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

Charlie Bell. Photo via Microsoft

A Former Amazonian Hits Bumps in Push to Make Microsoft More Secure

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 29, 2022 6:00am PST

When Microsoft last year recruited Charlie Bell, a top product engineering executive at Amazon Web Services, it was a major coup for the software giant. Bell had spent 23 years at Amazon—15 of them at AWS, the retailer’s cloud computing unit—where he earned a reputation for being able to bulldoze through departmental politics,... When Microsoft last year recruited Charlie Bell, a top product engineering executive at Amazon...

Photo courtesy of Getty

Musk Is Biting Off More Than He Can Chew By Picking a Fight With Apple

By Martin Peers · Nov 28, 2022 5:00pm PST · 3 comments

Elon Musk appears to be taking a page out of Donald Trump’s presidential playbook: If in doubt, pick a fight—with everyone. Having alienated a large group of Twitter’s advertisers, while risking Twitter's relations with regulators and simultaneously mocking the news media, Musk today started a public brawl with Apple, even threatening... Elon Musk appears to be taking a page out of Donald Trump’s presidential playbook: If in doubt,...

A meme tweeted by Musk about Apple’s App Store fees. Graphic: Shane Burke

Creator Economy

Musk’s Fight With Apple Is One He’s Likely to Lose

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 28, 2022 2:46pm PST

Tensions are bubbling up between Apple and Twitter, rekindling familiar gripes from tech companies that have bemoaned the iPhone maker’s 30% commission on in-app purchases and the power it wields over apps in its App Store. On Monday, the social network’s new owner Elon Musk shot off a series of tweets aimed at Apple and its dominance.My take: ... Tensions are bubbling up between Apple and Twitter, rekindling familiar gripes from tech...

Where Google Has Grown

By Jon Victor · Nov 28, 2022 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Where Google Has Grown

By Jon Victor · Nov 28, 2022 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Alphabet has doubled the headcount in its Google Cloud unit since early 2019, according to data obtained by The Information, outstripping Alphabet’s overall hiring growth. The rapid growth helps explain why Google Cloud’s losses continue to widen even as its revenue grows rapidly. Google’s hardware unit and YouTube also each... Alphabet has doubled the headcount in its Google Cloud unit since early 2019, according to data...

Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok. Photo by Bloomberg.

ByteDance Investors Struggle to Sell Shares at Discounted $240 Billion Value Amid IPO Uncertainty

By Juro Osawa · Nov 28, 2022 4:40am PST · 1 comment

Investors in TikTok owner ByteDance are struggling to sell their shares in the secondary market, even at current asking prices valuing the company at around $240 billion, 20% below where ByteDance recently bought back stock, according to brokers and investors with knowledge of the matter. The price drop reflects a lack of investors... Investors in TikTok owner ByteDance are struggling to sell their shares in the secondary market,...

Joby Aviation is likely to have the first certified electric flying taxi in the U.S. Photo: Courtesy Joby

The Electric: One Step Forward for Air Taxis, but a Long Road Ahead

By Steve LeVine · Nov 27, 2022 2:00pm PST

This Thursday: The U.S. is putting down hundreds of billions of dollars on one of the biggest technological bets in the world—that it can establish its own battery industry, and halt its dependence on China. To hear the inside story of how the U.S. is doling out the money, I'm excited to host Jigar Shah, director of the $250 billion... This Thursday: The U.S. is putting down hundreds of billions of dollars on one of the biggest...

Long Holiday Gifts, Short FTX Tokens

Long Holiday Gifts, Short FTX Tokens

By Jon Steinberg · Nov 26, 2022 7:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The official opening of holiday gifting season is upon us, so we meet the moment as we always do—by shaking down our colleagues for gift suggestions. Our subscribers are obviously discerning, so we take gift tips seriously. I was able to knock off half of my list already by following our staff’s recommendations.... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The official opening of holiday gifting season is upon us, so we meet...

Art by Clark Miller. Photo courtesy of Alexander Gallego.

