, 2024 7:00am PDT

Superlinked cofounders Ben Gutkovich and Daniel Svonava. Photo courtesy of Superlinked.

Apple’s Subtle Pitch to AI Researchers; Index Backs Former YouTube AI Manager in Latest ‘Vector Embedding’ Deal

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Wayne Ma · Mar 18, 2024 7:00am PDT

Before we get into this morning’s main funding news, here’s an interesting look into the strategy of Apple, which has caught flack from developers and industry pundits for falling behind Microsoft, Google and Amazon in releasing conversational AI. (That’s likely why it’s in talks with Google to license its generative AI tech for the iPhone,... Before we get into this morning’s main funding news, here’s an interesting look into the strategy...

Chris Lehane. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

Political Veteran Lehane Nearing Deal to Join OpenAI

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 18, 2024 6:25am PDT

OpenAI, coming off months of controversy, is looking to add more political and public relations muscle. Chris Lehane, the former Airbnb policy chief and a veteran of the Clinton White House, is nearing a deal to join the artificial intelligence startup as a senior executive, according to people familiar with the potential move. OpenAI, coming off months of controversy, is looking to add more political and public relations...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announcing the GPT Store in November. Photo via Getty

OpenAI’s Chatbot App Store Is Off to a Slow Start

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 18, 2024 6:00am PDT · 5 comments

Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by launching an app store. Similar to the way Apple turned the iPhone into a big business for mobile app developers, OpenAI hoped developers would tap into its artificial intelligence to create and sell their own conversational AI apps to ChatGPT customers. ... Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by...

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty

The Electric: In Slashing EV Production, Carmakers Jumped the Gun

By Steve LeVine · Mar 18, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I reported at the time, major automakers said that by 2025 or 2026 they would each be selling dozens of models of electric vehicles each, many of them powered by next-generation batteries that would cut the price of the vehicles, charge fast and take the... In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I...

Art by Clark Miller

An Ode to a Dead Dealmaker

By Abram Brown · Mar 16, 2024 7:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

An Ode to a Dead Dealmaker

By Abram Brown · Mar 16, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from Hollywood to videogames to Madison Avenue* Foreign trade and fearsome foes!* A guide to acquiring one of Silicon Valley’s favorite fads: a chief of staff* Plus: The VC and surprise SF mayoral front-runner; the TikToker who can explain why AllBirds lost... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from...

Art by Clark Miller

Could a Venture Capitalist in Chief Finally Fix San Francisco’s Toxic Politics?

By Scott Alan Lucas · Mar 16, 2024 5:00am PDT · 2 comments

Twice in the last month, Mark Farrell, the Thayer Ventures co-founder, former San Francisco mayor and surprise front-runner in November’s mayoral race, has found himself confronting a familiar scene: thieves pilfering items from his local Walgreens as he shopped, undeterred by the shop’s protective shielding around its goods. ... Twice in the last month, Mark Farrell, the Thayer Ventures co-founder, former San Francisco mayor...

Art by Clark Miller

How to Hire—and Deploy—a Great Chief of Staff

By Diane Harris · Mar 16, 2024 5:00am PDT · 13 comments

After filling a cap table with prestige names and an Atherton basement with Screaming Eagle, what does a busy mogul on the rise acquire next? Increasingly these days, a chief of staff. Long a staple in government and the military, the chief of staff role has lately become a faddish fixture in the private sector, too, particularly in Silicon... After filling a cap table with prestige names and an Atherton basement with Screaming Eagle, what...

Photo via Shutterstock

Apple Settles Shareholder Suit on Cook Comments

By Martin Peers · Mar 15, 2024 3:31pm PDT · 1 comment

Let’s talk about something other than TikTok. How about the fact that Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a years-old shareholder lawsuit alleging that CEO Tim Cook misled investors in comments he made on an earnings call in late 2018? It’s not every day you see the iPhone maker settling a lawsuit rather than fighting to the bitter... Let’s talk about something other than TikTok. How about the fact that Apple has agreed to pay...

Hartz and Minds and TikTok w/ Special Guest Julia Hartz

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 15, 2024 10:12am PDT

Hartz and Minds and TikTok w/ Special Guest Julia Hartz

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 15, 2024 10:12am PDT

There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz posed a question that stuck with me. How do we help our kids manage smartphones when we, as adults, don't have a handle on our usage? It prompted an interesting discussion that framed this episode. I hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify YouTube... There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia...