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

Amazon headquarters in Seattle. Photo by Getty.

Amazon Delays New Hire Start Dates in Latest Effort to Tame Headcount

By Theo Wayt · Dec 12, 2022 1:51pm PST · 1 comment

Amazon is pushing back start dates for some new graduate hires by around six months, a company spokesman confirmed. The delays are another way Amazon is trying to rein in its corporate headcount, in addition to rescinding offers and layoffs that started last month. They also impact a range of roles at the most junior level, while job cuts... Amazon is pushing back start dates for some new graduate hires by around six months, a company...

Art by Mike Sullivan

From Zoox to AR and VR, Tech Firms Are Still Splurging on Pet Projects

By Theo Wayt, Amir Efrati and Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Dec 12, 2022 6:00am PST

You might think, with headlines blaring news of mass layoffs by Meta Platforms, Amazon and other tech companies in the past few weeks, that big tech has heard the message from investors and has started to cut back. Not so fast. A quick review of what companies like Amazon and Meta Platforms are up to shows that they’re still increasing... You might think, with headlines blaring news of mass layoffs by Meta Platforms, Amazon and other...

Albemarle received a $149.6 million grant under this year's infrastructure law to develop a lithium processing plant at Kings Mountain, N.C. Photo: Courtesy Albemarle

The Electric: Introducing the Battery Triumvirate, the Most Powerful Washington Hands You Don’t Know

By Steve LeVine · Dec 11, 2022 2:00pm PST

The Biden administration has embarked on the largest industrial buildout since World War II—more than $250 billion to create a battery industry. But who’s in charge of disbursing all that money? This week, we look at the battery triumvirate, three men—two of them little known outside renewable energy—stewarding one of the most important... The Biden administration has embarked on the largest industrial buildout since World War II—more...

Where Sleep Is Religion, These Are Our Idols

Where Sleep Is Religion, These Are Our Idols

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 10, 2022 7:00am PST

Where Sleep Is Religion, These Are Our Idols

Where Sleep Is Religion, These Are Our Idols

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 10, 2022 7:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!After a week that gave us the exhaustive (and exhausting) Twitter Files, more fallout from the FTX affair, exhilarating World Cup matches and some rare good news out of Russia, you’re probably catching up on much-needed sleep this weekend. Maybe you’re even grabbing z’s in one of the Eight Sleep Pods that have swept... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!After a week that gave us the exhaustive (and exhausting) Twitter...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Junior VC Who Spends Almost Every Waking Minute Online

By Margaux MacColl · Dec 10, 2022 6:00am PST · 3 comments

Em Herrera, 23, earned her social media stripes the hard way: running One Direction and Ariana Grande stan Twitter accounts as a teenager. The experience taught her that celebrities and influencers were the key to understanding Gen Z consumers. She took those lessons with her to Northeastern University, to internships at Harlem Capital and BBG... Em Herrera, 23, earned her social media stripes the hard way: running One Direction and Ariana...

Art by Clark Miller.

Market Research

‘I Can Take Video Calls Even While Cooking’: The Smart Kitchen Appliances That Tech People Love

By Terri Williams · Dec 9, 2022 1:00pm PST · 3 comments

“We have three kids, two cats and a dog,” said Charles Edge, chief technology officer at Bootstrappers.mn, a venture capital firm in Minneapolis. “It’s a busy household in the morning, with kids and animals screaming for food and needing to be driven to school or daycare.” A wide array of smart kitchen tools is... “We have three kids, two cats and a dog,” said Charles Edge, chief technology officer...

Art by Clark Miller

How CoinDesk Lit the Fuse That Blew Up Crypto—and Might Singe Its Owner Next

By Abram Brown · Dec 9, 2022 11:00am PST · 3 comments

Michael Casey, chief content officer of the crypto news site CoinDesk, was at his Westchester County, N.Y., home on Monday, recovering from a trip to Miami the previous week. Though the crypto industry was in Lehman levels of distress, Casey had managed to attend several straight days of parties connected to the Art Basel festival. “It was... Michael Casey, chief content officer of the crypto news site CoinDesk, was at his Westchester...

Eight Sleep co-founders Matteo Franceschetti and Alexandra Zatarain. Art by Clark Miller

The Co-Founders of Eight Sleep Want to Optimize Your Performance (in Bed)

By Arielle Pardes · Dec 9, 2022 10:00am PST · 8 comments

Eight Sleep co-founders Matteo Franceschetti and Alexandra Zatarain. Art by Clark Miller

The Co-Founders of Eight Sleep Want to Optimize Your Performance (in Bed)

By Arielle Pardes · Dec 9, 2022 10:00am PST · 8 comments

Matteo Franceschetti and Alexandra Zatarain spend their nights in the bed of the future. The king-size canopy bed has gray curtains gathered at the sides and a strip of sensors that captures each sleeper’s heart rate, respiration, temperature and other vitals. It has a light bar that mimics the sunrise and a temperature control in the... Matteo Franceschetti and Alexandra Zatarain spend their nights in the bed of the future. The...

Art by Mike Sullivan/Shutterstock

There Will Never Be Another Twitter

By Ryan Broderick · Dec 9, 2022 9:00am PST · 11 comments

Chances are that at this point, two months into Elon Musk’s reign at Twitter, you’ve heard at least one social network heralded as the site’s replacement. Post News, Mastodon, Hive, resurrected Tumblr accounts, Substack, TikTok or Instagram for those who don’t mind some images with their text—basically every... Chances are that at this point, two months into Elon Musk’s reign at Twitter, you’ve...