The Founder Who Turned His Love of Tinkering Into a Data-Processing Gold Mine

By Arielle Pardes · Nov 26, 2022 6:00am PST · 6 comments

Art by Clark Miller. Photo courtesy of Alexander Gallego.

The Founder Who Turned His Love of Tinkering Into a Data-Processing Gold Mine

By Arielle Pardes · Nov 26, 2022 6:00am PST · 6 comments

When Alexander Gallego started his first company in 2014, he approached it with the same determination he’d used to learn English as a teenager, or to navigate the admissions process as a first-generation college student: “I just had to figure it out,” he said. “I had no backup plan.” Gallego, who was born in... When Alexander Gallego started his first company in 2014, he approached it with the same...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Information’s Top Tech-Adjacent Gifts for 2022

By The Information Staff · Nov 25, 2022 9:00am PST · 2 comments

After the roller-coaster ride of the past month, everyone needs a little retail therapy. So, in honor of Black Friday and the upcoming holiday season, we’ve put together our annual gift guide, asking The Information’s staffers to share their favorite tech and tech-adjacent purchases of the last year. The results range from the... After the roller-coaster ride of the past month, everyone needs a little retail therapy. So, in...

Art by Clark Miller

‘I’m Licking My Chops. I Know It’s Going Down’: The Pissed-Off Crypto Traders Who Predicted—and Profited From—the FTX Implosion

By Margaux MacColl · Nov 25, 2022 7:00am PST · 8 comments

Ishan Bhaidani had been patient for over a month, waiting for blood in the water. Now was his moment. It was the late hours of Nov. 7 and he was in his home office in San Antonio, Texas, staring at a chart on TradingView. The price of the FTT token—the cryptocurrency created by FTX—had been fluctuating oddly on the futures market all... Ishan Bhaidani had been patient for over a month, waiting for blood in the water. Now was his...

Erin Yuan of Zoom. Photo by Bloomberg.

Zoom Could Draw Suitors Even Though Customers Are Balking at Software Bundles

By Martin Peers · Nov 23, 2022 5:00pm PST · 5 comments

Spare a thought for Covid-19 sufferers this Thanksgiving who have to spend the holiday connecting with friends and family on Zoom. Spare another thought for Zoom Video Communications shareholders, who’ve watched while the stock has plummeted 87% from its pandemic highs as the company’s revenue growth has decelerated like a car hitting a sudden... Spare a thought for Covid-19 sufferers this Thanksgiving who have to spend the holiday connecting...

YouTubers Amber Scholl, AllyiahsFace and Mai Pham hosting a live shopping event on YouTube. Photo via YouTube.

Social Media Platforms’ Shopping Priorities; AI-Generated Art on the Rise

By Mahira Dayal · Nov 23, 2022 1:30pm PST

YouTubers Amber Scholl, AllyiahsFace and Mai Pham hosting a live shopping event on YouTube. Photo via YouTube.

Creator Economy

Social Media Platforms’ Shopping Priorities; AI-Generated Art on the Rise

By Mahira Dayal · Nov 23, 2022 1:30pm PST

Black Friday and the extended retail flurry in November have traditionally been a good time for tech companies to test new shopping formats. Last year, Twitter announced the debut of its shopping livestream featuring Walmart merchandise, while YouTube for the first time offered a week-long live shopping pop-up with creators. This year’s holiday... Black Friday and the extended retail flurry in November have traditionally been a good time for...

Chainalysis CEO Michael Gronager. Photo by Bloomberg

Bankruptcies Boost Analytics Startups—For Now; Sequoia’s Black Eye

By Aidan Ryan · Nov 23, 2022 1:00pm PST

The FTX collapse has left many customers in limbo, with billions of dollars stuck on the bankrupt exchange. And contagion has been spreading to firms including BlockFi and Genesis, as I mapped out last week. But high-profile implosions have been good for business in one corner of the crypto world: The analytics firms that are helping... The FTX collapse has left many customers in limbo, with billions of dollars stuck on the bankrupt...

