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

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Creator Economy

Threads Offers Creators $500 to Post About ‘Positivity’

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 23, 2024 2:07pm PDT

Since Threads’ launch last summer, creators have grumbled to me about the lack of money-making opportunities or clear reasons for them to spend time posting on Instagram’s text-focused sister app. Threads is now trying one obvious route: paying them (a little) to post. Instagram invited some creators this month to join a challenge focused... Since Threads’ launch last summer, creators have grumbled to me about the lack of money-making...

Andy Jassy and four notable vendors Amazon has taken warrants in. Rivian, Hawaiian Airlines, Kohl's and Astera Labs. Photos via Getty Images and Shutterstock.

How Amazon’s Equity-for-Spending Deals Have Evolved

By Abubakar Idris · Apr 23, 2024 10:37am PDT · 1 comment

Amazon must have quite the investment portfolio by now. Thanks to its status as a giant tech conglomerate, Amazon often gets a chance to buy equity in its suppliers at a deep discount. Over the years, it has accumulated interests in companies providing everything from autonomous vehicle technology to air freight, according to public company... Amazon must have quite the investment portfolio by now. Thanks to its status as a giant tech...

Partner Content

Recap: The New Tech IPO Landscape

By The Information Partnerships · Apr 23, 2024 9:10am PDT

With layoffs, shake-ups, and surprising stars, the tech initial public offering market has been volatile lately as it rebounds from a particularly dry period. But will that rebound continue? And when’s the best time for companies to go public? As part of the Private Capital Conference, Jessica Lessin, CEO and founder of The Information,... With layoffs, shake-ups, and surprising stars, the tech initial public offering market has been...

Chart by Shane Burke

AI Investors Turn Their Attention—And Deep Pockets—To Robotics

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 23, 2024 8:15am PDT · 1 comment

Chart by Shane Burke

AI Investors Turn Their Attention—And Deep Pockets—To Robotics

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 23, 2024 8:15am PDT · 1 comment

If you’re anything like me, you may have found your jaw dropping at our scoop this morning that Skild, a young startup building an AI-powered brain for robots, is raising nearly $300 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue Management and other investors at a whopping $1.5 billion valuation despite the fact that it has yet to generate... If you’re anything like me, you may have found your jaw dropping at our scoop this morning that ...

A humanoid robot at an expo in Beijing on April 9. Photo by VCG via Getty Images.

Venture FOMO Hits Robotics, as Young Startup Gets $1.5 Billion Valuation

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Apr 23, 2024 7:49am PDT · 4 comments

Venture investors are paying a hefty premium to back robotics startups harnessing artificial intelligence, hoping one of them can become the robotics version of OpenAI. In the latest example, Skild, a young firm that has been developing software to power various robots including ones with two or four legs, is nearing a deal to raise nearly $300... Venture investors are paying a hefty premium to back robotics startups harnessing artificial...

Photos via Aero Icarus/Flickr and Getty Images.

Shein’s China-U.S. Imports Boost Flexport

By Theo Wayt and Ann Gehan · Apr 23, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

As logistics company Flexport looks to turn itself around after messy executive drama and a broader freight market slump last year, it’s leaning on an increasingly important customer: China-founded fast-fashion giant Shein. As of March, Flexport was arranging two Boeing 747 flights each week filled with goods sold by Shein—known... As logistics company Flexport looks to turn itself around after messy executive drama and a...

Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Tesla Investors Brace for Impact

By Nick Wingfield · Apr 22, 2024 5:00pm PDT

Tesla reports its earnings on Tuesday, and it’s likely to be a doozy. Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker has already told analysts the number of Teslas it sold in the first three months of the year was about 9% lower than for the same period a year earlier. Wall Street analysts are currently expecting a 4% dip in revenue compared to the... Tesla reports its earnings on Tuesday, and it’s likely to be a doozy. Elon Musk’s electric...

Mark Zuckerberg speaking at Meta Connect 2023. Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Meta Platforms Retakes Its Open-Source Lead

By Kalley Huang and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 22, 2024 7:00am PDT

Mark Zuckerberg speaking at Meta Connect 2023. Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Meta Platforms Retakes Its Open-Source Lead

By Kalley Huang and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 22, 2024 7:00am PDT

Meta Platforms made a splash Thursday with the release of Llama 3, the latest version of its popular open-source large language model, though we stole some of the thunder with our scoop earlier this month. Developers have a lot to say about it—most of it good.For the most part, the 8-billion and 70-billion parameter versions of Llama 3... Meta Platforms made a splash Thursday with the release of Llama 3, the latest version of its...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

How Investors Are Using SPVs to Buy Stakes in OpenAI and Anthropic

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Apr 22, 2024 6:00am PDT

To get a slice of hot artificial intelligence startups like OpenAI and Anthropic, investors have been flocking to investment vehicles that pool money from several parties to back just one company. These structures, known as special purpose vehicles, have long been part of Silicon Valley business but have quietly mushroomed as demand for AI... To get a slice of hot artificial intelligence startups like OpenAI and Anthropic, investors have...

Graphite processing in Hegang City, China. Photo: Xie Jianfei/Xinhua/Getty

The Electric: A Driving Range Booster, Silicon May Also Ease China’s Iron Grip

By Steve LeVine · Apr 22, 2024 4:30am PDT

Chinese companies dominate the processing of virtually every metal in an electric vehicle battery and make more batteries and EVs than anyone. But in no area of the battery and EV industries are they more dominant than in the production and processing of graphite, a material used in every commercial EV battery anode on the planet. China produces... Chinese companies dominate the processing of virtually every metal in an electric vehicle battery...

