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

Art by Mike Sullivan via Shutterstock

Modest Proposals

Creator Financing Is Going Mainstream

By Sam Lessin and Megan Lightcap · Dec 29, 2022 9:00am PST · 1 comment

In November 2021, Sam wrote an article outlining experiments we had been doing at Slow Ventures to invest directly in creators and serial entrepreneurs as individuals rather than backing traditional companies. What a difference a year makes. In the last 12 months the idea of directly financing creators has gone from a fringe experiment to... In November 2021, Sam wrote an article outlining experiments we had been doing at Slow...

Photo via Shutterstock.

Silicon Valley Leans on Top Performers to Inspire Slimmed-Down Workforces

By Mark Matousek · Dec 29, 2022 6:05am PST · 4 comments

After slashing headcount and rooting out underperformers, some of Silicon Valley’s biggest employers are leaning more on their best workers to get colleagues to step up their game. Salesforce last month launched a new program aimed at encouraging high-performing salespeople to help out their peers. Meta’s human resources department... After slashing headcount and rooting out underperformers, some of Silicon Valley’s biggest...

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September. Photo by Getty Images

Bezos Could Be the Real Winner from Amazon’s Sports Deals

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 28, 2022 5:14pm PST

Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move when they began showering billions of dollars on sports leagues for streaming rights to their games. But even if those deals turn out to be duds for the likes of Amazon, Alphabet’s YouTube and others, tech billionaires may have found another way to... Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move...

Creators are welcomed to a YouTube Shorts policy event in October 2022. Photo: Getty Images

Top Creator Economy Moments of 2022

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 28, 2022 3:40pm PST

Creators are welcomed to a YouTube Shorts policy event in October 2022. Photo: Getty Images

Creator Economy

Top Creator Economy Moments of 2022

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 28, 2022 3:40pm PST

Super-tweeter Elon Musk buys Twitter. Facebook’s parent fires 11,000 workers. MrBeast tries to become a creator-unicorn. Those are some of the most remarkable moments for the creator economy in 2022, a year that’s had plenty of wild headlines even while some the buzz—and funding dollars—has faded. Here are our favorites, in descending... Super-tweeter Elon Musk buys Twitter. Facebook’s parent fires 11,000 workers. MrBeast tries to...

Art by Shane Burke

The Year That Crypto Shattered

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 28, 2022 1:52pm PST

It really has been a monstrous year for crypto. The sector climbed to stunning heights with check sizes swelling beyond comprehension. But now, a string of blowups—and crypto’s once-wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried charged with wire fraud and money laundering—have plunged markets into a cold and bitter crypto winter. The story of 2022 can be... It really has been a monstrous year for crypto. The sector climbed to stunning heights with check...

The New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg

Pinduoduo and Other U.S.-Listed Chinese Tech Stocks Cancel Plans to List in Hong Kong

By Juro Osawa · Dec 28, 2022 12:03pm PST

Major New York-listed Chinese tech stocks are dropping plans to also list their shares in Hong Kong, signaling the companies no longer feel the need to hedge against future regulatory conflicts between the U.S. and China. Nasdaq-listed e-commerce firm Pinduoduo, which has a market capitalization of $100 billion, has put discussions about a... Major New York-listed Chinese tech stocks are dropping plans to also list their shares in Hong...

Art by Shane Burke/Getty Images.

Amazon Has Discussed a Stand-Alone Sports App as Andy Jassy Doubles Down on Prime Video

By Theo Wayt and Martin Peers · Dec 28, 2022 6:00am PST · 3 comments

Amazon has discussed doing a stand-alone app for watching sports content, people briefed on the conversations told The Information. The move comes as CEO Andy Jassy doubles down on the company’s streaming ambitions. While one of those people said the company hasn’t made a decision about whether to proceed on the effort, the... Amazon has discussed doing a stand-alone app for watching sports content, people briefed on the...

