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

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, leaves a meeting in Sen. John Fetterman’s office in the Russell Senate Office building on Thursday. Photo by Getty Images.

Creator Economy

The Slow-Motion TikTok Bill

By Erin Woo · Mar 19, 2024 2:51pm PDT

The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of Representatives last week, the bill’s momentum is slowing in the Senate. It’s too soon to tell whether Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, will bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Even before that, Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell,... The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of...

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Photo via YouTube/Stripe

AI Search Startup Perplexity Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Data

By Stephanie Palazzolo, Jon Victor and Aaron Holmes · Mar 19, 2024 1:11pm PDT · 5 comments

Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence–powered search engine, has become a Silicon Valley startup darling for taking on Google with conversational answers rather than a list of web links. Tech CEOs such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Dell’s Michael Dell have sung the praises of the startup, and it has raised more than $100... Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence–powered search engine, has become a Silicon...

Photos via Adobe Stock.

OpenAI and Apple’s Rude Wake-Up Call

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 19, 2024 7:00am PDT

St. Patrick’s Day didn’t bring OpenAI or Apple much luck. Yesterday’s Bloomberg report that the iPhone maker is in talks to license Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models to power new features for the iPhone was likely a blow to the ego of leaders at OpenAI, not to mention Apple’s own AI teams.It’s not yet clear what kind of valuable... St. Patrick’s Day didn’t bring OpenAI or Apple much luck. Yesterday’s Bloomberg report that the ...

Photo by Getty Images.

Temu Aims to Lessen Reliance on U.S. Shoppers

By Jing Yang · Mar 19, 2024 6:00am PDT

Photo by Getty Images.

Temu Aims to Lessen Reliance on U.S. Shoppers

By Jing Yang · Mar 19, 2024 6:00am PDT

As Chinese shopping site Temu faces mounting hostility toward Chinese companies from U.S. politicians, it is looking to reduce its reliance on the U.S. market. Since it launched in the U.S. less than two years ago, the site, known for its ultralow prices, has caught fire with American shoppers. The U.S. accounted for 60% of total merchandise... As Chinese shopping site Temu faces mounting hostility toward Chinese companies from U.S....

Chris Lehane. Photo by Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images.

Chris Lehane, Tech’s Weather Vane; Google (Finally) Gets Some AI Respect

By Martin Peers · Mar 18, 2024 5:00pm PDT

Chris Lehane is beginning to look like the weather vane of tech. As we scooped today, the Clinton White House veteran is likely to join OpenAI, giving the ChatGPT creator some political muscle. Notably, Lehane is jumping to OpenAI after two years at crypto-focused venture capital firm Haun Ventures, which he joined in January 2022 as the crypto... Chris Lehane is beginning to look like the weather vane of tech. As we scooped today, the Clinton...

From left: Mike Gallagher, Lisa Monaco, Joe Biden and Shou Zi Chew. Photos by Getty

TikTok Spent Years Developing Data Security Plan: Washington Ignored It

By Juro Osawa, Jing Yang and Erin Woo · Mar 18, 2024 12:31pm PDT · 6 comments

In the past couple of years, TikTok has spent $1.5 billion and restructured its operations to appease a federal government committee reviewing national security risks posed by the company’s hugely popular app. TikTok has installed cumbersome internal restrictions on its U.S. operations, requiring a separate data security unit to review... In the past couple of years, TikTok has spent $1.5 billion and restructured its operations to...

Superlinked cofounders Ben Gutkovich and Daniel Svonava. Photo courtesy of Superlinked.

Apple’s Subtle Pitch to AI Researchers; Index Backs Former YouTube AI Manager in Latest ‘Vector Embedding’ Deal

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Wayne Ma · Mar 18, 2024 7:00am PDT

Before we get into this morning’s main funding news, here’s an interesting look into the strategy of Apple, which has caught flack from developers and industry pundits for falling behind Microsoft, Google and Amazon in releasing conversational AI. (That’s likely why it’s in talks with Google to license its generative AI tech for the iPhone,... Before we get into this morning’s main funding news, here’s an interesting look into the strategy...

Chris Lehane. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

Political Veteran Lehane Nearing Deal to Join OpenAI

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 18, 2024 6:25am PDT

Chris Lehane. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

Political Veteran Lehane Nearing Deal to Join OpenAI

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 18, 2024 6:25am PDT

OpenAI, coming off months of controversy, is looking to add more political and public relations muscle. Chris Lehane, the former Airbnb policy chief and a veteran of the Clinton White House, is nearing a deal to join the artificial intelligence startup as a senior executive, according to people familiar with the potential move. OpenAI, coming off months of controversy, is looking to add more political and public relations...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announcing the GPT Store in November. Photo via Getty

OpenAI’s Chatbot App Store Is Off to a Slow Start

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 18, 2024 6:00am PDT · 5 comments

Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by launching an app store. Similar to the way Apple turned the iPhone into a big business for mobile app developers, OpenAI hoped developers would tap into its artificial intelligence to create and sell their own conversational AI apps to ChatGPT customers. ... Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by...

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty

The Electric: In Slashing EV Production, Carmakers Jumped the Gun

By Steve LeVine · Mar 18, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I reported at the time, major automakers said that by 2025 or 2026 they would each be selling dozens of models of electric vehicles each, many of them powered by next-generation batteries that would cut the price of the vehicles, charge fast and take the... In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I...