Animation by Clark Miller

By Day, Elon Musk Rules Twitter—by Night, He’s Invading Our Dreams

By Zara Stone · Nov 23, 2022 12:00pm PST · 4 comments

Elon Musk made his first speaking appearance in Aaron Neyer’s dream life one night in mid-November. Neyer, a developer relations engineer at Google, dreamt that he was inside Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, where he spotted Musk exiting a meeting. He rushed over to the new Twitter owner and sounded out Musk’s... Elon Musk made his first speaking appearance in Aaron Neyer’s dream life one night in...

Alfred Lin. Photo by Getty Images.

The Star Sequoia Investor Behind FTX’s Collapse

By Kate Clark · Nov 23, 2022 11:00am PST · 2 comments

Last week, Sequoia Capital partner Doug Leone compared FTX’s blowup to childbirth. “Like having a child, you forget the pain of having that child three months later, a year later,” he said on stage at a conference in Europe.Leaving aside the strange and inappropriate metaphor, Sequoia should not “forget the pain” FTX has caused in three months... Last week, Sequoia Capital partner Doug Leone compared FTX’s blowup to childbirth. “Like having a...

Zach Dexter, CEO of LedgerX. Photo via LedgerX.

This FTX Unit May Help Customers Recover Some of Their Losses

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 23, 2022 10:34am PST

Zach Dexter, CEO of LedgerX. Photo via LedgerX.

This FTX Unit May Help Customers Recover Some of Their Losses

By Akash Pasricha · Nov 23, 2022 10:34am PST

The collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX has cost investors billions of dollars and dealt a stunning blow to venture capital firms. Now, creditors' hopes to recover some of those losses rest in part on LedgerX, a lesser-known unit that offered cryptocurrency derivatives. LedgerX is one of the few FTX subsidiaries that did not file for... The collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX has cost investors billions of dollars and dealt a...

Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco. Photo by Bloomberg

Cisco Faces Resistance to Software Bundles from Cost-Conscious Companies

By Aaron Holmes · Nov 23, 2022 6:00am PST · 5 comments

For years, Cisco has relied on a widely used tactic to drive sales: The enterprise tech giant pitches customers on large bundles of products that include everything from its core networking products to more peripheral offerings from its sprawling portfolio, such as security software and its Webex videoconferencing app. But now customers are... For years, Cisco has relied on a widely used tactic to drive sales: The enterprise tech giant...

Photo by Bloomberg

Why an Activist Investor Might Show Up at Amazon

By Martin Peers · Nov 22, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Sandwiched between the rapid-fire series of news reports last week about the FTX collapse and Elon Musk’s Twitter immolation were the layoffs at Amazon, which these days might seem par for the tech industry course. But what was significant about the Amazon cuts wasn’t just the fact that they happened. It was the incidental revelations from... Sandwiched between the rapid-fire series of news reports last week about the FTX collapse and...

Patreon CEO Jack Conte. Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

How Patreon’s Leadership Team Stacks Up on Diversity; Student Athletes Rake in Cash

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 22, 2022 2:00pm PST

Tiffany Stevenson, chief people officer of Patreon, announced internally earlier this month that she would leave the membership platform for creators and fans at the end of November. Her departure leaves the startup without a single woman among its vice presidents, senior vice presidents and C-suite officers, according to a new org chart... Tiffany Stevenson, chief people officer of Patreon, announced internally earlier this month that...

Sequoia Capital's Alfred Lin. Photo by Getty Images

FTX Collapse Tarnishes Sequoia’s Reputation, Prompts Apology

By Cory Weinberg, Kate Clark and Maria Heeter · Nov 22, 2022 12:53pm PST · 6 comments

Sequoia Capital's Alfred Lin. Photo by Getty Images

FTX Collapse Tarnishes Sequoia’s Reputation, Prompts Apology

By Cory Weinberg, Kate Clark and Maria Heeter · Nov 22, 2022 12:53pm PST · 6 comments

Sequoia Capital’s Alfred Lin made a name for himself as a loyal confidant to the tenacious, often-doubted founders of companies like DoorDash and Airbnb, a commitment that helped catapult him to the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ list of top venture capitalists. Then Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, entered his life. The spectacular... Sequoia Capital’s Alfred Lin made a name for himself as a loyal confidant to the tenacious,...