Erich Andersen. Photo via AP.

TikTok General Counsel Plans to Step Down Ahead of High-Stakes Legal Battle with U.S.

By Juro Osawa · Apr 21, 2024 9:18am PDT · 2 comments

Erich Andersen, the general counsel of TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance who has overseen the company’s national security negotiations with the U.S. government, has told other senior TikTok executives that he is planning to step down from his current role. In a note he sent on Sunday morning to TikTok leaders and his own... Erich Andersen, the general counsel of TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance who has...

Marques Brownlee Did the Brave Thing

Marques Brownlee Did the Brave Thing

By Abram Brown · Apr 20, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Marques Brownlee Did the Brave Thing

Marques Brownlee Did the Brave Thing

By Abram Brown · Apr 20, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The other Altman is ready for his close-upWhen a fake hurricane makes for good VC networkingThe Top 5: Best philanthropic advisersPlus: Taylor Swift’s cybersecurity woes; a demented poker game; and the unsung heroes of the sea who keep the internet afloat.Judging by the critical unison about Humane AI and... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The other Altman is ready for his close-upWhen a fake...

Art by Clark Miller

The Very Best Philanthropic Advisers

By Julia Black · Apr 20, 2024 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

So you’ve sold your company, hit it big in crypto or maybe discovered that a long-promised trust fund has more in it than expected. How do you give some of it away? And who can help—especially if you don’t want to go the stuffy old-money route and etch your name onto some hard surface at Harvard? Fortunately, a crop of modern... So you’ve sold your company, hit it big in crypto or maybe discovered that a long-promised...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Venture Capitalists Who Like to Play Disaster

By Margaux MacColl · Apr 20, 2024 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Two weeks ago, things turned dire in Hampton Roads, Va. A hurricane slammed into the main shipyard, one of the country’s most important naval bases, raising questions about the impact of climate change and the future of military contracting in the area. In the disaster’s wake, politicians, union leaders and millionaires rushed to... Two weeks ago, things turned dire in Hampton Roads, Va. A hurricane slammed into the main...

San Francisco from Twin Peaks. Photo by Anadolu via Getty Images.

Big Tech Earnings and TikTok Ban Bill Coming Next Week

By Martin Peers · Apr 19, 2024 2:35pm PDT

Get ready. The tech news cycle is about to go into overdrive. Next week we’ve got March-quarter earnings from Google, Microsoft and Meta Platforms. The first two will be closely watched for what we can glean about how artificial intelligence–powered services are lifting revenues, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is sure to wax eloquent about his... Get ready. The tech news cycle is about to go into overdrive. Next week we’ve got March-quarter...

ByteDance's Singapore office. Photo by Bloomberg.

TikTok Owner ByteDance Elevates Executive Leading AI Development

By Juro Osawa · Apr 19, 2024 11:21am PDT · 1 comment

ByteDance's Singapore office. Photo by Bloomberg.

TikTok Owner ByteDance Elevates Executive Leading AI Development

By Juro Osawa · Apr 19, 2024 11:21am PDT · 1 comment

As TikTok owner ByteDance ramps up its efforts to develop artificial intelligence, the Chinese internet giant recently elevated an executive leading the AI development to report directly to CEO Liang Rubo, according to two employees with direct knowledge of the matter. The decision to put the executive, Zhu Wenjia under Liang’s supervision... As TikTok owner ByteDance ramps up its efforts to develop artificial intelligence, the Chinese...

TikTok’s New App, Tesla’s Sunken Stock, Are Tech Workers Leaving Silicon Valley?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 19, 2024 10:31am PDT · 2 comments

The companies change but the debates stay the same. I was thinking about that during this week's recording of More or Less as we debated the future of Tesla—the technology and car company. Or is it just a car company? That plus, why TikTok launched its new app and a breakdown of some misleading tech worker statistics. Hope you... The companies change but the debates stay the same. I was thinking about that during this...

Partner Content

Recap: Jessica Lessin’s Fireside Chat with Whalar’s Neil Waller

By The Information Partnerships · Apr 19, 2024 10:06am PDT

As the creator economy rises, so do the products and agencies that serve content creators. One such agency is Whalar, one of the fastest-growing creator agencies. As part of the recent Creator Economy Summit, Jessica Lessin, founder and CEO of The Information, sat down for a fireside chat with Neil Waller, co-founder of Whalar, to discuss... As the creator economy rises, so do the products and agencies that serve content creators. One...

Art by Clark Miller. Altman via Getty images.

Jack Altman Is Ready for His Spotlight

By Abram Brown · Apr 19, 2024 9:00am PDT · 3 comments

Few things matter more to Jack Altman than bedtime with the Altman siblings: the two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son he shares with his wife, Julia, who is pregnant with their third child. “Childhood is such a short period. Maybe you get 10 years where your kids want nothing more than to be with you,” he said as we... Few things matter more to Jack Altman than bedtime with the Altman siblings: the...

Pro Weekly: A Less Optimistic Outlook for Big Tech

Pro Weekly: A Less Optimistic Outlook for Big Tech

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 19, 2024 8:00am PDT

Pro Weekly: A Less Optimistic Outlook for Big Tech

Pro Weekly: A Less Optimistic Outlook for Big Tech

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 19, 2024 8:00am PDT

The Information’s readers have cooled on their outlook for the technology sector. In our April survey, 33% of readers said they expect conditions to improve and 17% said they expect conditions to worsen. That’s markedly less optimistic than earlier in the year. In February, those expecting conditions to improve outnumbered those expecting them... The Information’s readers have cooled on their outlook for the technology sector. In our April...