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

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. AP.

OpenAI’s IPO Hopes Face Skeptical Investor Community

By Anita Ramaswamy and Miles Kruppa · Mar 9, 2026 6:00am PDT · 11 comments

OpenAI is likely at least six months away from going public, and possibly longer. But as the company takes steps toward an initial public offering, investment banks trying to get a piece of the business are contacting public market investors to gauge how they’re thinking about OpenAI’s prospects as a public company, said one person who has been... OpenAI is likely at least six months away from going public, and possibly longer. But as the...

BYD founder Wang Chuanfu introduces ultra fast "flash charging" of electric vehicles last week in Shenzhen, China. Photo: VCG/Getty

The Electric: Its Sales Sliding, BYD Fights Back With a New Battery

By Steve LeVine · Mar 9, 2026 4:30am PDT

Last year, China’s BYD zoomed past Tesla to become the world’s leading seller of electric vehicles. Now both companies are in a serious slump: BYD’s year-on-year sales have dropped for six straight months, and Tesla has suffered two years of annual sales declines. Now other nimble EV players, mostly Chinese, are fighting for the global sales... Last year, China’s BYD zoomed past Tesla to become the world’s leading seller of electric...

Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images

Sundar Pichai’s Near-Billionaire Status; Oracle in Spotlight

By Martin Peers · Mar 8, 2026 4:00pm PDT

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is close to achieving billionaire status, thanks to his generous stock compensation—and he’s only likely to get richer. Alphabet revealed in a securities filing late Friday that it had awarded him several new grants of stock, to vest over the next three years, which could potentially be worth nearly $700 million. We... Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is close to achieving billionaire status, thanks to his generous stock...

A plume of smoke rises from the Zayed Port following a reported Iranian strike in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026. Photo by Ryan Lim / AFP via Getty Images.

Iran War Imperils $300 Billion in Gulf AI Spending

By Miles Kruppa · Mar 8, 2026 8:00am PDT

A plume of smoke rises from the Zayed Port following a reported Iranian strike in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026. Photo by Ryan Lim / AFP via Getty Images.

Iran War Imperils $300 Billion in Gulf AI Spending

By Miles Kruppa · Mar 8, 2026 8:00am PDT

The war in Iran is complicating plans by Gulf nations to spend more than $300 billion on data centers, chips and other AI investments, crimping a potential source of funding for power-hungry tech companies. Countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia have become big destinations for data centers. Local firms are developing the projects,... The war in Iran is complicating plans by Gulf nations to spend more than $300 billion on data...

Illustration: Clark Miller

Tech Finally Reaches a Red Line

By Abram Brown · Mar 7, 2026 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside Anne Wojcicki’s plan to revive 23andMe• News Analysis: The week Anthropic went to war with OpenAI and the Pentagon• The Information Events: Tennis enters the analytics era at our Indian Wells retreat• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Data,” “A Scandal in... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside Anne Wojcicki’s plan to revive...

Illustration: Clark Miller (Photos: Samantha Brown, Gregg Felsen and Emily Ha)

The Information Events

Tennis Enters the Analytics Era at The Information’s Indian Wells Retreat

By The Information Staff · Mar 6, 2026 7:00pm PST

As the action unfolded at the BNP Paribas Open this week, The Information gathered dozens of tech and finance leaders for two days of tennis and tech conversations on the sidelines of the conference in Indian Wells, Calif., near Palm Springs. As the action unfolded at the BNP Paribas Open this week, The Information gathered dozens of tech...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

In Anthropic Feuds, the Personal Collides With the Political

By Nick Wingfield, Erin Woo, Sri Muppidi and Julia Hornstein · Mar 6, 2026 3:08pm PST · 1 comment

There are fierce battles over principles, and then there are grudge matches. In recent days, Anthropic has engaged in an extraordinary mix of both. For over a week, the AI startup and its CEO, Dario Amodei, have been locked in an intense struggle with the Pentagon over Anthropic’s refusal to let the military use its technology for domestic... There are fierce battles over principles, and then there are grudge matches. In recent days,...

