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

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AWS Accelerates Internal AI Agents Following Staff Cuts

By Kevin McLaughlin · Mar 24, 2026 6:00am PDT

Amazon Web Services is developing AI to automate functions in its sales, business development and other groups where it recently laid off hundreds of employees or even more. For instance, AWS has been developing an AI agent that helps its sales employees provide customers with fast answers to technical questions, according to two people who have... Amazon Web Services is developing AI to automate functions in its sales, business development and...

Zhang Weiguo/VCG/Getty Images.

Google’s Gemini Steals a March on OpenAI

By Martin Peers · Mar 23, 2026 5:00pm PDT

When invading a hostile territory or testing a new AI service, it’s best to move quietly and steal a march on your opponents. Google appears to have learned that lesson. It’s now possible, if you’ve got its latest Pixel or Samsung phones, to ask the Gemini app to order an Uber or a meal on DoorDash. I tried it today and it worked flawlessly, if... When invading a hostile territory or testing a new AI service, it’s best to move quietly and...

Nvidia's GTC conference earlier this week. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images.

Nvidia’s New Server Rack Will Run AI Chips Made by Rivals

By Qianer Liu · Mar 23, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

Nvidia faces growing competition in the AI chip market. But the chip designer has found a way to make money even from its rivals’ chips. During its annual GTC developer conference last week, the company unveiled a new server rack designed to run chips made either by Nvidia or by its rivals. The new racks include networking technology that... Nvidia faces growing competition in the AI chip market. But the chip designer has found a way to...

Art via Getty Images

Claude Code and Codex Are Outpacing Cursor Among Notion's Engineers

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 23, 2026 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Art via Getty Images

Claude Code and Codex Are Outpacing Cursor Among Notion's Engineers

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 23, 2026 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Software engineers embracing the AI coding revolution don’t have much loyalty to any particular coding tool, especially when a new, better one comes out. In the latest example of that, the growth of Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex is outpacing that of Cursor among hundreds of engineers at Notion, a maker of popular... Software engineers embracing the AI coding revolution don’t have much loyalty to any particular...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

OpenAI’s Shopping U-Turn Could Complicate Enterprise Playbook

By Ann Gehan · Mar 23, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

OpenAI’s abrupt shopping pullback earlier this month didn’t just raise questions about its decision-making. It also affected several commerce and payments firms, including PayPal and Etsy, that have put in work to help the ChatGPT maker expand the high-profile shopping venture and are now in limbo as it sorts out what’s next. And in the case of... OpenAI’s abrupt shopping pullback earlier this month didn’t just raise questions about its...

Jeff Dahn in his Dalhousie University lab. Photo: Courtesy Dalhousie

The Electric: This Tesla Adviser's Batteries Could Last for Centuries

By Steve LeVine · Mar 23, 2026 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

What if batteries lasted forever? What if batteries lasted forever?

Joan Cros/Getty Images.

Stock Comp and Software’s Illusory Profits

By Martin Peers · Mar 22, 2026 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Memo to software executives: Now is the time to radically reduce the amount of stock you give employees. That would win you some favor with investors, who’ve generally gone off your sector thanks to worries about the threat posed by AI. Even if those concerns are overblown, cutting costs in the face of a major disruption is a smart idea.It’s no... Memo to software executives: Now is the time to radically reduce the amount of stock you give...

Data Center Deals Puncture Tech’s M&A Slump

By Valida Pau · Mar 22, 2026 8:06am PDT · 1 comment

Sunday Insights

Data Center Deals Puncture Tech’s M&A Slump

By Valida Pau · Mar 22, 2026 8:06am PDT · 1 comment

This year hasn’t lived up to the high expectations of the bankers and lawyers that advise tech companies on acquisitions. One major culprit is fear of AI-driven irrelevance, which has paralyzed corporate CEOs, according to some bankers and lawyers gathered in New Orleans for the annual Tulane Corporate Law Institute conference. “I have a lot of... This year hasn’t lived up to the high expectations of the bankers and lawyers that advise tech...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI’s First Advertisers Can’t Prove ChatGPT Ads Work

By Catherine Perloff · Mar 21, 2026 9:00am PDT · 3 comments

As OpenAI prepares to open up ad sales to more marketers next month, it is trying to address what some advertisers say was lacking in the initial ad sales offering. Among other things, the ChatGPT creator is planning to streamline the process of ad buying, either in partnerships with ad tech firms or with its own ad management system. So far,... As OpenAI prepares to open up ad sales to more marketers next month, it is trying to address what...

Illustration: Clark Miller

AI’s Enthusiasm Chasm

By Abram Brown · Mar 21, 2026 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A rising star at Microsoft has a challenging new job• Defense Tech: Anduril’s big bet? An Ohio weapons factory • Tech Culture: Fat with funding, AI startups binge on private parties• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Blood Will Tell”; “The Complex” and “This Is Where... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: A rising star at Microsoft has a...

Illustration: Clark Miller

Compute Costs? No, Caviar and Cocktails: In the Bay Area, AI Splurges on Private Parties

By Eli Rosenberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:47am PDT · 2 comments

Around the time last fall that Vercel tripled its valuation to $9 billion, the startup decided to throw a swank dinner party. It was a chance for Malte Ubl, the company’s chief technology officer, to talk shop and discuss the fast-changing landscape with a dozen so other Silicon Valley executives—and an opportunity for Vercel, a... Around the time last fall that Vercel tripled its valuation to $9 billion, the startup decided to...