A TSMC chip factory in Taiwan. Photo via TSMC

A Chip Party to Lift Apple’s Spirits

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 27, 2022 5:00pm PST

A TSMC chip factory in Taiwan. Photo via TSMC

A Chip Party to Lift Apple’s Spirits

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 27, 2022 5:00pm PST

There’s going to be a party in Taiwan on Thursday—and not a moment too soon for Apple’s sake. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the chipmaking wizard, is having an event to celebrate the start of mass production of chips using a cutting-edge technique called the 3-nanometer process. Using the new technique, TSMC will be able to jam more... There’s going to be a party in Taiwan on Thursday—and not a moment too soon for Apple’s sake....

An Instacart shopper fulfills a grocery order at a Harris Teeter in Washington, D.C., in 2020. Photo by Getty.

Instacart Cuts Internal Valuation by Another 20% to $10 Billion

By Erin Woo · Dec 27, 2022 4:44pm PST · 2 comments

Instacart, the grocery delivery startup that bankers expect will list its shares publicly next year, has cut its internal valuation to around $10 billion, according to two people familiar with the situation. The new valuation is 20% lower than the one it had in October and nearly 75% lower than the price investors paid for shares early last... Instacart, the grocery delivery startup that bankers expect will list its shares publicly next...

Chart: Shane Burke

Creator Economy

The Year 2022 for Creators in Two Charts

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 27, 2022 3:10pm PST

When we look back at 2022—and ahead to next year—two trends stick out. First, it’s become even more clear that social media executives find some of their best ideas by copying rival apps, from giants like TikTok to upstarts such as BeReal. Plus, a table of the biggest creator funds shows how these pools of cash, designed to entice creators to... When we look back at 2022—and ahead to next year—two trends stick out. First, it’s become even...

Art by Shane Burke.

The Information’s 2023 Predictions

By The Information Staff · Dec 27, 2022 6:30am PST · 8 comments

It’s safe to say that the two biggest tech stories of 2022—the twists and turns of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and the collapse of FTX—were not on anyone’s minds this time last year. That raises the question of what 2023 will bring. We have some predictions to make. As we note below, the stage is set for big... It’s safe to say that the two biggest tech stories of 2022—the twists and turns of...

Art by Shane Burke.

What We Got Right (And Wrong) in Our Predictions for 2022

By The Information Staff · Dec 27, 2022 6:00am PST · 8 comments

Art by Shane Burke.

What We Got Right (And Wrong) in Our Predictions for 2022

By The Information Staff · Dec 27, 2022 6:00am PST · 8 comments

We’re near a wrap on 2022, which means it’s time to grade The Information’s predictions on technology and media. Each year our journalists check in with their sources and then tee up their forecasts for the most important mergers and acquisitions, stock offerings and CEO exits they expect to transpire. We got some predictions... We’re near a wrap on 2022, which means it’s time to grade The Information’s...

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 24, 2022 7:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your holiday Weekend!If you haven’t already slipped into a ’noghole (a bottomless tumbler of eggnog paired with an endless scroll of Netflix Christmas movies), we have a fascinating sampler of stories for you to indulge in this week.There’s Arielle’s dispatch from the red-hot AI scene in Texas, where a 6-foot-8-inch Kansan came up... Hi, welcome to your holiday Weekend!If you haven’t already slipped into a ’noghole (a bottomless...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Year in Art

The Information’s 22 Unskippable Culture Picks of 2022

By The Information Staff · Dec 23, 2022 11:00am PST · 2 comments

“White Lotus”? Check. Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”? Check. “Top Gun: Maverick”? Yes, of course, check. Those are the clear-cut cultural touchstones of the past year. But as we approach the holiday break, you may want to expand past the usual horizons and click on a podcast, take in a movie or crack open a... “White Lotus”? Check. Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”? Check. “Top...

Jasper founders Dave Rogenmoser, Chris Hull and J.P. Morgan. Art by Clark Miller; photo courtesy Jasper.

