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

Chart by Shane Burke

Creator Economy

Why Influencer Marketing Firms Are For Sale

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 31, 2023 2:03pm PDT

Earlier today, I published a story about a flurry of acquisitions hitting creator economy startups. Some of these deals are wiping out investors or returning very little cash. For instance, when Patreon bought Moment earlier this month, the livestreaming events startup was running low on funds. The deal won’t return much to Moment investors,... Earlier today, I published a story about a flurry of acquisitions hitting creator economy...

Partner Content

Recap: Taking Generative AI Beyond the Demos

By The Information Partnerships · Oct 31, 2023 11:24am PDT

Generative artificial intelligence has exploded this past year. We’ve seen incredibly promising demos—but when scaling to enterprise level, companies often encounter an increased level of uncertainty along with difficulty of implementation. How can organizations harness the power of this new technology while scaling it reliably and... Generative artificial intelligence has exploded this past year. We’ve seen incredibly...

President Joe Biden signs an executive order with Vice President Kamala Harris, right, on Oct. 30, 2023. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.

What Biden’s AI Executive Order Means

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 31, 2023 7:30am PDT

The AI world (and my inbox) was rocked yesterday by President Joe Biden’s long-awaited AI executive order, which covered a wide range of issues, from the use of AI in education to watermarking AI-generated content. (For a summary, check out my colleague Amir Efrati's piece here.)Now that we’ve had 24 hours to marinate on the order, here are some... The AI world (and my inbox) was rocked yesterday by President Joe Biden’s long-awaited AI...

Art by Shane Burke

Fire Sales Sweep the Creator Economy as Startups Struggle

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 31, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Shane Burke

Fire Sales Sweep the Creator Economy as Startups Struggle

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 31, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Fire-sale prices for startups. Investors hung out to dry. Founders pulling the rip cord even when they’ve still got cash left in the bank. The harsh realities facing creator economy startups are getting even harsher, prompting a stampede of founders looking for exits as they struggle to find growth and funding for their businesses. So far... Fire-sale prices for startups. Investors hung out to dry. Founders pulling the rip cord even when...

Elon Musk. Photo via Getty.

What X and Netflix Have in Common

By Martin Peers · Oct 30, 2023 5:00pm PDT

Here’s a question: Is the entertainment value provided by X, formerly known as Twitter, equal to what Netflix offers? Elon Musk wants to charge people roughly the same for an ad-free version of X that they pay for Netflix’s cheapest ad-free tier, around $16 a month. It’s part of his effort to supplement X’s much-diminished ad revenue with... Here’s a question: Is the entertainment value provided by X, formerly known as Twitter, equal to...

Photo via Flip.

Creator Economy

A Social Shopping App Gets Popular Thanks to Costly Referrals

By Ann Gehan · Oct 30, 2023 3:14pm PDT · 1 comment

I’m Ann, and I cover e-commerce and retail for The Information. Lately, I’ve been hearing more about Flip, a TikTok-like shopping app that’s been dominating my conversations with e-commerce founders, as well as my X feed, for the past few weeks—thanks to a costly way of getting new customers. The app, first launched in 2019, offers a... I’m Ann, and I cover e-commerce and retail for The Information. Lately, I’ve been hearing more...

Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Mistral, a Wannabe OpenAI of Europe, Seeks $300 Million

By Kate Clark and Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 30, 2023 12:36pm PDT · 3 comments

Mistral, an artificial intelligence startup founded by former Meta Platforms and Alphabet researchers, plans to raise an additional $300 million from investors just four months after raising $113 million in a seed round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The round is expected to value the... Mistral, an artificial intelligence startup founded by former Meta Platforms and Alphabet...

Jaleh Rezaei, cofounder and CEO at Mutiny, and Sara Hooker, head of Cohere for AI. Photo by Erin Beach.

What You Missed From Our WTF Conference; Biden’s AI Executive Order Unveiled

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 30, 2023 7:35am PDT

Jaleh Rezaei, cofounder and CEO at Mutiny, and Sara Hooker, head of Cohere for AI. Photo by Erin Beach.