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside Anduril’s Big Gamble: An Ohio Weapons Factory

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside Anduril’s Big Gamble: An Ohio Weapons Factory

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Just past the soybean farms in Pickaway County, Ohio, stands a flat-roofed building clad in blue and gray panels, with John Deere tractors near the entrance and hard hat–wearing construction workers busily laying pipes in the ground. The 866,000-square-foot factory isn’t much to behold—it looks like any of the many humble industrial... Just past the soybean farms in Pickaway County, Ohio, stands a flat-roofed building clad in blue...

Art by Clark Miller

Apple Acquisition Talks, Fraud Accusations: Behind One App Startup’s Nasty Split

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 21, 2026 5:00am PDT

Last summer, Apple held talks to acquire Lux Optics, a tiny startup that makes Halide, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed camera apps in the App Store. The deal never happened. Instead, a couple months after the talks ended, Apple began recruiting Sebastiaan de With, Lux’s co-founder and designer—a revelation to the startup’s... Last summer, Apple held talks to acquire Lux Optics, a tiny startup that makes Halide, one of the...

Art by Clark Miller

CIA Venture Arm Invests in Data Center Developer Prometheus Hyperscale

By Ann Davis Vaughan · Mar 20, 2026 3:33pm PDT

The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture investment arm, IQT, has invested in AI data center company Prometheus Hyperscale, which is developing campuses in Wyoming and Texas, the company said. Wyoming has long been a location for sensitive military assets, and the CIA’s investment suggests Prometheus could potentially run national security... The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture investment arm, IQT, has invested in AI data center...

Deepu Talla, Nvidia's Head of Robotics. Getty Images.

Q&A

Nvidia Robotics Chief: AI Agents Will Bring About ChatGPT Moment for Robotics

By Rocket Drew · Mar 20, 2026 10:00am PDT

Nvidia is so gung-ho about AI agents that it’s betting the buzzy software can power another one of its big bets: robots. The “agentic AI system is being built for digital first,” said Deepu Talla, Nvidia’s vice president of robotics and edge AI, or AI for powering devices, in an interview on the sidelines of Nvidia’s annual GTC conference in San... Nvidia is so gung-ho about AI agents that it’s betting the buzzy software can power another one...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

A Rising Star at Microsoft Promises a Restored Xbox—and No ‘Soulless AI Slop’

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 20, 2026 9:06am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

A Rising Star at Microsoft Promises a Restored Xbox—and No ‘Soulless AI Slop’

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 20, 2026 9:06am PDT · 1 comment

On a brisk, sunny San Francisco day last week, Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft’s $24 billion gaming business, had a very packed schedule. The videogame industry had gathered for the Game Developers Conference at the venerable Moscone Center downtown, and Sharma had meetings with the heads of several multibillion-dollar game publishers that... On a brisk, sunny San Francisco day last week, Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft’s $24...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

8 Questions Investors Need to Ask About SpaceX’s IPO

By Theo Wayt · Mar 20, 2026 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

SpaceX is aiming to raise tens of billions of dollars as soon as this summer in what could be the largest initial public offering in history. While CEO Elon Musk has proven he’s uniquely skilled at convincing investors to buy into his grand visions at gigantic valuations, anyone considering buying into the SpaceX IPO may be right to ask whether... SpaceX is aiming to raise tens of billions of dollars as soon as this summer in what could be the...

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Uber’s Self-Driving Car Quest

By Martin Peers · Mar 19, 2026 5:00pm PDT

For all the attention Nvidia gets for its relentless pace of new business partnerships, it can’t hold a candle to Uber. The ride-hailing giant seems to be on a quest to go into business with anyone who’s ever thought about developing a self-driving car. On Thursday, it announced a robotaxi deal with Rivian, the electric truck maker that is... For all the attention Nvidia gets for its relentless pace of new business partnerships, it can’t...

Matt McClain/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

An SEC Idea That Could Jolt the IPO Market

By Katie Roof · Mar 19, 2026 3:33pm PDT

Quarterly earnings could be going away. Will this result in more IPOs?One of the hallmarks of investing in public stocks is receiving quarterly updates from the companies. Those financial results and, even more so, forecasts can sink or lift stocks. Preparing them is such a time-suck for company executives that some startup founders have pointed... Quarterly earnings could be going away. Will this result in more IPOs?One of the hallmarks of...

A RIVR ONE delivery robot. Screenshot via YouTube; art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Acquires Robotics Startup, Boosting Efforts to Streamline Deliveries

By Catherine Perloff and Valida Pau · Mar 19, 2026 1:13pm PDT

A RIVR ONE delivery robot. Screenshot via YouTube; art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Acquires Robotics Startup, Boosting Efforts to Streamline Deliveries

By Catherine Perloff and Valida Pau · Mar 19, 2026 1:13pm PDT

Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal that could help the commerce and logistics giant deliver packages to shoppers’ doors more efficiently. Based in Zurich and formerly known as Swiss-Mile, Rivr was valued at $110 million in an August 2024 funding round, according to PitchBook. Amazon and... Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal...