The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica E. Lessin and the team at The Information

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica E. 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

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Anthropic Preps Claude Agent in Microsoft Teams

By Laura Bratton, Aaron Holmes and Amir Efrati · Jun 30, 2026 11:22am PDT

Salesforce and Microsoft may be worried about threats posed by AI upstarts like Anthropic to their core enterprise apps, but they’re taking a conciliatory approach.Even though the two incumbents sell proprietary AI agents that can be used inside their Slack and Teams messaging apps, for instance, they’ve decided the apps ought to be a “platform”... Salesforce and Microsoft may be worried about threats posed by AI upstarts like Anthropic to...

Art by Clark Miller.

OpenAI Discovers New Way to Cut Inference Costs in Half

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jun 30, 2026 7:06am PDT · 2 comments

We closely track efforts by Anthropic, Google and OpenAI to get access to more server chips to run their models. But we don’t talk enough about the work these companies are doing to get more juice from the servers they already have.In one previously unreported example, OpenAI engineers earlier this month told some colleagues they had figured out... We closely track efforts by Anthropic, Google and OpenAI to get access to more server chips to...

Adam Selipsky. Getty Images.

New KKR Venture Hunts for Deals to Clear Data Center Logjam

By Dakin Campbell · Jun 30, 2026 6:00am PDT

Newly launched AI infrastructure firm Helix Infrastructure Partners is jumping into the AI build-out race, joining a growing group of private equity investors trying to bring new data center space to hyperscalers while demand is still red hot. Helix, backed by investing giant KKR, Nvidia and others and led by former Amazon Web Services chief... Newly launched AI infrastructure firm Helix Infrastructure Partners is jumping into the AI...

Higgsfield co-founder Alex Mashrabov attends the Higgsfield "Hell Grind" screening at Metro Private Cinema in New York City. Photo by Getty Images.

AI Video Startup in Talks to Quadruple Valuation to $5 Billion

By Valida Pau and Julia Hornstein · Jun 29, 2026 5:52pm PDT

Higgsfield co-founder Alex Mashrabov attends the Higgsfield "Hell Grind" screening at Metro Private Cinema in New York City. Photo by Getty Images.

AI Video Startup in Talks to Quadruple Valuation to $5 Billion

By Valida Pau and Julia Hornstein · Jun 29, 2026 5:52pm PDT

AI video startup Higgsfield AI is in talks with investors to raise $300 million to $500 million at a valuation of $5 billion before the investment, according to two people with knowledge of the fundraising efforts. A valuation at that level would be more than four times its valuation in a funding round in January, signaling demand for startups... AI video startup Higgsfield AI is in talks with investors to raise $300 million to $500 million...

Michael Saylor. Romain Maurice/Getty Images.

Saylor’s Strategy to Sell Some Bitcoin; Comcast Is Splitting in Two, Again

By Martin Peers · Jun 29, 2026 5:01pm PDT

Do the folks at crypto holding firm Strategy know the old adage that one should buy low and sell high? Strategy revealed today a plan to sell some of its vast stock of bitcoin, even as the cryptocurrency is hovering around its lowest point in two years. The current price of around $60,000 is 20% below the average price Strategy has paid for... Do the folks at crypto holding firm Strategy know the old adage that one should buy low and sell...

Partner Content

How to Use Google Gemini to Analyze Marketing Campaigns

By The Information Partnerships · Jun 29, 2026 9:07am PDT

Some of the most important business lessons show up in post-mortem reports. Consider a marketing campaign for the launch of a new product. If leaders take the time to analyze their efforts after the results are in, they can determine which of their initial assumptions held true, what surprises they should have anticipated, and how they can... Some of the most important business lessons show up in post-mortem reports. Consider a marketing...

BYD's premium Denza Z9 GT, which charges to 98% of capacity in 9 minutes. Photo: Anadolu/Getty

How China Got EVs That Charge in 5 Minutes, and Why the U.S. Likely Won’t

By Steve LeVine · Jun 29, 2026 9:01am PDT · 1 comment

As carmakers around the world have attempted to persuade motorists to give up their gas guzzlers and buy electric vehicles, one of the primary hesitations among consumers has been range anxiety. That is, drivers worry they will run out of juice on the road late at night. EV makers have mostly addressed that concern with widely available 300-mile... As carmakers around the world have attempted to persuade motorists to give up their gas guzzlers...

Andrew Jassy, left, and Dario Amodei. Photos via Getty Images

Amazon Could Pay More for Anthropic Technology Under New Deal

By Catherine Perloff · Jun 29, 2026 9:00am PDT

Andrew Jassy, left, and Dario Amodei. Photos via Getty Images

Amazon Could Pay More for Anthropic Technology Under New Deal

By Catherine Perloff · Jun 29, 2026 9:00am PDT

As Anthropic grows to become a leading AI model used by enterprises, it’s been flexing its power with customers—including one of its most important early backers, Amazon. Earlier this year, Anthropic renegotiated an aspect of its partnership with Amazon, making it more expensive for the cloud and e-commerce giant to use Anthropic models in... As Anthropic grows to become a leading AI model used by enterprises, it’s been flexing its power...

Art via Getty Images

Why Open-Source Models Are Benefitting From The White House Clampdown

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jun 29, 2026 7:01am PDT

Open-source AI is emerging as a beneficiary of the Trump administration’s recent rapid-fire policy changes towards AI regulation—and of rising costs. Developers and executives have told me that they’ve been burned by building apps on top of closed-source models like Anthropic's Fable 5, only to see the model withdrawn shortly after its... Open-source AI is emerging as a beneficiary of the Trump administration’s recent rapid-fire...

