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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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Recent Editions

Make Number Go Up, and the Problem with Nonprofits

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 15, 2023 4:41pm PST · 1 comment

"Hodgepodge with a theme" is what I am calling this week's episode of More or Less. The hodgepodge is all the week's headlines, from the latest in AI to some eye-popping VC moments. The theme: What's the next shoe to drop? I feel it in the air. Do you? Hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify "Hodgepodge with a theme" is what I am calling this week's episode of More or Less....

Nelson Peltz. Photo by Getty

Why Nelson Peltz Can’t Fix Disney

By Martin Peers · Dec 15, 2023 3:00pm PST

Judging by two news events this week, next year will be dominated by new episodes in that long-running series, “The Decline of the TV Industry.” First, widespread reports that Shari Redstone is in talks to sell her stake in CBS owner Paramount Global suggest the Redstone family is finally throwing in the towel. Or at least they’re trying to, if... Judging by two news events this week, next year will be dominated by new episodes in that...

Art by Mike Sullivan

TikTok Asks Advertisers to Spend 50% More Next Year

By Sahil Patel · Dec 15, 2023 11:41am PST · 3 comments

TikTok is doubling down on efforts to take ad dollars from TV networks and Instagram owner Meta Platforms. The hugely popular Chinese-owned video app is asking top ad-buying firms to increase their spending by between 50% and 150% next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter, in requests that ad executives say are unreasonable.... TikTok is doubling down on efforts to take ad dollars from TV networks and Instagram owner Meta...

Jason Calacanis, David Friedberg, David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya have set their sights well beyond their Silicon Valley sphere of influence. Art by Clark Miller

The Besties’ Revenge: How the ‘All-In’ Podcast Captured Silicon Valley

By Julia Black · Dec 15, 2023 9:05am PST · 29 comments

Jason Calacanis, David Friedberg, David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya have set their sights well beyond their Silicon Valley sphere of influence. Art by Clark Miller

The Besties’ Revenge: How the ‘All-In’ Podcast Captured Silicon Valley

By Julia Black · Dec 15, 2023 9:05am PST · 29 comments

On December 1, seven months after he’d been fired from Fox News and days before he announced the launch of his own paid streaming service, Tucker Carlson appeared on the “All-In” podcast, the most talked about show in Silicon Valley. Joining Carlson for a freewheeling 93-minute-long conversation were the podcast’s... On December 1, seven months after he’d been fired from Fox News and days before he...

Pro Weekly: The Hiring Boom at AI Companies

Pro Weekly: The Hiring Boom at AI Companies

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 15, 2023 8:00am PST

Earlier this week, I published our latest Org Chart, documenting the people running artificial intelligence powerhouse Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s biggest rivals. In the reporting, I learned that Anthropic’s headcount has more than tripled this year to 300, from 85 at the start of the year. It’s a staggering growth rate. But given the... Earlier this week, I published our latest Org Chart, documenting the people running artificial...

Art by Shane Burke. Photo by Brock Brannen

A Venture Firm’s Collapse Stokes Layoff Fears Among Startup Investors

By Kate Clark · Dec 15, 2023 6:00am PST · 3 comments

Earlier this month, when Boston-based venture capital firm OpenView told its limited partners it no longer planned to invest in new startups and was laying off a majority of its employees, the VC industry let out a collective gasp. “It was so sudden, and it made you realize that all these funds are really fragile,” said Jenny... Earlier this month, when Boston-based venture capital firm OpenView told its limited partners it...