Art by Mike Sullivan/Shutterstock

Inside SpaceX’s Lucrative New Government Satellite Program

By Becky Peterson · Dec 9, 2022 6:00am PST

Every two hours or so, a satellite that SpaceX built for the Department of Defense circles Earth. The exact purpose of the satellite isn’t clear: The project is confidential. But its significance for SpaceX, the rocket company founded and led by Elon Musk, is coming into focus. That satellite is part of Starshield, a business SpaceX... Every two hours or so, a satellite that SpaceX built for the Department of Defense circles Earth....

Photo by Bloomberg

The FTC is Fighting All the Wrong Fights

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 8, 2022 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

The Federal Trade Commission made headlines today, suing to block Microsoft’s $69 billion dollar deal for Activision, which makes some of the most popular videogames in the world. I’m a big fan of federal regulators paying closer attention to tech companies’ hidden power, especially how they use customer data. But the FTC should just let this... The Federal Trade Commission made headlines today, suing to block Microsoft’s $69 billion dollar...

Photo from Bloomberg

Twitter’s Apple Workaround Could Inspire Copycats

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 8, 2022 4:37pm PST · 1 comment

Photo from Bloomberg

Creator Economy

Twitter’s Apple Workaround Could Inspire Copycats

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 8, 2022 4:37pm PST · 1 comment

Jellysmack, a startup that provides the technology for creators to post their videos across social media platforms, has laid off 55 people, The Information is the first to report. The layoffs were conducted across the company, which employs just under 1,000 people. Jellysmack, a startup that provides the technology for creators to post their videos across...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Walmart Plans to Offer Buy Now, Pay Later Loans Through its Fintech Venture

By Ann Gehan · Dec 8, 2022 2:47pm PST

The ambitious fintech venture backed by Walmart is planning to launch buy now, pay later loans as soon as next year, three people familiar with the matter said. That could put the world’s largest retailer in competition with fintech lenders like Affirm and Klarna, as well as Apple, another consumer giant set to launch its own installment... The ambitious fintech venture backed by Walmart is planning to launch buy now, pay later loans as...

Union Square Ventures managing director Albert Wenger. Photo via Getty Images

How Union Square Ventures Knew Venture Capital Had Peaked

By Kate Clark · Dec 8, 2022 11:30am PST

Union Square Ventures managing partner Albert Wenger, 55, has been meaning to write a blog post about Tesla’s self-driving technology, he tells me about half hour into our interview at the firm’s New York headquarters last week. Sitting between two framed NFTs, he’s already covered the fall of FTX (“a setback”), the signs that venture capital... Union Square Ventures managing partner Albert Wenger, 55, has been meaning to write a blog post...

Albert Wenger of Union Square Ventures. Photo by Getty Images. Art by Shane Burke.

Union Square Ventures Doubles Down on Climate With $200 Million Fund

By Kate Clark · Dec 8, 2022 10:58am PST

Union Square Ventures, the venture capital firm known for its early stakes in Twitter, Coinbase and Etsy, has raised $200 million for its second fund focused on early investments in climate tech startups, managing partner Albert Wenger confirmed to The Information. The fund amounts to a doubling down on the sector for the New York firm, a sign... Union Square Ventures, the venture capital firm known for its early stakes in Twitter, Coinbase...

Elon Musk. Art via Getty Images/Shutterstock

Elon Musk Micromanages Twitter, as Subscription Push Nears

By Erin Woo · Dec 8, 2022 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Elon Musk. Art via Getty Images/Shutterstock

Elon Musk Micromanages Twitter, as Subscription Push Nears

By Erin Woo · Dec 8, 2022 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Elon Musk is bringing new meaning to the term “hands-on management” in his overhaul of Twitter. In the weeks since he took control of the social media company, a period in which over two-thirds of its employees have departed through either resignations or firings, Musk has immersed himself in the projects he is most interested in. He... Elon Musk is bringing new meaning to the term “hands-on management” in his overhaul...

From left: Stewart Butterfield, Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor. Photos by Getty; Bloomberg.

How Slack’s Marriage to Salesforce Crumbled

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 8, 2022 6:00am PST · 2 comments

Two years ago, Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff gushed about his software company’s $28 billion purchase of messaging app Slack, describing it as a “match made in heaven.” It was also the most expensive subscription software acquisition of all time, with Salesforce paying around 26 times Slack’s forward... Two years ago, Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff gushed about his software...

Elon Musk. Photo by Bloomberg

Twitter to Change Blue Pricing After Apple Spat

By Erin Woo · Dec 7, 2022 6:30pm PST

Twitter has informed some employees that it plans to charge customers $11 a month if they subscribe to Twitter Blue through Twitter’s app for iPhones and $8 if they do so through the web, according to a person briefed on the plans. Twitter’s owner Elon Musk had previously said the company would charge $8 a month for a new version of... Twitter has informed some employees that it plans to charge customers $11 a month if they...

Orlando Bravo. Photo by Bloomberg.

Thoma Bravo’s Fundraising Suggests More Software Buyouts Are Coming

By Martin Peers · Dec 7, 2022 5:00pm PST

If you thought private equity was on a software spending spree this year, just wait until 2023. Thoma Bravo’s announcement today that it had finished raising money for buyout funds with $32.4 billion in capital commitments is a strong sign that more deals are on the way. This year alone, Thoma Bravo has completed the purchase of identity... If you thought private equity was on a software spending spree this year, just wait until 2023. ...

Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Photo: Bloomberg

Instagram Cuts Incentives to Some Reels Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 7, 2022 4:10pm PST

Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

Instagram Cuts Incentives to Some Reels Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 7, 2022 4:10pm PST

I’m hearing that Instagram has again cut the amount of money some creators can earn from the Meta Platforms app’s bonus program to spur more short-form Reels. It’s the latest sign that the big social networks are quietly backing away the generous cash payouts they dangled to encourage creators to make content for their apps. One... I’m hearing that Instagram has again cut the amount of money some creators can earn from the Meta...