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

GitButler cofounders Scott Chacon, Anne Leuschner and Kiril Videlov. Photo courtesy of GitButler.

The Startup Building Code Management Software for ‘Tokenmaxxers’

By Julia Hornstein · Apr 8, 2026 7:00am PDT

Earlier this week, my colleague Jyoti reported on the great lengths Meta Platforms engineers are going to show off their AI prowess. An employee-created leaderboard tracks who burns through the most AI tokens—part of a broader trend known as “tokenmaxxing.” The article has sparked a flurry of armchair analysis on how much this strategy could... Earlier this week, my colleague Jyoti reported on the great lengths Meta Platforms engineers are...

Art by Clark Miller; YouTube.

Polygon Labs in Talks to Raise Up to $100 Million for Payments Business

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 8, 2026 6:00am PDT

Polygon Labs, developer of the blockchain that underpins prediction market Polymarket and other crypto platforms, is in early talks with investors to raise as much as $100 million to build a new stablecoin payments business, according to people familiar with the talks. The funding discussions come amid a nasty downturn in crypto. The new venture... Polygon Labs, developer of the blockchain that underpins prediction market Polymarket and other...

Anthropic co-founder and president, Daniela Amodei. Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

Anthropic’s Revenue Growth Suggests OpenAI Is Overvalued

By Martin Peers · Apr 7, 2026 5:00pm PDT

The sooner Anthropic and OpenAI go public, the better—at least then we’d have proper financial disclosure. Both companies’ habit of updating the public on their revenue growth by references to either monthly revenue or annualized revenue, which is (loosely speaking) the last month’s revenue multiplied by 12, is getting old. And it’s not exactly... The sooner Anthropic and OpenAI go public, the better—at least then we’d have proper financial...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Bloomberg/Getty Images.

How Anthropic Could Hit $100 Billion in Annualized Revenue This Year

By Sri Muppidi · Apr 7, 2026 4:33pm PDT · 2 comments

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Bloomberg/Getty Images.

How Anthropic Could Hit $100 Billion in Annualized Revenue This Year

By Sri Muppidi · Apr 7, 2026 4:33pm PDT · 2 comments

What could stop Anthropic now? The maker of the Claude chatbot said Monday it is generating more than $30 billion in annualized revenue, up from $19 billion about a month ago and more than triple its year-end level. At that pace, the company is on track to surpass its mid-December projection of $32 billion in annualized revenue by the end of... What could stop Anthropic now? The maker of the Claude chatbot said Monday it is generating more...

Art by Clark Miller.

Microsoft’s GitHub Sees Booming Traffic—and Outages—as AI Agents Flood Platform

By Aaron Holmes · Apr 7, 2026 10:30am PDT · 1 comment

Software developers are using AI agents to crank out more lines of code than is humanly possible, with companies like Meta hosting “tokenmaxxing” contests to see which coders can spin the AI meter the fastest.That trend is leading to a surge in traffic at Microsoft-owned GitHub, which hosts repositories where companies can upload and edit their... Software developers are using AI agents to crank out more lines of code than is humanly possible,...

Daniela Amodei, co-founder and president of Anthropic. Kimberly White/Common Sense Media/Getty Images.

Anthropic’s Compute Crunch Strikes Again

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 7, 2026 7:00am PDT

Anthropic said Monday afternoon it had topped $30 billion in annualized revenue, implying growth surged 58% since the end of February. It also suggests the maker of the Claude chatbot may have surpassed OpenAI, which was generating $25 billion in annualized revenue in February.Despite its success, Anthropic isn’t winning any fans in the... Anthropic said Monday afternoon it had topped $30 billion in annualized revenue, implying growth...

Lindsey Nicholson/Getty Images.

