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

Photo by Getty.

Amazon Reaches Deal to Run Shopping Ads on Snap

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Theo Wayt · Nov 13, 2023 7:06pm PST

Amazon has reached a deal with Snap that will let people buy Amazon products directly from ads on the Snapchat app, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed. The previously unreported arrangement closely resembles an ad partnership announced last week between Amazon and Meta Platforms, which lets people buy products through Amazon ads on Instagram and... Amazon has reached a deal with Snap that will let people buy Amazon products directly from ads on...

Photo via Shutterstock

What Investors Are Getting Wrong About Apple and Microsoft

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

Today’s tech stock market is no country for unthinking investors. A bunch of stocks—among them Alphabet and Amazon—have gone nowhere amid the market gyrations of the past two years, while others such as Apple have seen OK but not great performance. That adjective can really only be applied to Nvidia, which has soared this year thanks to its... Today’s tech stock market is no country for unthinking investors. A bunch of stocks—among them...

Photo by NurPhoto via Getty.

Creator Economy

The Debate Over Teen Fitness Content on Instagram

By Kalley Huang · Nov 13, 2023 3:25pm PST · 2 comments

It’s Kalley again. On Friday, my colleague Sylvia and I reported on ongoing challenges at Meta Platforms over how to limit content that’s risky to young people. A centerpiece of the debate over youth safety and well-being is what sort of content Meta should limit on Instagram, Facebook and its other apps, and what the company should... It’s Kalley again. On Friday, my colleague Sylvia and I reported on ongoing challenges at Meta...

YouTube cofounder, Chad Hurley, in October 2014. Photo by David Buchan/Getty.

YouTube Co-Founder Hurley’s Stealth AI Startup Raises Money from A-Star Capital, Ron Conway

By Kate Clark and Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 13, 2023 2:00pm PST · 1 comment

YouTube cofounder, Chad Hurley, in October 2014. Photo by David Buchan/Getty.

YouTube Co-Founder Hurley’s Stealth AI Startup Raises Money from A-Star Capital, Ron Conway

By Kate Clark and Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 13, 2023 2:00pm PST · 1 comment

Eighteen years after co-founding YouTube, Chad Hurley is back with a new startup, EyeTell, which uses artificial intelligence to generate short-form video scripts and content, according to two people familiar with the matter. The five-month-old startup has raised a seed round led by Kevin Hartz’s A-Star Capital with an investment from Ron... Eighteen years after co-founding YouTube, Chad Hurley is back with a new startup, EyeTell, which...

Henrique Dubugras, founder and co-CEO of Brex. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Brex’s Quarterly Revenue Growth Slows to 1%, Following Post-SVB Growth Spurt

By Mark Matousek · Nov 13, 2023 12:09pm PST

Almost no startup benefited more from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank than Brex, which saw a surge in deposits from young companies who use its credit card and cash management products. But that growth spurt has petered out in recent months, internal data reveal, putting more pressure on the company to ramp up its expense software... Almost no startup benefited more from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank than Brex, which saw a...

From left to right: Ross Weiner, Brandon Hightower and Alan Bressers. Photo courtesy of AXOM Partners.

The AI Talent Wars Heat Up; The Bankers Banking on AI Deals

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 13, 2023 7:00am PST

After reading my colleague Jon Victor’s piece Friday morning, I called up my 16-year-old brother to give him some career advice: Become an AI researcher.As Jon’s piece details, the market for AI talent is heating up, with recruiters from top companies like OpenAI and Google dangling lucrative compensation packages in front of AI researchers.... After reading my colleague Jon Victor’s piece Friday morning, I called up my 16-year-old brother...

Art by Midjourney/Mike Sullivan

Startups’ Annus Horribilis—and What Comes Next

By Kate Clark · Nov 13, 2023 6:00am PST · 1 comment

If 2022 was a year of shock and denial for tech founders and investors as stocks collapsed, 2023 was a year of acceptance of their harsh new reality. Startups slashed headcount. Founders swallowed their pride and accepted ego-shattering down rounds just to survive. Venture capitalists cut ambitious targets for the size of their next funds and... If 2022 was a year of shock and denial for tech founders and investors as stocks collapsed, 2023...