What You Missed From Our WTF Conference; Biden’s AI Executive Order Unveiled

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 30, 2023 7:35am PDT

Here’s a simple but smart idea I heard about last week: Ask all your employees to use AI for every possible task for a week and see what tasks it’s useful or not useful for.That suggestion came from Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, at our annual Women in Tech, Media and Finance conference, during a discussion on generative AI... Here’s a simple but smart idea I heard about last week: Ask all your employees to use AI for...

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside the War Between Square and Cash App at Dorsey’s Block

By Mark Matousek · Oct 30, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

As CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey was widely panned for his hands-off style, seen as contributing to the company’s uneven growth and slow-to-evolve culture, which paved the way for last year’s takeover by Elon Musk. Dorsey’s other public company, Block, originally known as Square, has a whole different problem: Its divisions feud... As CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey was widely panned for his hands-off style, seen as contributing to...

Biden praised GM CEO Mary Barra as the country's EV leader, even as the company badly trailed Tesla. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty

The Electric: From Big Auto to Big Oil, a Big Bet on a Long Tail for Combustion

By Steve LeVine · Oct 30, 2023 4:30am PDT

For more than two years, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen have followed a similar script: In just a few years, each company claimed, it would puncture Tesla’s dominance of electric vehicle sales and possibly overtake the industry leader. Now, though, all three have ripped up their talking points—and turned back the clock: In place of more... For more than two years, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen have followed a similar script: In...

One AI Device to Rule Them All

One AI Device to Rule Them All

By Jon Steinberg · Oct 28, 2023 6:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.It’s been 10 years since the movie “Her” introduced us to a queasy future in which a man falls in love with his AI-powered digital assistant. Guess who loved that movie? Yup, Sam Altman, the father of ChatGPT. “The things ‘Her’ got right—like the whole interaction models of how people use AI—that was incredibly... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.It’s been 10 years since the movie “Her” introduced us to a queasy...

WTF speakers Sophia Amoruso, founder of Girlboss; Valerie Capers Workman, chief legal officer, Handshake; Julia B. Chan, editor-in-chief, The 19th; Jessica Lessin, founder, The Information; and artist and entrepreneur Katy Perry. Art by Mike Sullivan. All photos by Erin Beach.

Katy Perry, ChatGPT Vacations and an Enthusiastic Return to Office: Inside The Information’s WTF Conference

By The Information Staff · Oct 28, 2023 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

WTF speakers Sophia Amoruso, founder of Girlboss; Valerie Capers Workman, chief legal officer, Handshake; Julia B. Chan, editor-in-chief, The 19th; Jessica Lessin, founder, The Information; and artist and entrepreneur Katy Perry. Art by Mike Sullivan. All photos by Erin Beach.

WTF: Women in Tech, Media and Finance

Katy Perry, ChatGPT Vacations and an Enthusiastic Return to Office: Inside The Information’s WTF Conference

By The Information Staff · Oct 28, 2023 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

“There’s been 10 years of women that are championing other women,” singer-songwriter Katy Perry said to The Information CEO Jessica Lessin and a crowd of 232 women at The Estate Yountville in Napa Valley, Calif. “The positive of social media is that it took the gatekeeper away.…It’s up to you to become... “There’s been 10 years of women that are championing other women,”...

The Pentagon. Photo via United States Department of Defense.

Tech Loves Big Government (as a Customer)

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 27, 2023 4:30pm PDT · 2 comments

Tech giants usually prefer to avoid Washington politicians and bureaucrats. Congressional hearings, Justice Department lawsuits and Securities and Exchange Commission probes are no fun. But a new generation of tech companies is finding governments are more likely to be customers than adversaries. That’s clear from the under-the-hood... Tech giants usually prefer to avoid Washington politicians and bureaucrats. Congressional...