Illustration: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Anne Wojcicki’s Plan to Revive 23andMe: Rich Donors, Improved Tests—and Maybe Even MAHA

By Amy Dockser Marcus · Mar 6, 2026 6:01am PST · 2 comments

Illustration: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Anne Wojcicki’s Plan to Revive 23andMe: Rich Donors, Improved Tests—and Maybe Even MAHA

By Amy Dockser Marcus · Mar 6, 2026 6:01am PST · 2 comments

When Anne Wojcicki was considering whether she should try to save her life’s work, genetic testing pioneer 23andMe, from bankruptcy last year, many within her inner circle offered the same advice. “There was no shortage of people who would come to me and say, ‘You can walk away: It’s fine,’” she recalled last month, seated on a sunny patio at... When Anne Wojcicki was considering whether she should try to save her life’s work, genetic...

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Quince in Talks to Double Valuation to More Than $10 Billion

By Katie Roof and Ann Gehan · Mar 5, 2026 7:02pm PST

Online retailer Quince is in talks with investors to raise a funding round that would value the company at above $10 billion after the investment, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. If the talks are successful, the buzzy online brand would more than double its valuation from its last funding round. The fundraise follows continued... Online retailer Quince is in talks with investors to raise a funding round that would value the...

Photo by Cosmin Serban

Anthropic Steals the Limelight at Morgan Stanley’s Tech Conference

By Valida Pau · Mar 5, 2026 5:15pm PST

I’ve spent the last week talking to people who are in town for Morgan Stanley’s annual technology, media and telecom conference at the Palace Hotel this week. Even before the fireworks last week between the Pentagon and Anthropic, the gathering was sure to be buzzy, given the lineup of richly valued private startups—including OpenAI and... I’ve spent the last week talking to people who are in town for Morgan Stanley’s annual...

Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

OpenAI’s Shopping Glitch

By Martin Peers · Mar 5, 2026 5:00pm PST

This wasn’t a fun day on Wall Street—the S&P 500 fell 0.5%—but one group of stocks bucked the downward trend. That would be those of several travel-booking and food-delivery firms, such as DoorDash, Booking Holdings and Expedia, which climbed between 3% and 13%. One likely reason is OpenAI’s astounding retreat from offering shopping directly... This wasn’t a fun day on Wall Street—the S&P 500 fell 0.5%—but one group of stocks bucked the...

Vipul Ved Prakash, CEO of Together AI. Photo by Getty Images

Nvidia Cloud Ally Together AI in Talks to Raise at $7.5 Billion Valuation

By Valida Pau, Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · Mar 5, 2026 1:57pm PST

Vipul Ved Prakash, CEO of Together AI. Photo by Getty Images

Nvidia Cloud Ally Together AI in Talks to Raise at $7.5 Billion Valuation

By Valida Pau, Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · Mar 5, 2026 1:57pm PST

Together AI, one of several up-and-coming cloud providers renting out Nvidia chip servers to AI developers, is in talks with investors to raise around $1 billion in funding at a $7.5 billion valuation before the investment, according to two people with knowledge of the fundraise. The funding would more than double its valuation from a year ago... Together AI, one of several up-and-coming cloud providers renting out Nvidia chip servers to AI...

Artwork by Clark Miller

OpenAI or Hegseth: Who Sets the AI Rules?

By The Information Staff · Mar 5, 2026 12:27pm PST · 1 comment

Recent actions involving the U.S. Department of Defense, Anthropic and OpenAI highlight a shift in how advanced AI systems intersect with national security policy. Government scrutiny and contracting decisions are beginning to shape not only how companies define acceptable uses of their models, but also how they position themselves in relation... Recent actions involving the U.S. Department of Defense, Anthropic and OpenAI highlight a shift...

Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou, China via Getty Images

Alibaba is Moving Faster Than Amazon and OpenAI in AI For Commerce

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Mar 5, 2026 10:53am PST

Last week, my colleague Qianer tested an AI agent inside Alibaba’s Qwen app, which resembles ChatGPT. She asked to get a ticket to see Pegasus 3, a comedy film about a race car driver that has been topping the Chinese box office. The agent found the nearest theater showing the movie and recommended seats and screening times for later in the day.... Last week, my colleague Qianer tested an AI agent inside Alibaba’s Qwen app, which resembles...

Lee Brown. Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images.

Org Chart Spotlights: Ad Exec Key to Pinterest’s Turnaround, xAI Departures Mount

By The Information Staff · Mar 5, 2026 10:30am PST

Online scrapbooking app Pinterest is trying to revive its ad sales growth and has reshuffled some of its leadership to help with that effort. Lee Brown, who joined Pinterest as its chief business officer in January, is at the center of that push. Online scrapbooking app Pinterest is trying to revive its ad sales growth and has reshuffled some...

Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril. Photo by Kyle Grillot/ Getty Images

Anduril Forecasts More Than $4 Billion in Sales, $1 Billion in Losses

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 5, 2026 10:08am PST · 1 comment

Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril. Photo by Kyle Grillot/ Getty Images

Anduril Forecasts More Than $4 Billion in Sales, $1 Billion in Losses

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 5, 2026 10:08am PST · 1 comment

Weapons maker Anduril expects to roughly double revenue this year to about $4.3 billion, while its operating loss would rise by nearly half to $1.2 billion, according to confidential financial figures shared with prospective investors. The privately held company is raising $4 billion, valuing it at about $60 billion, in a deal led by existing... Weapons maker Anduril expects to roughly double revenue this year to about $4.3 billion, while...

Art via Getty Images

OpenAI Develops a ‘Bidirectional’ Audio Model to Boost Voice Assistants

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 5, 2026 7:00am PST

Wow, what a day of news! In case you missed it (which would have been difficult), we broke a number of stories yesterday regarding OpenAI and Anthropic. Most memorable was this piece about the fiery, 1,600-word memo Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei penned to staff last Friday criticizing the OpenAI-Pentagon deal. (You can check out the full memo... Wow, what a day of news! In case you missed it (which would have been difficult), we broke a...

Art by Clark Miller

Demand from Alibaba and Other Giants Boosts China’s Homegrown Memory Suppliers

By Qianer Liu · Mar 5, 2026 6:00am PST

Chinese tech heavyweights including Alibaba Group, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings are turning to domestic chipmakers to ease the pain from a deepening global shortage of memory chips, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter. The three companies are in talks to buy more standard memory chips—known as DRAM, or dynamic... Chinese tech heavyweights including Alibaba Group, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings are turning to...

Joby demonstrated its flying taxi in Dubai last week. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty

The Electric: The Iran War Creates Doubts About the Commercial Launch of Flying Taxis This Year

By Steve LeVine · Mar 5, 2026 4:30am PST

Last week, Joby Aviation and Uber announced a new collaboration in Dubai: Later this year, people opening the Uber app would be able to choose between standard offerings such as UberX and a new option—flying to their destination by electric air taxi.Three days later, President Donald Trump ordered his attack on Iran, largely grounding civilian... Last week, Joby Aviation and Uber announced a new collaboration in Dubai: Later this year, people...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar. Photo by Getty.

OpenAI Tops $25 Billion in Annualized Revenue as Anthropic Narrows Gap

By Sri Muppidi · Mar 4, 2026 7:30pm PST · 3 comments

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar. Photo by Getty.

OpenAI Tops $25 Billion in Annualized Revenue as Anthropic Narrows Gap

By Sri Muppidi · Mar 4, 2026 7:30pm PST · 3 comments

OpenAI topped $25 billion in annualized revenue as of last month, according to a person familiar with the figure. That’s a 17% increase from the $21.4 billion in annualized revenue the company was generating at the end of the year, according to the person and a second person with knowledge of the figures. OpenAI is still generating more revenue... OpenAI topped $25 billion in annualized revenue as of last month, according to a person familiar...