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

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Anthropic Hikes 2026 Revenue Forecast 20% but Delays When It Will Go Cash Flow Positive

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 27, 2026 5:15pm PST · 4 comments

Anthropic has hiked its revenue forecasts for the next several years, projecting that sales will quadruple this year to as much as $18 billion and will hit $55 billion next year. It is aiming to shrink the revenue gap with OpenAI, its older archrival. The revenue projections, which haven’t previously been reported, are significantly higher than... Anthropic has hiked its revenue forecasts for the next several years, projecting that sales will...

Shutterstock.

Amazon’s Fresh Dream Expires

By Martin Peers · Jan 27, 2026 5:00pm PST

It’s a good thing Jeff Bezos started Amazon as an internet-based retailer. He might never have made it as a traditional shopkeeper! Amazon on Tuesday said it would shutter its chain of Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go grocery stores, closing a chapter in its fitful efforts to expand in physical stores. Amazon still owns the Whole Foods chain it bought... It’s a good thing Jeff Bezos started Amazon as an internet-based retailer. He might never have...

PE Pins Hopes on Cluster of Software IPOs

PE Pins Hopes on Cluster of Software IPOs

By Valida Pau · Jan 27, 2026 3:28pm PST

As I wrote earlier today, private equity firms are sitting on a backlog of software companies they bought during the buyout frenzy of 2021 and 2022 that they hope to take public or sell. One reason they can’t cash out is that the initial public offering market has not been receptive to new PE-backed software listings. The value of all... As I wrote earlier today, private equity firms are sitting on a backlog of software companies...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei via Getty

Anthropic and JPMorgan Seem to Agree That AI Isn’t Eating Enterprise Apps Yet

By Amir Efrati and Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 27, 2026 11:37am PST

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei via Getty

Anthropic and JPMorgan Seem to Agree That AI Isn’t Eating Enterprise Apps Yet

By Amir Efrati and Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 27, 2026 11:37am PST

AI has been a frequent bogeyman to software stocks in the past year, with investors worried that AI agents could erode seat-based subscription pricing models and long-term growth. Shares of big incumbents such as Salesforce, Workday, Hubspot, ServiceNow and Adobe are down anywhere from 29% to 58% in that time frame, prompting some analysts... AI has been a frequent bogeyman to software stocks in the past year, with investors worried that...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI One-Ups Anthropic with New Whistleblower Policy

By Rocket Drew · Jan 27, 2026 9:19am PST

OpenAI recently updated its policy for handling whistleblower complaints, following concerns about AI startups ignoring what are standard rules applying to all companies. It follows similar steps from Anthropic and could pressure other AI companies to follow suit. Federal government rules mandate that companies cannot retaliate against... OpenAI recently updated its policy for handling whistleblower complaints, following concerns...

Art by Mike Sullivan

AI Clogs Exits for PE-Backed Software Firms

By Valida Pau · Jan 27, 2026 6:00am PST

Private equity firms are struggling to sell the software companies they acquired in a buying frenzy in 2021 and 2022, even though they enjoyed a rebound in sales for such companies last year. The lack of deals could force more PE firms to sell their holdings at a lower price, or even at a discount to the original deal price. Sales did pick up... Private equity firms are struggling to sell the software companies they acquired in a buying...

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. Kyle Grillot/Getty Images.

Social Media’s Reckoning

By Erin Woo · Jan 26, 2026 5:00pm PST

Jury selection kicks off in Los Angeles tomorrow for a trial that both friends and foes of social media are saying could be existential for the social media industry—broadly defined to include Google’s YouTube as well as Meta Platforms and TikTok. The trial centers on a 20-year-old girl from Chico, Calif. who says her social media addiction led... Jury selection kicks off in Los Angeles tomorrow for a trial that both friends and foes of social...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Five Takeaways From ‘Data Center Davos’

By Anissa Gardizy · Jan 26, 2026 8:00am PST · 1 comment

Art by Mike Sullivan

AI Infrastructure

Five Takeaways From ‘Data Center Davos’

By Anissa Gardizy · Jan 26, 2026 8:00am PST · 1 comment

Last week, the data center industry migrated temporarily to Hawaii for the Pacific Telecommunications Council conference. The event—like Davos except warmer—is typically where deal talks in the data center business begin and the priorities for the year are set. The sector’s power brokers are coming off a wild 12 months, bookended by the... Last week, the data center industry migrated temporarily to Hawaii for the Pacific...

Sam Altman. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Why OpenAI Is Doubling Down on Enterprises

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 26, 2026 7:00am PST

The circular funding party continues! This morning, Nvidia announced that it’s invested $2 billion into cloud provider CoreWeave, who said it’ll use that capital to build more than five gigawatts in AI data center capacity by 2030. CoreWeave also said that it’ll be an early adopter of Nvidia products like its AI chips and software. This is just... The circular funding party continues! This morning, Nvidia announced that it’s invested $2...

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

OpenAI Seeks Premium Prices in Early Ads Push

By Ann Gehan and Catherine Perloff · Jan 26, 2026 6:00am PST · 1 comment

In its initial rollout of ads, OpenAI is charging prices that rival those for coveted video programs like the NFL, and well above what rivals such as Meta Platforms’ social media apps charge. But unlike Meta or Google, OpenAI won’t be providing detailed information about the query responses accompanying their ads or whether ads prompted ChatGPT... In its initial rollout of ads, OpenAI is charging prices that rival those for coveted video...