Ijaz, at company headquarters. Photo: Courtesy ONE

The Electric: Raising $1 Billion to Make Batteries in the U.S.—An Afternoon With Our Next Energy CEO Mujeeb Ijaz

By Steve LeVine · Nov 13, 2023 4:30am PST

Ijaz, at company headquarters. Photo: Courtesy ONE

The Electric: Raising $1 Billion to Make Batteries in the U.S.—An Afternoon With Our Next Energy CEO Mujeeb Ijaz

By Steve LeVine · Nov 13, 2023 4:30am PST

In the 2000s, Mujeeb Ijaz—managing a team that made experimental electric vehicles for Ford—designed a sedan that would operate on two batteries rather than just one, like most EVs even today. One battery would be conventional lithium-ion, and the other a hydrogen fuel cell. The magic of the approach was that the car—a Ford Focus—could deliver... In the 2000s, Mujeeb Ijaz—managing a team that made experimental electric vehicles for Ford—...

Tech Rolls Out the Red Carpet

Tech Rolls Out the Red Carpet

By Jon Steinberg · Nov 11, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Today marks the opening of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperative Summit in San Francisco, which is basically NBA All-Star weekend for government people. For the next seven days, our one-name tech leaders (Sam, Elon, Marc, Sundar) will play unofficial hosts to their lawmaking counterparts from around the globe (Joe,... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Today marks the opening of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperative...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Tech Evangelist Who Lives Life According to the Tides

By Margaux MacColl · Nov 11, 2023 6:00am PST · 4 comments

Adventurer: Guy Kawasaki Escapades: Hockey with his sons, surfing the shores of Santa Cruz, India and Australia The tides rule Guy Kawasaki’s life. “I almost called you up today to postpone this interview to go surf,” he laughed during a recent call from his home in Santa Cruz, Calif. “All my meetings, interviews, podcast... Adventurer: Guy Kawasaki Escapades: Hockey with his sons, surfing the shores of Santa Cruz, India...

Photo via Shutterstock.

How Stock Comp Dampens Tech Returns

By Martin Peers · Nov 10, 2023 3:30pm PST · 4 comments

It’s been a good week for shareholders in Uber, the ride-hailing giant, which reported solid third-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Investors seemed to have anticipated the report: The stock had been rallying for a couple of weeks. By the time the market closed on Friday, Uber was at $51.58, up 27% since late October and at its highest point since... It’s been a good week for shareholders in Uber, the ride-hailing giant, which reported solid...

Your GPT Will Make More Money Than Your Substack? Please Tell Us More…

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 10, 2023 12:58pm PST

Your GPT Will Make More Money Than Your Substack? Please Tell Us More…

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 10, 2023 12:58pm PST

So, have you built your GPT yet? What are you going to try first? It will not surprise you that the More or Less gang was brimming with ideas about OpenAI's lastest demos and what they mean for the AI arms race. Some of us had some skeptism, of course. Still, a big week, and we had a lot of fun unpacking it and sharing the pop culture... So, have you built your GPT yet? What are you going to try first? It will not surprise you that...

Arturo Bejar, former Instagram consultant, is sworn in during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. Photo by Stephanie Scarbrough via AP.

Meta’s VR Age Change Prompted Concern About Risks

By Kalley Huang and Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Nov 10, 2023 12:30pm PST · 5 comments

Before Meta Platforms decided in June to lower the minimum age for usage of some Quest virtual headsets to 10 from 13, employees had warned that the move increased the risk that children would see content on the app store meant for older people, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The issue was part of a broader debate inside Meta... Before Meta Platforms decided in June to lower the minimum age for usage of some Quest virtual...

“We have a good story to tell,” said Airbnb communications and policy chief Jay Carney, a former White House press secretary.