The Best Little Unicorn in Texas: Jasper Was Winning the AI Race—Then ChatGPT Blew Up the Whole Game

By Arielle Pardes · Dec 23, 2022 9:15am PST · 27 comments

A few weeks ago, Sam Altman, CEO of artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, logged onto a Zoom call. On the other side of the screen was Dave Rogenmoser, CEO of Jasper, a copywriting startup built on OpenAI’s flagship large-language model, GPT-3. The two companies share a Slack channel, where they trade updates and feedback about GPT-3,... A few weeks ago, Sam Altman, CEO of artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, logged onto a Zoom...

Boring Co. CEO Steve Davis, right, with Elon Musk. Photo by Getty Images

Musk May Have Found a Hardcore Leader for Twitter

By Becky Peterson and Erin Woo · Dec 23, 2022 8:32am PST · 9 comments

Boring Co. CEO Steve Davis, right, with Elon Musk. Photo by Getty Images

Musk May Have Found a Hardcore Leader for Twitter

By Becky Peterson and Erin Woo · Dec 23, 2022 8:32am PST · 9 comments

Like many new dads, The Boring Company CEO Steve Davis spent the first few weeks of fatherhood sleeping near his partner and newborn. Unlike other new fathers, Davis and his family were sleeping in an office—a makeshift bedroom at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, where Davis has spent the past two months acting as a proxy for... Like many new dads, The Boring Company CEO Steve Davis spent the first few weeks of fatherhood...

From left: Amarjit Gill, Johny Srouji, Lip-Bu Tan and Gerard Williams. Photos by Getty; SambaNova; Nuvia. Art by Mike Sullivan

At Apple, a War for Chip Talent Intensifies

By Wayne Ma · Dec 23, 2022 6:00am PST · 7 comments

For more than a decade, Apple’s silicon engineering group has helped give Apple a competitive edge in smartphones and laptops. The custom chips it designs make its products snappier to use or help them eke out an hour or more of extra battery life. Last year, though, Apple’s chip department hit a serious setback. Apple planned a... For more than a decade, Apple’s silicon engineering group has helped give Apple a...

Barry McCarthy and Reed Hastings. Photos by Bloomberg.

Netflix’s Fitness Move May Trip Up Peloton

By Martin Peers · Dec 22, 2022 5:00pm PST

Netflix chief Reed Hastings shouldn’t expect a holiday card from Barry McCarthy this year. The video-streaming giant likely spoiled the Peloton CEO’s Christmas this year with its announcement on Wednesday that it plans to start streaming fitness content from Nike on Dec. 30. Nike doesn’t offer everything that’s on Peloton—particularly when it... Netflix chief Reed Hastings shouldn’t expect a holiday card from Barry McCarthy this year. The...

Chart: Shane Burke

Creator Economy

The Price of Being a Creator Is Going Up

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 22, 2022 1:04pm PST

First came the layoffs, now come price hikes on creator tools. Startup Gumroad last week announced it would increase the cut it takes from creators’ sales of digital goods such as e-books, courses, memberships and newsletters on its platform. Online course platform Teachable also recently raised the prices of its monthly subscription plans... First came the layoffs, now come price hikes on creator tools. Startup Gumroad last week...

Art by Clark Miller

The Season’s Hottest Toy? Hint: It’s a YouTuber

By Abram Brown · Dec 22, 2022 12:00pm PST

Art by Clark Miller

The Season’s Hottest Toy? Hint: It’s a YouTuber

By Abram Brown · Dec 22, 2022 12:00pm PST

In September, Simon Philips found himself in an uncomfortable situation: seated across the aisle from two small children on a 10-hour work flight from Los Angeles to London. “Oh, god. What are they going to do?” Philips remembers thinking. As a father of two, Philips knows how bored kids can behave. Moreover, he’s spent a... In September, Simon Philips found himself in an uncomfortable situation: seated across the aisle...