Amazon’s Tough Stance on Prices Prompts Brands to Pull Products

By Ann Gehan · Apr 7, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Selling on Amazon is getting tougher for some big brands. In recent months, Amazon has rebuffed requests from some of the company’s wholesale suppliers to increase what it pays for their inventory, forcing brands to swallow higher costs related to tariffs, and more recently, oil prices, according to people who work with consumer brands like... Selling on Amazon is getting tougher for some big brands. In recent months, Amazon has rebuffed...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and CEO Sam Altman. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

OpenAI’s Never-Ending Soap Opera

By Martin Peers · Apr 6, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and CEO Sam Altman. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

OpenAI’s Never-Ending Soap Opera

By Martin Peers · Apr 6, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

What’s the bet that OpenAI’s senior management team undergoes a shake-up before the company goes public? On Sunday, The Information reported that finance chief Sarah Friar has concerns about OpenAI’s readiness to go public and its ability to support its AI server commitments. And on Monday, The New Yorker published a long profile of CEO Sam... What’s the bet that OpenAI’s senior management team undergoes a shake-up before the company goes...

A talk at TensorWave CEO Jeff Tatarchuk’s Beyond CUDA event last year. Screenshot via YouTube/TensorWave.

AI Infrastructure

Can TensorWave Leapfrog Nvidia’s Big Moat?

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 6, 2026 12:01pm PDT

Hello! Anissa here. Is Nvidia’s CUDA Vulnerable?Jeff Tatarchuk likes to poke the bear. The bear, in this case, is Nvidia. Tatarchuk has every incentive to challenge the chip company’s dominance. He runs startup TensorWave, which rents out AI chips from Nvidia rival Advanced Micro Devices.Last year, during Nvidia’s GTC conference, Tatarchuk... Hello! Anissa here. Is Nvidia’s CUDA Vulnerable?Jeff Tatarchuk likes to poke the bear. The...

Honeywell and startup Odys are building the hybrid-electric Laila, which would bring down drones in combat. Photo: Courtesy Odys

The Electric: Honeywell Jumps Into the Race to Develop Electric Aircraft for the Pentagon

By Steve LeVine · Apr 6, 2026 9:00am PDT

Multiple electric aviation startups are developing aircraft for combat missions in a race for billions of dollars in orders they expect from the Pentagon and other military buyers amid a boom in defense spending. Multiple electric aviation startups are developing aircraft for combat missions in a race for...

Elon Musk and T-Mobile 's then-CEO Mike Sievert on stage during a joint event in 2022 announcing the Starlink partnership. Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images.

Why SpaceX Has an Uphill Battle Growing Starlink Mobile

By Theo Wayt · Apr 6, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

SpaceX executives say its Starlink Mobile direct-to-cell service offered through mobile carriers will eventually reach hundreds of millions of customers around the globe, which would help justify SpaceX’s valuation. But right now, the service’s revenue is tiny. T-Mobile, for instance, SpaceX’s only mobile partner in the U.S., is offering its... SpaceX executives say its Starlink Mobile direct-to-cell service offered through mobile carriers...

Art by Getty Images

Codex and Claude Code Can Work Together

By Rocket Drew · Apr 6, 2026 7:00am PDT

Art by Getty Images

Codex and Claude Code Can Work Together

By Rocket Drew · Apr 6, 2026 7:00am PDT

Forget all the chatter about which AI coding tool is winning the race. The companies behind the leading AI coding tools are learning the benefits of peaceful co-existence. On Thursday, for instance, Cursor announced a new version of its app designed for coding with AI agents from different coding providers simultaneously, including ... Forget all the chatter about which AI coding tool is winning the race. The companies behind the...

Art by Clark Miller.

Meta Employees Vie for AI ‘Token Legend’ Status

By Jyoti Mann · Apr 6, 2026 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

Employees at Meta Platforms who want to show off their AI superuser chops are competing on an internal leaderboard for status as a “Session Immortal”—or, even better, “Token Legend.” The rankings, set up by a Meta employee on its intranet using company data, measure how many tokens—the units of data processed by AI... Employees at Meta Platforms who want to show off their AI superuser chops are competing on an...

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.

What the Coming Big IPOs Mean for Tech Stocks

By Martin Peers · Apr 5, 2026 3:00pm PDT

The first quarter is over, and tech earnings season is only a couple of weeks away. Here’s something worth thinking about: Big tech stocks out of favor with investors—particularly Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platforms—need to show something striking when they report for the quarter if they want to get out of the doghouse they’re in.If they don’t,... The first quarter is over, and tech earnings season is only a couple of weeks away. Here’s...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar, left, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (via Getty)

OpenAI CEO and CFO Diverge on IPO Timing

By Anissa Gardizy and Amir Efrati · Apr 5, 2026 1:32pm PDT · 9 comments

Sam Altman has committed OpenAI to spend $600 billion in the next five years and privately said he wants to go public as soon as the fourth quarter despite expectations his company will burn more than $200 billion before it starts generating cash. Behind the scenes, Sarah Friar, his chief financial officer, has voiced concerns that reflect the... Sam Altman has committed OpenAI to spend $600 billion in the next five years and privately said...

The Vibe Coding Effect? Apple’s App Store Saw 84% Jump in New Apps in Quarter

By Aaron Tilley · Apr 5, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

Sunday Insights

The Vibe Coding Effect? Apple’s App Store Saw 84% Jump in New Apps in Quarter

By Aaron Tilley · Apr 5, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went into a tailspin, falling a whopping 48% between 2016 and 2024, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower. At least that was the case until last year. In 2025, the number of new apps that showed up in the App Store globally suddenly exploded,... For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went...

Illustration: Clark Miller

TBPN’s Lovable Underdog Era Ends

By Abram Brown · Apr 4, 2026 2:07pm PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A familiar Silicon Valley foe is the mastermind behind those explosive chatbot lawsuits• Tech Culture: San Francisco’s mecca for mad scientists eyes global expansion • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Idiot,” “Dune Messiah” and “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A familiar Silicon Valley foe is the...

Illustration: Clark Miller

Frontier Tower, A Hot Spot for Strange Tech, Plots Global Expansion and New Hotel

By Eli Rosenberg · Apr 4, 2026 6:54am PDT · 4 comments

Near the corner of Sixth and Market streets in downtown San Francisco, Frontier Tower has become a 15-story haven for the wildest and weirdest thinkers in technology. Floor 11 is full of longevity and health tech enthusiasts. The crypto folks are a floor above, with a lounge full of expensive furniture. AI is on floor 9. And the big event there... Near the corner of Sixth and Market streets in downtown San Francisco, Frontier Tower has become...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Curbs Misleading Markdowns Ahead of Prime Day Sale

By Ann Gehan · Apr 3, 2026 10:16am PDT

Amazon is taking steps to curb misleading markdowns on its retail site ahead of its annual Prime Day sale this summer, steps that could cut down on eye-popping Prime Day deals while addressing complaints that some discounts are overstated. Over the next two months, Amazon will closely track what shoppers have been paying for items in the run-up... Amazon is taking steps to curb misleading markdowns on its retail site ahead of its annual Prime...

Art by Clark Miller; screenshot via YouTube.

Jay Edelson Made Facebook Pay. Now He’s Coming for Silicon Valley’s AI

By Andrew Zaleski · Apr 3, 2026 9:01am PDT · 3 comments

Art by Clark Miller; screenshot via YouTube.

Jay Edelson Made Facebook Pay. Now He’s Coming for Silicon Valley’s AI

By Andrew Zaleski · Apr 3, 2026 9:01am PDT · 3 comments

To a degree, Jay Edelson, the class-action litigator who has made himself a constant thorn in the side of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies, likes to present a laid-back image. No power suits and wing tips for him—he prefers hoodies and sneakers. His constant companion at his Chicago office is Arlo, a white-and-gray sheepadoodle. On... To a degree, Jay Edelson, the class-action litigator who has made himself a constant thorn in the...