Airbnb Needed a New Story—It Found a Narrator from the West Wing

By Margaux MacColl · Nov 10, 2023 11:00am PST · 1 comment

It’s been a rough two years of headlines for Airbnb: hosts sneaking guests in through freight elevators, massive spiders hiding in the ceiling, tens of thousands of complaints about the platform’s ever-increasing fees. And that’s not even including the company’s legal issues, like New York’s recent crackdown on the... It’s been a rough two years of headlines for Airbnb: hosts sneaking guests in through...

Left to right: Meredith Mazzilli, Alison Levin, Val Kaplan, and Courtney Larson. Photo by Erin Beach for The Information.

Partner Content

WTF Recap: Marketing and Successful Audience Engagement

By The Information Partnerships · Nov 10, 2023 10:25am PST

There’s audience engagement, and then there’s fandom—people who connect passionately with a brand. But how do companies create breakthrough experiences and stories to reach them? Meredith Mazzilli, editor at The Information, facilitated a discussion with three marketers with deep expertise in this arena: Alison Levin, vice... There’s audience engagement, and then there’s fandom—people who connect...

Left to right: Erin Woo, Christin Klein, Kellie Sweet, and Angelique Gillmer. Photo by Erin Beach for The Information.

WTF Recap: How to Stay Relevant With Gen Z

By The Information Partnerships · Nov 10, 2023 9:55am PST

Left to right: Erin Woo, Christin Klein, Kellie Sweet, and Angelique Gillmer. Photo by Erin Beach for The Information.

Partner Content

WTF Recap: How to Stay Relevant With Gen Z

By The Information Partnerships · Nov 10, 2023 9:55am PST

Gen Z, ages 13 through 26, has been the force behind fashion trends and political movements. Most can’t recall a time before smartphones. They’ve lived their entire lives connected digitally. What’s more, they are highly suspicious of traditional marketing tactics. Instead, they embrace YouTube and Snapchat. So how do brands... Gen Z, ages 13 through 26, has been the force behind fashion trends and political movements. Most...

Art by Clark Miller

The Surprise Fanatics for Meta’s VR Headset? Your Mom’s Facebook Friends

By Pranav Dixit · Nov 10, 2023 9:00am PST · 4 comments

Karla Mellinger doesn’t care about the metaverse. “It’s silly,” said the 62-year-old from Spokane, Wash., who works as a credit manager at a company that manufactures steel studs used in construction. “The whole thing is just silly.” And yet, five days a week, Mellinger straps on a Meta Quest 2 virtual reality... Karla Mellinger doesn’t care about the metaverse. “It’s silly,” said the...

Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic. Photo via Getty.

Pro Weekly: AI Pushes Cloud Vendors to New Heights

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 10, 2023 8:00am PST

Running a big cloud-hosting service is a good business. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it’s getting even better. This week, we made two big additions to our Cloud Database: OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI is spending more than $400 million per year on Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing service, according to The Information’s reporting. In... Running a big cloud-hosting service is a good business. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it’s...

Google's AI chief Demis Hassabis, left, and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, right. Photos by Getty

OpenAI’s New Weapon in Talent War With Google: $10 Million Pay Packages for Researchers

By Jon Victor · Nov 10, 2023 6:00am PST

The recruiting fight between OpenAI and Google is growing fiercer. As OpenAI proceeds with an employee share sale that would nearly triple the startup’s valuation to more than $80 billion, its recruiters are courting top artificial intelligence employees at Google with millions of dollars and a message: Join us now to lock in a stock... The recruiting fight between OpenAI and Google is growing fiercer. As OpenAI proceeds with an...

Photo via Shutterstock

SoftBank and the Real Tragedy of WeWork

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 9, 2023 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

Photo via Shutterstock

SoftBank and the Real Tragedy of WeWork

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 9, 2023 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

It was an all-hands speech that would have fit with 2023’s cost-conscious corporate dogma: A tech founder urged his employees to check if the lights were turned off when they were leaving the offices, telling them, “The universe does not allow waste.” That was Adam Neumann talking to WeWork employees in 2016, a year before SoftBank began... It was an all-hands speech that would have fit with 2023’s cost-conscious corporate dogma: A tech...