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

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Recent Editions

Kirsten Dunst at the premiere of A24's Civil War earlier this year. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images.

What Thrive Capital’s A24 Investment Means for Hollywood and AI

By Kate Clark · Jun 26, 2024 5:00pm PDT

I'd prefer that artificial intelligence stay out of filmmaking, but like any other industry, AI is bound to disrupt Hollywood, especially if it’s left up to venture capitalists. News this morning proves it. Independent film studio A24 announced that it has raised money from New York venture capital firm Thrive Capital, run by Josh Kushner—... I'd prefer that artificial intelligence stay out of filmmaking, but like any other industry, AI...

The mother of a child who died doing an internet challenge speaks during a rally to hold tech and social media companies accountable for taking steps to protect kids and teens online on January 31 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images.

Creator Economy

The Crush of Online Safety Bills Is Too Big to Ignore

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jun 26, 2024 3:09pm PDT · 2 comments

The Kids Online Safety Act, a federal bill that requires social media platforms to take “reasonable measures” to prevent harm, is scheduled to be considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday. It’s a small step for proponents of the bill after years of political rumblings about the need for tougher controls over social... The Kids Online Safety Act, a federal bill that requires social media platforms to take “...

Photo by AP.

Amazon To Launch Temu-Like Discount Section With Direct Shipping From China

By Jing Yang and Theo Wayt · Jun 26, 2024 10:08am PDT · 3 comments

Amazon plans to launch a section on its shopping site featuring cheap items that ship directly to overseas consumers from warehouses in China, according to slides shown to Chinese sellers, marking the e-commerce giant’s most aggressive response yet to the growth of bargain sites like Temu and Shein. The new marketplace will offer unbranded... Amazon plans to launch a section on its shopping site featuring cheap items that ship directly to...

Alexandr Wang, co-founder and CEO of Scale AI. Photo by Getty.

What Scale AI Tells Us About Humans and AI

By Laura Mandaro · Jun 26, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Alexandr Wang, co-founder and CEO of Scale AI. Photo by Getty.

What Scale AI Tells Us About Humans and AI

By Laura Mandaro · Jun 26, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

We’re in the throes of artificial intelligence fever, but lessons from the last AI hype cycle still linger. Nearly four years ago, my colleague Amir published two stories detailing how businesses were starting to use artificial intelligence in meaningful (if sometimes rarified) ways, from checking the health of a Norwegian fish farm’s stock... We’re in the throes of artificial intelligence fever, but lessons from the last AI hype cycle...

Animoca Brands animations. Photos via Animoca Brands.

Animoca Brands Looks to Crypto-Friendly Markets for Potential 2025 Listing

By Yueqi Yang · Jun 26, 2024 6:00am PDT

Animoca Brands, a crypto gaming and metaverse conglomerate valued at $6 billion in 2022, is considering a public listing in Hong Kong or the Middle East as early as next year, co-founder and executive chair Yat Siu said. That would mark a return to public markets for the company, more than four years after it delisted from the Australian... Animoca Brands, a crypto gaming and metaverse conglomerate valued at $6 billion in 2022, is...

Riders exit a Waymo self-driving car in front of Google's San Francisco headquarters. Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.

Why Waymo’s Accelerating Progress Deserves More Attention

By Martin Peers · Jun 25, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

And now for some good news. Self-driving cars, after more than a decade of overhyped chatter, are actually getting somewhere.Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, on Tuesday extended its robotaxi service to everyone in San Francisco, four years after it made a similar move in Phoenix. Also on Tuesday, Uber Freight and Aurora announced that... And now for some good news. Self-driving cars, after more than a decade of overhyped chatter, are...

Zepto delivery drivers near New Delhi, India. Photo via Shutterstock.

Indian Delivery Star Discusses $5 Billion Valuation

By Kate Clark · Jun 25, 2024 3:31pm PDT

Last week, I reported that Zepto, an Indian instant-delivery company, was closing a new round at a valuation of $3.6 billion, the first financing for a non–artificial intelligence startup I’ve written about in ages. Since then, I’ve learned the company is already in discussions with investors about raising more, at a higher valuation, as U.S.... Last week, I reported that Zepto, an Indian instant-delivery company, was closing a new round at...

Creators on stage at VidCon 2023. Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images.

What to Expect at VidCon

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 25, 2024 2:00pm PDT

Creators on stage at VidCon 2023. Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images.

Creator Economy

What to Expect at VidCon

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 25, 2024 2:00pm PDT

I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The organizers of the event, which last year drew 55,000 people, expect the biggest theme this year to be the creator economy’s “coming of age.” After the boom in venture funding for startups and hype around the sector dissipated, investments have ... I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The...

Xu Zhijun, the rotating chairman of Huawei, introduces the original Ascend 910 chip in 2019 in Shenzhen, China. Photo by Zhang Yang/Huanqiu.com/VCG via Getty Images.

A New U.S. Crackdown Is Crippling China’s Best Hope to Rival Nvidia

By Qianer Liu and Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2024 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

The Biden administration has suddenly imperiled China’s ability to produce alternatives to Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips. Officials at the U.S. Commerce Department in recent months have pressured American chip equipment makers and their suppliers to stop selling to Huawei Technologies, China’s top chip designer, and to... The Biden administration has suddenly imperiled China’s ability to produce alternatives to...

OpenAI Ceo Sam Altman. Photo by Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images.