U.S. battery startups are finding eager manufacturing capacity in China. Photo: Lin Xin/VCG/Getty

The Electric: Idle Chinese Plants Are Inviting Business With U.S. Battery Startups

By Steve LeVine · Jan 26, 2026 4:30am PST

A free-for-all of factory expansion among China’s battery manufacturers has left more than 40% of the country’s battery plants idle. That has presented a prime opportunity for a nascent wave of Western startups to capitalize on the Chinese battery makers’ misery. A free-for-all of factory expansion among China’s battery manufacturers has left more than 40% of...

Mark Zuckerberg. Getty Images

This Week’s Tech Earnings: Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Tesla

By Martin Peers · Jan 25, 2026 3:00pm PST

Mark Zuckerberg. Getty Images

This Week’s Tech Earnings: Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Tesla

By Martin Peers · Jan 25, 2026 3:00pm PST

Clear your schedule on Wednesday afternoon. Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Tesla are each reporting their December-quarter earnings after the market closes that day. Tesla is its own thing—we have a sense of what’s coming because it already released vehicle delivery numbers, signaling that revenue will drop. But Microsoft and Meta will be... Clear your schedule on Wednesday afternoon. Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Tesla are each...

Charts by Shane Burke

Sunday Insights

Behind the Sky-High Valuation of China’s AI IPOs

By Jing Yang and Qianer Liu · Jan 25, 2026 8:00am PST

China is letting AI and semiconductor startups go public at a furious pace. Since December, two developers of large language models and four designers of graphics processing units have listed on stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai, raising a total of over $4 billion. At least two more are in the pipeline. Kunlunxin, the chip arm of Baidu,... China is letting AI and semiconductor startups go public at a furious pace. Since December, two...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar.

OpenAI Aims to Lure Businesses From Anthropic

By Kevin McLaughlin and Sri Muppidi · Jan 24, 2026 8:00am PST · 4 comments

Some of OpenAI’s most attention-grabbing efforts over the past year have involved products for consumers, from a social app to an AI-powered device it plans to announce later this year. Last week, though, the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, gathered Disney CEO Bob Iger and other corporate executives in San Francisco to deliver a message: OpenAI is... Some of OpenAI’s most attention-grabbing efforts over the past year have involved products for...

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI’s Chaos Energy

By Abram Brown · Jan 24, 2026 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Greg and Anna Brockman became MAGA’s newest megadonors • The Takeway: When a Davos trip presents a chance to test AI’s limits • The Top 5: The moguls went to Davos—then we went shopping • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Articles of Interest,” “I... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Greg and Anna Brockman became MAGA’s...

Art by Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

A Tech Mogul’s Guide to Winter Fashion, Davos-Style

By Esther Achara · Jan 24, 2026 6:01am PST · 3 comments

Art by Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

A Tech Mogul’s Guide to Winter Fashion, Davos-Style

By Esther Achara · Jan 24, 2026 6:01am PST · 3 comments

Tackling global dilemmas is what the World Economic Forum does best, and keen observers of the happenings at Davos, Switzerland, can definitely glean a sense of where the world might be heading. It’s also not a bad place to pick up a sense of mogul-appropriate winter wear. “Dressing for Davos isn’t easy,” admitted Victoria Hitchcock, a Silicon... Tackling global dilemmas is what the World Economic Forum does best, and keen observers of the...

Art by Clark Miller

I Let AI Analyze My Davos Reporting Trip. Here’s What It Missed

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 24, 2026 6:00am PST · 18 comments

Earlier this week, I found myself with time to kill in an airport lounge ahead of my flight back to San Francisco from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. So I did what any bleary-eyed tech editor who felt totally wiped out from dozens of interviews and events would do: I parked myself in an oversize lounge chair, booted up the... Earlier this week, I found myself with time to kill in an airport lounge ahead of my flight back...

Art by Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

How Greg and Anna Brockman Became MAGA Megadonors

By Jemima McEvoy, Stephanie Palazzolo and Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jan 23, 2026 11:07am PST · 2 comments

In November, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder, and his wife, Anna, enjoyed a glitzy night out in Washington: a White House state dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Brockmans were among a broad contingent of tech elite in attendance at the fete, hosted by President Donald Trump. Soon after the event, the... In November, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder, and his wife, Anna, enjoyed a...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Crypto Exchanges Want to Trade U.S. Stocks Everywhere

By Yueqi Yang · Jan 23, 2026 10:00am PST

Some of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges are racing to let their customers trade crypto tokens that seek to track U.S. stocks, creating a parallel market that’s beyond the reach of U.S. regulators. Binance is exploring reintroducing stock tokens on its exchange after having removed them in 2021, according to a person familiar with the plan.... Some of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges are racing to let their customers trade crypto...

How Meta Is Reshaping Its Organization for an AI Computing Blitz

By Jyoti Mann · Jan 23, 2026 6:00am PST

How Meta Is Reshaping Its Organization for an AI Computing Blitz

By Jyoti Mann · Jan 23, 2026 6:00am PST

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expanded his direct reports to include the two co-heads of the company’s newly created Meta Compute team, signaling the importance of the new effort to manage Meta’s AI computing capacity needs. Zuckerberg announced Meta Compute in mid-January, declaring it a new “top-level initiative” that will be central... Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expanded his direct reports to include the two co-heads of...