Virginia Senator Mark Warner. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sen. Mark Warner to Unveil AI Agent Bill

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 29, 2026 6:30am PDT

Lawmakers are racing to catch up to AI, with dozens of bills floating around Congress that address issues from deepfakes to model safety. On Monday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) plans to unveil a discussion draft that focuses on another area at the frontier of AI: agents. While chat interfaces like Claude and ChatGPT may have been the gateway to AI,... Lawmakers are racing to catch up to AI, with dozens of bills floating around Congress that...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Internal Docs Show Meta Putting Limits on Claude and Codex, Fearing Distillation

By Jyoti Mann · Jun 29, 2026 6:00am PDT

As Meta Platforms tries to wean itself off expensive AI coding applications from Anthropic and OpenAI, it is confronting a difficult challenge: keeping employees from relying too much on those outside tools to build in-house replacements. Internal guidelines reviewed by The Information show Meta is drawing strict limits on how engineers in its ... As Meta Platforms tries to wean itself off expensive AI coding applications from Anthropic and...

Bending Spoons headquarters in Milan. Francesca Volpi/Getty Images.

Bending Spoons IPO Spotlights Scavenger Hunt

By Martin Peers · Jun 28, 2026 3:01pm PDT · 1 comment

Bending Spoons headquarters in Milan. Francesca Volpi/Getty Images.

Bending Spoons IPO Spotlights Scavenger Hunt

By Martin Peers · Jun 28, 2026 3:01pm PDT · 1 comment

The July 4 long weekend is just days away, which means this week should be quiet on the news front. But we can expect more drama coming out of the Washington-AI industry wrangling—with the increasing competitiveness of Chinese AI models raising the stakes. Meanwhile, the trajectory of SpaceX shares will be worth watching. A Friday report on... The July 4 long weekend is just days away, which means this week should be quiet on the news...

Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

Baidu’s Chip Unit Asked IPO Investors to Buy Its Semiconductors

By Qianer Liu · Jun 28, 2026 11:00am PDT

In China, chip companies may have found a new clientele for their semiconductors: IPO investors. Kunlunxin Technology, an AI chip firm majority owned by search engine company Baidu, is planning to go public in Hong Kong at a target valuation of $50 billion, according to a person who participated in a recent investor road show by the company and... In China, chip companies may have found a new clientele for their semiconductors: IPO investors....

Sunday Insights

The 10 Biggest Ad Firms Now Include Five From China

By Martin Peers · Jun 28, 2026 8:00am PDT · 2 comments

Advertising was once primarily a subsidy for news and entertainment media, such as television, magazines and newspapers. Nowadays, it’s more of a subsidy for online services and increasingly for merchants looking to boost their razor-thin operating margins. At the same time, Chinese firms have become a much bigger part of the market. Both trends... Advertising was once primarily a subsidy for news and entertainment media, such as television,...

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Where Tech Political Spending Goes Next

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 27, 2026 8:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How a Chinese megabillionaire became the Jensen Huang of batteries. • Style and Shopping: Tech invaded Cannes. Then we went shopping.• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Long Buried,” “How to Not Die in Prison” and “Dust Bunny”On Tuesday, a closely watched... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How a Chinese megabillionaire became the...

Art: Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

What to Wear When Work’s a Beach

By Esther Achara · Jun 27, 2026 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

Art: Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

Style and Shopping

What to Wear When Work’s a Beach

By Esther Achara · Jun 27, 2026 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

A number of rituals begin each summer in Cannes, France. The rosé gets opened. The sun shines in abundance. And the film festival crowd quickly shuffles out of town to give way to a whole other set from the C-suites of Silicon Valley, Hollywood and Madison Avenue. The annual Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity, which wrapped... A number of rituals begin each summer in Cannes, France. The rosé gets opened. The sun...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff via Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller

Salesforce Employees Worry Over Anthropic’s Invasion of Slack

By Laura Bratton · Jun 27, 2026 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

When Anthropic on Tuesday launched a high-profile AI product for businesses that use Slack, some employees at Salesforce, which owns Slack, were confused. In social media posts, Salesforce promoted Anthropic’s new product, Claude Tag, which works as a kind of AI teammate that lives inside group Slack chats. It sees and remembers everything that’... When Anthropic on Tuesday launched a high-profile AI product for businesses that use Slack, some...

Art by Clark Miller.

Featured Data Reporting

What We Learned Mapping 300-Plus Data Center Bans

By Shane Burke · Jun 26, 2026 2:51pm PDT · 1 comment

A political movement against data center construction is gaining speed nationwide. This week, The Information published an investigation cataloging more than 300 cities and counties that have enacted temporary or permanent bans on data center construction and more than 75 weighing them. We estimate the bans now cover more than 80,000 square... A political movement against data center construction is gaining speed nationwide. This week, The...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Altman, Amodei and Why the Pragmatic Survive

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 26, 2026 9:27am PDT · 4 comments

When people ask me what I've learned about leadership from reporting on tech companies for 20 years, I always say the same thing: that the most successful CEOs are more pragmatic than zealous. Tech CEOs are notorious for using visionary language and tying it to their personal beliefs about improving the world. They brandish mission... When people ask me what I've learned about leadership from reporting on tech companies for 20...

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

How a Chinese Megabillionaire Became the Jensen Huang of Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jun 26, 2026 7:36am PDT · 4 comments

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

How a Chinese Megabillionaire Became the Jensen Huang of Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jun 26, 2026 7:36am PDT · 4 comments

One after the other, four men jumped onto a stage at the front of a darkened, crowded hall one recent evening in central Beijing. Each of them was fired up. The subject: superadvanced batteries. One of these batteries, a man said, was perfect to power ultra-cheap electric vehicles and another for ultraexpensive ones. A third could almost... One after the other, four men jumped onto a stage at the front of a darkened, crowded hall one...