Businesses Want Slower AI Models—And That Might Hurt Nvidia

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jun 25, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

OpenAI isn’t normally an acquirer of other companies but it has announced two purchases in the last week, of search and analytics firm Rockset and collaboration startup Multi. Both highlight how OpenAI is focused on enterprise offerings, and features that big business appreciate such as retrieval augmented generation, despite the attention... OpenAI isn’t normally an acquirer of other companies but it has announced two purchases in the...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Why a $14 Billion Startup Is Now Hiring PhD’s to Train AI From Their Living Rooms

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 25, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Matt Mattingly sold the bed-and-breakfast inn he owned in southern Maine several years ago and was trying to “figure out what I want to be when I grow up.” This year, after looking for a remote job that would put his communications Ph.D. to use, he responded to an online ad looking for people to train artificial intelligence models... Matt Mattingly sold the bed-and-breakfast inn he owned in southern Maine several years ago and...

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Anduril Nears $12.5 Billion-Valuation Round Led by Founders Fund, Sands Capital

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Jun 24, 2024 6:04pm PDT

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Anduril Nears $12.5 Billion-Valuation Round Led by Founders Fund, Sands Capital

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Jun 24, 2024 6:04pm PDT

Anduril has lined up backers for one of the biggest venture deals this year. The defense startup is close to finalizing a $1.5 billion investment co-led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, according to two people involved in the deal. Sands Capital, known for investments just before public offerings, is co-leading the deal as a new... Anduril has lined up backers for one of the biggest venture deals this year. The defense startup...

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age. Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images.

Europe-U.S. Tech Regulatory Battle Opens New Front

By Martin Peers · Jun 24, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Students of history will recall the Hundred Years’ War between England and France in the 1300s and 1400s. It feels like we’re in the early stages of a second Hundred Years’ War, this time pitting U.S. tech firms against the European Commission.On Monday, the commission opened a new front in that war by issuing “preliminary findings” that Apple... Students of history will recall the Hundred Years’ War between England and France in the 1300s...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Google Develops Challenger to Meta’s Chatbots and Character.AI

By Julia Hornstein and Jon Victor · Jun 24, 2024 2:54pm PDT · 1 comment

Google wants chatbots that people can hang with—not just pelt with questions. The search engine giant has been developing a product for creating and conversing with customizable chatbots, which could be modeled on celebrities or made by users, two people with direct knowledge of the project said. The bots would be similar to the online... Google wants chatbots that people can hang with—not just pelt with questions. The search...

HSBC's London headquarters. Photo via Adobe Stock.

The Big Interview

Inside HSBC’s VC Charm Offensive

By Michael Roddan · Jun 24, 2024 8:03am PDT

Shortly after HSBC swooped on the carcass of Silicon Valley Bank in March of last year, picking up around 50 U.S. bankers and an $8 billion U.K. loan book, the London-headquartered bank’s management drew up plans to win over the biggest venture capitalists in the U.S. that had historically been SVB customers. Fifteen months on, the bank... Shortly after HSBC swooped on the carcass of Silicon Valley Bank in March of last year, picking...

Klarity co-founders Nischal Nadhamuni (left) and Andrew Antos (right).

Startup Klarity Raises $70 Million to Automate Document Reviews

By Kalley Huang · Jun 24, 2024 7:00am PDT

Klarity co-founders Nischal Nadhamuni (left) and Andrew Antos (right).

Startup Klarity Raises $70 Million to Automate Document Reviews

By Kalley Huang · Jun 24, 2024 7:00am PDT

Read through enough contracts, invoices or purchase orders—any business documents, really—enough times, and your eyes probably glaze over. Ondrej Antos experienced it as a law clerk nearly a decade ago. When Antos met Nischal Nadhamuni at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2016, the pair went on a three-hour-long walk in... Read through enough contracts, invoices or purchase orders—any business documents, really—enough...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple Aims to Cut Headcount on Some iPhone Assembly Lines by Up to 50%

By Wayne Ma · Jun 24, 2024 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

It was the kind of incident Apple executives never want to repeat. In November 2022, at a factory in Zhengzhou, China—the largest plant in the world for making iPhones—police officers in white hazmat suits beat factory workers, who had begun protesting over strict Covid-19 lockdowns and disputes over pay. Video of the episode, which... It was the kind of incident Apple executives never want to repeat. In November 2022, at a factory...

Mutanda, the world's largest cobalt mine, in Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Emmet Livingstone/AFP/Getty

The Electric: A New Geopolitical Melee Erupts Over Battery Metals

By Steve LeVine · Jun 24, 2024 4:30am PDT

Within days of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed a decision by the Trump administration to lift sanctions on one of the most controversial Western mining executives in central Africa. Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler didn’t merit a reprieve, Biden’s State Department said, alleging that in a two-year period he had corruptly... Within days of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed a decision by the Trump...

Art by Clark Miller

The Anti-Altman’s Hail Mary Pitch to Investors

By Abram Brown · Jun 22, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Meet Jacob Helberg, the MAGA star popular with tech liberalsThe best apps for exploring naturePlus: Ferrets, puffins and guinea pigs, oh my; Scottish scaries; and how to summer in Italy from your sofa.Wanted! Investors for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shove millions of dollars into a nascent... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Meet Jacob Helberg, the MAGA star popular with tech...

Art by Clark Miller

Downloads for the Backroads: A Techie’s Guide to the Best Apps for Exploring Nature

By Brigid Mander · Jun 22, 2024 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Art by Clark Miller

Downloads for the Backroads: A Techie’s Guide to the Best Apps for Exploring Nature

By Brigid Mander · Jun 22, 2024 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Modern technology is everywhere, often in various forms of screen time. That makes it a popular scapegoat for the increasing, collective loss of our human connection to the natural world. It’s not just that time spent using technology has replaced time in nature, it’s also that for many nature is farther away: Over half the... Modern technology is everywhere, often in various forms of screen time. That makes it a popular...