Midjourney/Mike Sullivan

The Next AI Battle: Adding It to Existing Products

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 14, 2023 5:00pm PST · 3 comments

Ok, I’ll call it: We are closing this chapter of the AI wars.Since January or so, tech leaders, their customers and reporters have been haggling over advancements in large language models. We’ve been consumed by models, their names and which 0.5 version of a model is better than another. I don’t think any of that is going to matter... Ok, I’ll call it: We are closing this chapter of the AI wars.Since January or so, tech leaders,...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft Chase Wearable AI

By Erin Woo, Jon Victor and Anissa Gardizy · Dec 14, 2023 4:35pm PST · 2 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft Chase Wearable AI

By Erin Woo, Jon Victor and Anissa Gardizy · Dec 14, 2023 4:35pm PST · 2 comments

Next year’s artificial intelligence battle is coming into focus—and it’s all about glasses. As they release more powerful AI that can understand images and language, Meta Platforms, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and others are racing to apply the technology to smart glasses and other wearable devices with forward-facing cameras.... Next year’s artificial intelligence battle is coming into focus—and it’s all...

The Coterie CEO Ethan Agarwal. Photo courtesy of The Coterie.

An Andreessen-backed Startup Bets on VC’s Expansion

By Kate Clark · Dec 14, 2023 4:03pm PST · 1 comment

This week I spoke to Andreessen Horowitz general partner Anish Acharya and Initialized founder Garry Tan about a two-year-old startup financial services startup they’ve backed: The Coterie, which sells software to help wealthy individuals, fund managers and institutional investors manage their investments in venture capital funds and other... This week I spoke to Andreessen Horowitz general partner Anish Acharya and Initialized founder...

Photo by Getty

Creator Economy

TikTok’s Unanswered European Question

By Theo Wayt · Dec 14, 2023 3:35pm PST

This holiday season, many creators have jumped into the e-commerce fray on TikTok, promoting products through livestreams and other videos. But while TikTok Shop, the video app’s new e-commerce feature, is available in the U.S., U.K. and much of Asia, TikTok still hasn’t launched it in the European Union—and hasn’t said when, if ever, it... This holiday season, many creators have jumped into the e-commerce fray on TikTok, promoting...

Art by Clark Miller.

How Europe Is Reshaping Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Dec 14, 2023 9:23am PST · 1 comment

As Amazon prepares to put commercials on Prime Video in early 2024, it can make a compelling pitch to U.S. advertisers. Using its vast amounts of shopper data, Amazon can target video ads at the people most likely to bite. But in Europe, Amazon will soon be required to ask customers for consent before it uses their shopping data for its video... As Amazon prepares to put commercials on Prime Video in early 2024, it can make a compelling...

Art by Clark Miller

The People OpenAI Should Consider for Its New Board

By Tom Chavez · Dec 14, 2023 9:00am PST · 7 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The People OpenAI Should Consider for Its New Board

By Tom Chavez · Dec 14, 2023 9:00am PST · 7 comments

Sam Altman’s sudden ouster and revolving-door return as CEO of OpenAI was the result of a boardroom power struggle between Altman and board members like Helen Toner who raised concerns about the unbridled power of artificial intelligence. The debacle shows that when a board is not aligned with the objectives of management and investors,... Sam Altman’s sudden ouster and revolving-door return as CEO of OpenAI was the result of a...

Tomato.ai cofounder and CEO Ofer Ronen. Photo courtesy of Tomato.ai.

A Tale of Two Startups; Xooglers Land $10 Million To Soften Your Accent

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 14, 2023 7:10am PST · 2 comments

There’s something ironic about publishing a story on early-stage AI startups struggling to raise money and, over the next two days, writing about a one-year-old legal AI startup landing a $700 million post-investment valuation and a Xoogler-founded AI startup nearing a $2 billion price, as Natasha and I did yesterday. But these stories don’t... There’s something ironic about publishing a story on early-stage AI startups struggling to raise...

Art by Mike Sullivan

How Google Got Back on Its Feet in AI Race

By Jon Victor · Dec 14, 2023 6:00am PST · 1 comment

For Google, it was a moment to savor its apparent triumph over the doomsayers. Last week, the company released the first version of a much anticipated new artificial intelligence technology called Gemini, nearly a year after some critics predicted that OpenAI’s ChatGPT could kill Google’s search dominance. Google leaders had managed... For Google, it was a moment to savor its apparent triumph over the doomsayers. Last week, the...