Art by Clark Miller

An Ode to a Dead Dealmaker

By Abram Brown · Mar 16, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from Hollywood to videogames to Madison Avenue* Foreign trade and fearsome foes!* A guide to acquiring one of Silicon Valley’s favorite fads: a chief of staff* Plus: The VC and surprise SF mayoral front-runner; the TikToker who can explain why AllBirds lost... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from...

Art by Clark Miller

Could a Venture Capitalist in Chief Finally Fix San Francisco’s Toxic Politics?

By Scott Alan Lucas · Mar 16, 2024 5:00am PDT · 2 comments

Art by Clark Miller

Could a Venture Capitalist in Chief Finally Fix San Francisco’s Toxic Politics?

By Scott Alan Lucas · Mar 16, 2024 5:00am PDT · 2 comments

Twice in the last month, Mark Farrell, the Thayer Ventures co-founder, former San Francisco mayor and surprise front-runner in November’s mayoral race, has found himself confronting a familiar scene: thieves pilfering items from his local Walgreens as he shopped, undeterred by the shop’s protective shielding around its goods. ... Twice in the last month, Mark Farrell, the Thayer Ventures co-founder, former San Francisco mayor...

Art by Clark Miller

How to Hire—and Deploy—a Great Chief of Staff

By Diane Harris · Mar 16, 2024 5:00am PDT · 13 comments

After filling a cap table with prestige names and an Atherton basement with Screaming Eagle, what does a busy mogul on the rise acquire next? Increasingly these days, a chief of staff. Long a staple in government and the military, the chief of staff role has lately become a faddish fixture in the private sector, too, particularly in Silicon... After filling a cap table with prestige names and an Atherton basement with Screaming Eagle, what...

Photo via Shutterstock

Apple Settles Shareholder Suit on Cook Comments

By Martin Peers · Mar 15, 2024 3:31pm PDT · 1 comment

Let’s talk about something other than TikTok. How about the fact that Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a years-old shareholder lawsuit alleging that CEO Tim Cook misled investors in comments he made on an earnings call in late 2018? It’s not every day you see the iPhone maker settling a lawsuit rather than fighting to the bitter... Let’s talk about something other than TikTok. How about the fact that Apple has agreed to pay...

Hartz and Minds and TikTok w/ Special Guest Julia Hartz

By Jessica Lessin · Mar 15, 2024 10:12am PDT

There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz posed a question that stuck with me. How do we help our kids manage smartphones when we, as adults, don't have a handle on our usage? It prompted an interesting discussion that framed this episode. I hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify YouTube... There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia...

Art by Clark Miller

The Sora Saga Has Only Just Started

By Margaux MacColl · Mar 15, 2024 9:00am PDT · 4 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The Sora Saga Has Only Just Started

By Margaux MacColl · Mar 15, 2024 9:00am PDT · 4 comments

A month ago, Greg Pilon, a 44-year-old visual effects artist on such films as “Deadpool 2,” thought he heard the tick-tock of a doomsday clock for his industry. What set the gears in motion? His initial glimpse of Sora, OpenAI’s new text-to-video artificial intelligence tool, unveiled by CEO Sam Altman. In a 10-minute demo... A month ago, Greg Pilon, a 44-year-old visual effects artist on such films as “Deadpool...

Photo by Getty Images

Pro Weekly: Tighter Reins on Cloud Spending—Except for AI

By Akash Pasricha and Anissa Gardizy · Mar 15, 2024 8:00am PDT

We’ve updated our estimates for several of the biggest spenders in our Cloud Database. The changes show that some companies are trying to hold the line on cloud bills—except when it comes to spending on artificial intelligence. The most significant update in the database is all about AI. ChatGPT developer OpenAI projected last year that it... We’ve updated our estimates for several of the biggest spenders in our Cloud Database. The...

Art by Clark Miller

Microsoft Security Breaches Rile U.S. Government Customers

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 15, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Microsoft became the world’s biggest seller of cybersecurity software by bundling it with Office and Teams apps. But after a series of hacks exploited that software in the past year, several of Microsoft’s biggest customers are considering whether their reliance on Microsoft’s software bundle puts their security at risk. The... Microsoft became the world’s biggest seller of cybersecurity software by bundling it with...

The SpaceX Starship stands on the launch pad ahead of its third flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on Tuesday. Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images.

Musk’s Rocket Ship Takes Flight as Do Mnuchin’s TikTok Ambitions

By Martin Peers · Mar 14, 2024 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Let’s start with some good news: today’s successful rocket launch by Elon Musk’s SpaceX (cool video here). This was the third flight test of SpaceX’s Starship, the enormous new rocket the company is building to launch second-generation Starlink internet satellites, among other things. The test lasted an hour (for more details, see here). It was... Let’s start with some good news: today’s successful rocket launch by Elon Musk’s SpaceX (cool ...

Camila Cabello for Olipop. Photos via TikTok/YouTube Shorts.

The Influencers Behind Olipop’s Rise; a Potential Bidder for TikTok

By Ann Gehan · Mar 14, 2024 3:27pm PDT

Camila Cabello for Olipop. Photos via TikTok/YouTube Shorts.

Creator Economy

The Influencers Behind Olipop’s Rise; a Potential Bidder for TikTok

By Ann Gehan · Mar 14, 2024 3:27pm PDT

If you’ve started seeing more trendy drink brands popping up on your social media feeds recently, that’s by design. Upstart beverage makers like Olipop, which says its carbonated drinks can help improve digestion and gut health, have been increasing their reach through influencers on TikTok and other apps. In early 2022, the brand... If you’ve started seeing more trendy drink brands popping up on your social media feeds recently,...