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

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Recent Editions

Tome Co-Founder and CEO Keith Peiris. Photo by Getty.

The AI Presentation Startup Losing Its Rose-Colored Glasses; Musk’s GPU Dreams

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 9, 2024 7:00am PDT

Being a startup founder is hard enough. Add to that the unique obstacles facing the generative AI sector—disappointed buyers, slow revenue growth and the high costs of conversational AI—and many AI founders are realizing that it’s not necessarily the land of free-flowing capital and Nvidia chips.Take Tome, the Bay Area startup, which uses AI to... Being a startup founder is hard enough. Add to that the unique obstacles facing the generative AI...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Investors Sitting Out the Latest AI Wave—So Far

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 9, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Paul Madera’s venture capital firm, Meritech Capital, amassed big returns from betting on private companies such as Facebook and Salesforce that helped power previous technological shifts. But Madera has been steering clear of the tech shift that currently promises to transform the world: generative artificial intelligence. Meritech is one... Paul Madera’s venture capital firm, Meritech Capital, amassed big returns from betting on...

David Ellison. Photo by Getty

With Paramount, Ellison Should Be Careful What He Wishes For

By Martin Peers · Apr 8, 2024 5:00pm PDT

David Ellison should be careful what he wishes for. The son of Oracle chair Larry Ellison is reportedly nearing victory in his bid for TV and film company Paramount Global—to be financed with help from his dad—despite competition from Apollo. The last time there was a takeover battle for Paramount was almost exactly 30 years ago, when Sumner... David Ellison should be careful what he wishes for. The son of Oracle chair Larry Ellison is ...

Meta Platforms to Launch Small Versions of Llama 3 Next Week

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 8, 2024 3:33pm PDT

Meta Platforms to Launch Small Versions of Llama 3 Next Week

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 8, 2024 3:33pm PDT

Meta Platforms is planning to launch two small versions of its forthcoming Llama 3 large-language model next week, according to a Meta employee. The models will serve as a precursor to the launch of the biggest version of Llama 3, expected this summer. Release of the two small models will likely help spark excitement for the forthcoming Llama 3,... Meta Platforms is planning to launch two small versions of its forthcoming Llama 3 large-language...

TikTok Launches New Rewards App to Boost Growth

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 8, 2024 12:32pm PDT · 1 comment

TikTok’s growth in Europe has slowed down so much that it’s rolling out a new app that gives people financial incentives to watch its videos. The Chinese-owned company is introducing a new app in Spain, France and other countries that will encourage users to watch videos, invite friends to sign up and perform other actions by... TikTok’s growth in Europe has slowed down so much that it’s rolling out a new app...

Katie Haun, founder of Haun Ventures. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Haun Ventures Buys the Dip in Chainalysis

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 8, 2024 10:59am PDT

Haun Ventures raised $1.5 billion to invest in crypto startups just before the market collapsed and venture deals slowed dramatically. Now, as the crypto market shows signs of a recovery, Haun is getting active—quietly grabbing a stake in one of the industry’s most high-profile survivors at a steep discount to its peak valuation. The... Haun Ventures raised $1.5 billion to invest in crypto startups just before the market collapsed...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple Vision Pro Restrictions Stifle Apps, Some Developers Say

By Wayne Ma · Apr 8, 2024 8:00am PDT · 2 comments

When Apple began developing its Vision Pro headset years ago, the project’s leaders believed its future fortunes hinged on the creativity of app developers outside Apple, just as the iPhone’s success had, said former employees who worked on the project. Increasingly, though, those developers are expressing frustration with the... When Apple began developing its Vision Pro headset years ago, the project’s leaders...

Art by Shane Burke.

Science Fiction Becomes Reality With AI-Powered Mind Reading; The Consequences of the Data Gold Rush

By Jon Victor · Apr 8, 2024 7:30am PDT

Art by Shane Burke.

Science Fiction Becomes Reality With AI-Powered Mind Reading; The Consequences of the Data Gold Rush

By Jon Victor · Apr 8, 2024 7:30am PDT

As tiny chips and artificial intelligence algorithms become more powerful, a possible future where people control computers just by thinking has become more realistic, according to Brian Otis, the cofounder and former chief technology officer of Alphabet’s Verily life-sciences unit. Otis in February joined Precision Neuroscience as chief... As tiny chips and artificial intelligence algorithms become more powerful, a possible future...

Art by Clark Miller. Demis photo via Getty

Google’s Demis Hassabis Chafes Under New AI Push

By Jon Victor · Apr 8, 2024 6:00am PDT · 7 comments

In early March, Google’s top artificial intelligence executive, Demis Hassabis, tried to rally his team’s spirits after a bruising few weeks. Google had just released Gemini, a chatbot powered by technology from Hassabis’ group and Google’s best shot yet at showing it could catch up to OpenAI’s buzzy ChatGPT.... In early March, Google’s top artificial intelligence executive, Demis Hassabis, tried to...

Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai America. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Hyundai’s U.S. CEO Criticizes Rivals for EV Pullback

By Steve LeVine · Apr 8, 2024 4:30am PDT

For three years, General Motors, Ford and other automakers were all elbows, seeking to outdo one another in their commitment to electric vehicles, backed by tens of billions of dollars each in promised spending. But over the last five or so months, most did a U-turn: They had gotten EVs wrong, many said—customers were not lining up for them in... For three years, General Motors, Ford and other automakers were all elbows, seeking to outdo one...