In February, Ford CEO Jim Farley announced the company would make inexpensive iron-based batteries in Marshall, MI. But the batteries would use Chinese technology, igniting criticism. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty

The Electric: Five Proposed Western Gigafactories Are Now Unlikely to Be Built

By Steve LeVine · Dec 14, 2023 4:30am PST

In September, Ford halted construction of a $3.5 billion gigafactory meant to produce the batteries to power 2 million electric vehicles a year, explaining that it was reassessing the economics of the plant. As a result, we lowered our assessment of the Marshall, Mich., plant’s likelihood of being built; in our Gigafactory Database, we listed... In September, Ford halted construction of a $3.5 billion gigafactory meant to produce the...

Arvind Jain, CEO of Glean. Photo by Harry Murphy via Getty Images.

Startup Founded by Ex-Google Search Team Nears $2 Billion Valuation

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 13, 2023 5:04pm PST · 8 comments

Arvind Jain, CEO of Glean. Photo by Harry Murphy via Getty Images.

Startup Founded by Ex-Google Search Team Nears $2 Billion Valuation

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 13, 2023 5:04pm PST · 8 comments

Glean, a startup founded by former Google search engineers that uses OpenAI’s large language models to help workers search through their companies’ internal data, is in talks with investors to raise at least $200 million at a $2 billion pre-money valuation, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Kleiner Perkins,... Glean, a startup founded by former Google search engineers that uses OpenAI’s large...

Etsy's Brooklyn, New York office today. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.

Etsy’s Layoffs Reflect No-Growth Reality

By Martin Peers · Dec 13, 2023 5:00pm PST

When an online shopping site cuts 11% of its staff two weeks before Christmas, you know something’s up. This should be the happiest time of the year for Etsy, an online marketplace that today was promising “Last-minute gifts at every price!” Instead, the firm joined a growing list of businesses laying people off in recent days—including Spotify... When an online shopping site cuts 11% of its staff two weeks before Christmas, you know something...

Serena Kerrigan. Photo by Katie Lovelace.

Creator Economy

The Second Act of Serena F–ing Kerrigan

By Kalley Huang · Dec 13, 2023 2:46pm PST · 1 comment

During the pandemic, Serena Kerrigan livestreamed her dates on Instagram every week, introducing a new prospective mate each time. Over the course of 2020, she dated 50 people. The series, called “Let’s F—ing Date,” won her an audience that now totals 600,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 200,000 on Instagram. In September of that year,... During the pandemic, Serena Kerrigan livestreamed her dates on Instagram every week,...

Partner Content

Recap: What’s Next for Media in 2024

By The Information Partnerships · Dec 13, 2023 12:28pm PST · 1 comment

This past year saw a weak and wobbly ad market. Ad buys are down or are being reallocated. Streaming services are under pressure to turn a profit. And while artificial intelligence is proving to be a boon to the industry, some concerns are arising as new regulations take hold. What’s the outlook for ad media in 2024? Sahil Patel, reporter... This past year saw a weak and wobbly ad market. Ad buys are down or are being reallocated....

Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Etsy Cuts 11% of Headcount as Competition From Shein and Temu Mounts

By Theo Wayt and Ann Gehan · Dec 13, 2023 8:21am PST · 2 comments

Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Etsy Cuts 11% of Headcount as Competition From Shein and Temu Mounts

By Theo Wayt and Ann Gehan · Dec 13, 2023 8:21am PST · 2 comments

Etsy is laying off roughly 11% of its workforce, a spokesperson confirmed, as the e-commerce site that helps small businesses sell handmade goods grapples with a slowdown in consumer spending and increased competition from competitors like Shein and Temu. The cuts will affect roughly 225 employees. Etsy has seen revenue growth slow sharply over... Etsy is laying off roughly 11% of its workforce, a spokesperson confirmed, as the e-commerce site...