Sam Bankman-Fried is questioned by his attorney Mark Cohen, left, as Judge Lewis Kaplan looks on from the bench as Bankman-Fried testifies in his trial at Manhattan federal court on Friday. Sketch by Elizabeth Williams via AP.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Testimony Was Always His Only Case

By Aidan Ryan · Oct 27, 2023 3:53pm PDT · 4 comments

Some observers saw Sam Bankman-Fried’s decision to testify in his trial on fraud charges as a Hail Mary pass. But he might not have had any other choice. Bankman-Fried began testifying before the jury Friday morning, the third witness called by his lawyers, following brief appearances by his Bahamas lawyer and an expert witness who... Some observers saw Sam Bankman-Fried’s decision to testify in his trial on fraud charges as...

The New Founder Mindset: The End of the Product-Focused CEO

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 27, 2023 10:24am PDT · 3 comments

People often ask me how being a founder changes how I report on founders. Let me count the ways! I got the chance to discuss some of them as the gang debated the state of founderhood and some prominent founders of the moment. I hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify People often ask me how being a founder changes how I report on founders. Let me count the...

Art by Clark Miller.

Has Continuous Glucose Monitoring Peaked?

By Annie Goldsmith · Oct 27, 2023 10:00am PDT · 5 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

Market Research

Has Continuous Glucose Monitoring Peaked?

By Annie Goldsmith · Oct 27, 2023 10:00am PDT · 5 comments

In November 2020, marketing consultant Sarah Eade Bengard was in St. Barts, mingling at a venture capitalist friend’s beach party, when she noticed something strange. A number of guests had small circular sensors dotting their upper arms. They were continuous glucose monitors, medical devices usually reserved for diabetics who need to... In November 2020, marketing consultant Sarah Eade Bengard was in St. Barts, mingling at a venture...

Pro Weekly: How Our Readers Are Using AI

Pro Weekly: How Our Readers Are Using AI

By Akash Pasricha · Oct 27, 2023 8:00am PDT

The Information’s readers are using artificial intelligence to create voice-overs for TikTok videos, summarize legal documents and maintain their lawns, among other tasks, they say in interviews.In our recent survey of 593 subscribers, almost 90% said they use AI, and two-thirds of that group said they are paying for one or more generative AI... The Information’s readers are using artificial intelligence to create voice-overs for TikTok...

The Ai Pin by Humane will feature a laser projector in place of a screen. Art by Clark Miller

Has Humane Created the Next iPhone—or the Next Google Glass?

By Julia Black · Oct 27, 2023 6:00am PDT · 13 comments

In late September, a stakeholder in Humane received a humbled message from the startup. The Information had just broken the news that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had been secretly meeting with renowned former Apple designer Jony Ive. The duo was dreaming up the “iPhone of artificial intelligence,” according to later reports,... In late September, a stakeholder in Humane received a humbled message from the startup. The...

The Amazon Spheres in Seattle. Photo via Getty.

Amazon Cranks Up Its AI Euphoria

By Nick Wingfield · Oct 26, 2023 5:00pm PDT

Amazon’s artificial intelligence growth is a sight to behold. No, the company didn’t report how much money it’s making from AI, and it probably won’t anytime soon. We’re talking about the expanded use of AI buzzwords in its earnings release. References to Bedrock and CodeWhisperer—two generative AI products from Amazon—rose 67% and 200% in the... Amazon’s artificial intelligence growth is a sight to behold. No, the company didn’t report how...

Erin and Sara Foster. Photo by Erin Beach.

What Creators Can Learn From Kim Kardashian’s Skims

By Kalley Huang · Oct 26, 2023 3:45pm PDT · 1 comment

Erin and Sara Foster. Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy

What Creators Can Learn From Kim Kardashian’s Skims

By Kalley Huang · Oct 26, 2023 3:45pm PDT · 1 comment

It’s Kalley Huang, reporting from The Information’s Women in Tech, Media and Finance Summit in Yountville, Calif. Creators and influencers are increasingly launching their own companies to expand their audiences and to generate revenue beyond sponsorships. But their names aren’t enough to sell offline brands, said Erin and Sara Foster, the... It’s Kalley Huang, reporting from The Information’s Women in Tech, Media and Finance Summit in...