Is AI Killing Media?

By Jessica Lessin · Apr 6, 2024 1:46pm PDT · 1 comment

If there is something that really gets this crew's juices flowing it is, apparently, debating streaming video entertainment! This week's episode features a lively debate about a new trend plus a look at where AI is already disrupting media—and where it probably won't. Enjoy! Apple Spotify If there is something that really gets this crew's juices flowing it is,...

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

By Abram Brown · Apr 6, 2024 7:00am PDT

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

By Abram Brown · Apr 6, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Microsoft’s hiring of Inflection co-founder Mustafa SuleymanHow an LA backwater turned into a hotbed of America-first capitalismThe Top 5: Best summer camps for future tech mogulsPlus: The guy who cost Reddit billions; a blast from Marvel’s past; an incredible shortcut through Robert Caro’s “The... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Microsoft’s hiring of Inflection co-founder...

Art by Clark Miller

Behind the Marriage of Microsoft and Mustafa Suleyman, a Bid for Redemption

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

On March 19, the 70-person staff of Inflection, an artificial intelligence startup that had raised $1.5 billion in less than two years, was summoned to a Hyatt hotel auditorium near the company’s Palo Alto, Calif., offices. Moments before, they’d received some shocking news: Microsoft would pay $650 million to license... On March 19, the 70-person staff of Inflection, an artificial intelligence startup that had...

Art by Clark Miller

The Best Summer Camps for Future Tech Moguls

By Brigid Mander · Apr 6, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

School will be out for the summer before you know it, presenting an annual problem: how to keep kids engaged and challenged during summer vacation—a tall task throughout the year but exponentially harder during the break. That leads to another seasonal predicament: picking the right summer camp. And while summer camp may evoke the image of... School will be out for the summer before you know it, presenting an annual problem: how to keep...

Art by Clark Miller

The Guy Who Cost Reddit $2.8 Billion

By Abram Brown · Apr 6, 2024 5:00am PDT · 2 comments

Reddit’s long-awaited coming-out party is over. After more than doubling to a high of $74.90 in the days after its public debut, the stock is now trading at a still-respectable $47 or so. The man who turned down the music is 35-year-old Andrew Freedman, a partner at Stamford, Conn.–based Hedgeye Risk Management, a investment-research... Reddit’s long-awaited coming-out party is over. After more than doubling to a high of...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.

Meta Shows Strong Defense to FTC’s Antitrust Lawsuit

By Martin Peers · Apr 5, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.

Meta Shows Strong Defense to FTC’s Antitrust Lawsuit

By Martin Peers · Apr 5, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

There is something perverse about the Biden administration’s willingness to ban TikTok even as it is arguing that Meta Platforms, whose Instagram is one of TikTok’s biggest rivals, holds “monopoly power” in social media. That contradiction came to mind when we read Meta’s court filing on Friday, asking a court to toss out the Federal Trade... There is something perverse about the Biden administration’s willingness to ban TikTok even as it...

From left: Josh Kushner, Sam Altman, Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs. Collage: Shane Burke. Photos via Getty

Jony Ive and Sam Altman’s AI Device Startup in Funding Talks With Emerson, Thrive

By Jessica Lessin, Kate Clark and Cory Weinberg · Apr 5, 2024 2:36pm PDT

A mysterious company started by former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to launch an artificial intelligence-powered personal device has started funding talks with some of the biggest names in venture capital. The startup has discussed deals with Emerson Collective and Thrive Capital, a major investor in OpenAI, whose... A mysterious company started by former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to...

Art by Clark Miller. Doricko and Schiller courtesy of S³.

Rockets, God and Peter Thiel: 36 Hours in the Gundo, Tech’s Latest Startup Haven

By Margaux MacColl · Apr 5, 2024 9:00am PDT · 6 comments

Last Wednesday, the hottest invite in El Segundo, Calif., was to a get-together at El Segundo Brewing on Main Street, which sits in the shadow of a sprawling Chevron refinery. Founders Fund hosted the happy hour, gathering some of the startup founders that have recently flocked to El Segundo to make rockets, portable nuclear reactors and lethal... Last Wednesday, the hottest invite in El Segundo, Calif., was to a get-together at El Segundo...

Rubrik CEO Bipul Sinha. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Pro Weekly: Companies Line Up at the IPO Window

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 5, 2024 8:00am PDT

The market for initial public offerings seems to be heating up, and we’ve been updating and enhancing The Information’s Tech IPO Tracker to keep pace. On Monday, data security software firm Rubrik filed its public IPO prospectus, suggesting it will debut on the stock market later this month or in early May. Shopping rewards company Ibotta... The market for initial public offerings seems to be heating up, and we’ve been updating and...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Saudi Arabia Pushes for AI Power With Megafund, Direct Investments

By Kate Clark · Apr 5, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan

Saudi Arabia Pushes for AI Power With Megafund, Direct Investments

By Kate Clark · Apr 5, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

The eyes of Bader Al Mana—deputy chief investment officer at Sanabil, the venture arm of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund—were heavy with jet lag last month as he spoke about his firm’s pursuit of investments in artificial intelligence startups at The Montgomery Summit in Los Angeles. Sanabil is focused on taking... The eyes of Bader Al Mana—deputy chief investment officer at Sanabil, the venture arm of...