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

A sign above the entrance to a Sberbank of Russia PJSC bank branch in Moscow. Sberbank is a limited partner in at least one fund that invests in U.S. startups. Photo by Bloomberg

Startup Founders, VC Firms Reexamine Ties to Russian Investors After Attack on Ukraine

By Kate Clark and Berber Jin · Feb 26, 2022 2:59pm PST

Russia’s sudden attack on Ukraine has spurred startup founders to reexamine their ties to Russian investors out of concern their funds could be linked to the Russian government. Those entrepreneurs include Vadim Rogovskiy, co-founder and CEO of 3DLook. The San Mateo, Calif.–based developer of 3D body-scanning technology raised a... Russia’s sudden attack on Ukraine has spurred startup founders to reexamine their ties to...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Becoming Travis Kalanick

Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Becoming Travis Kalanick

By Jon Steinberg · Feb 26, 2022 8:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The world has watched armed conflicts unfold through social media before—the civil war in Syria, to name one, produced indelible images that rocketed around the internet. But there’s never been anything like what’s transpired this week in Ukraine. For every devastating account of Ukrainian civilians fleeing the... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The world has watched armed conflicts unfold through social media...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Dear Parentverse: I Forbid My Middle-Schooler From Using Social Media. How Do I Get Her School to Back Me Up?

By Emily Dreyfuss · Feb 26, 2022 7:00am PST · 6 comments

This isParentverse, The Information Weekend’s advice column for tech-savvy parents.Email us your questions [email protected], if you don’t mind sharing them with your fellow subscribers, post them in the comments below. Dear Parentverse: My 11-year-old daughter has a flip phone for emergencies, but I haven’t let her use a... This isParentverse, The Information Weekend’s advice column for tech-savvy parents.Email us your...

Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane. Photo by Bloomberg.

What’s Next for Zendesk and Momentive After Deal Collapse

By Martin Peers · Feb 25, 2022 5:00pm PST

Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane. Photo by Bloomberg.

What’s Next for Zendesk and Momentive After Deal Collapse

By Martin Peers · Feb 25, 2022 5:00pm PST

The board of Zendesk may want to rethink the company’s name, at least while they still have a job, as there’s certainly nothing zen about the enterprise software firm nowadays. As was inevitable, Zendesk’s proposed acquisition of Momentive Global, once known as SurveyMonkey, went down in flames today when Zendesk shareholders voted... The board of Zendesk may want to rethink the company’s name, at least while they still have a...

Photography by Robert Ascroft /Showtime

Becoming Travis Kalanick: To Play the Pugnacious Ex-Uber Boss, a Star Taps Into His Animal Nature

By Josh Duboff · Feb 25, 2022 12:00pm PST

“Dude, it’s so fun.” Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is on the phone from Los Angeles, describing what it was like to play against type as the notoriously volatile Uber founder Travis Kalanick in Showtime’s upcoming “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.” Though channeling that kind of character was fun for Gordon-Levitt, it wasn’t always comfortable. “... “Dude, it’s so fun.” Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is on the phone from Los Angeles, describing what...

Art by Haejin Park.

How a Founder’s Family of Surgeons Inspired ‘The Match.com of Hospitals and Nurses’

By Annie Goldsmith · Feb 25, 2022 12:00pm PST

In our new column, My Life’s Work, we ask tech founders and executives how their unique life experiences influenced their careers. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. When Dr. Iman Abuzeid founded Incredible Health, a staffing engine for nurses, in 2017, she didn’t anticipate that a pandemic would soon make hiring healthcare... In our new column, My Life’s Work, we ask tech founders and executives how their unique life...

Simulation of Meta's Project Nazare augmented reality glasses. Credit: Meta

Meta Platforms Dissolves Team Developing New AR and VR Operating System

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Feb 25, 2022 6:00am PST

Meta Platforms has broken up a group of more than 300 employees working on operating systems for its virtual and augmented reality devices, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. In the process, the company dispersed the team that had been working on a new OS from scratch, code-named XROS, to power the company’s... Meta Platforms has broken up a group of more than 300 employees working on operating systems for...

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, speaks during ETHDenver in Denver on Friday, Feb. 18. Photo: Bloomberg

Crypto Reacts to Russia Invading Ukraine; Coinbase and Block Report Q4 Results

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 24, 2022 5:38pm PST

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, speaks during ETHDenver in Denver on Friday, Feb. 18. Photo: Bloomberg

Crypto Reacts to Russia Invading Ukraine; Coinbase and Block Report Q4 Results

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 24, 2022 5:38pm PST

The world is starting to digest the news that Russia has begun a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest military action in Europe since World War II. Global financial markets reacted almost immediately, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq opening 3.5% down, before eventually rebounding to finish the day up 3%.But traders weren’t the only ones... The world is starting to digest the news that Russia has begun a full-scale invasion of Ukraine,...

A traffic jam as people try to leave Kyiv, Ukraine today after Russia's attack. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Today’s Tech Rally Misses Dangers of Ukraine Conflict

By Martin Peers · Feb 24, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

It didn’t take long today for U.S. investors to shrug off worries about Russia’s attack on Ukraine. After an initial broad market sell-off, tech stocks rallied strongly this afternoon, lifting the Nasdaq index by 3.3%. That might seem a surprising reaction given the potentially catastrophic effects of a European war on the global economy. Then... It didn’t take long today for U.S. investors to shrug off worries about Russia’s attack on...

Photos by Bloomberg; AP. Art by Mike Sullivan

The Invasion of Ukraine Dramatizes the Folly of ‘The Sovereign Individual’

By E. Glen Weyl and Jaron Lanier · Feb 24, 2022 3:30pm PST · 11 comments

Europe at war, American democracy on the edge, cryptocurrencies and metaverses aspiring to replace much of reality as we know it—we live in heady times. Moments like these (not so different from the ’20s of the last century) conjure ambitious visions for remaking the world. Technology is often at the center of them, for better or... Europe at war, American democracy on the edge, cryptocurrencies and metaverses aspiring to...

An Uber taxi passes the headquarters of Ukraine's central bank in Kiev. Photo by Bloomberg

Tech Companies Race to Move Workers Out of Ukraine Hubs

By Paris Martineau · Feb 24, 2022 3:14pm PST · 3 comments

Tech companies in the U.S. and around the globe that have for years relied on Ukraine as a source of cheap and reliable tech talent are now rushing to evacuate employees and keep services online as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues. Companies including Lyft, Grammarly and ride-hailing startup Bolt are offering financial assistance to... Tech companies in the U.S. and around the globe that have for years relied on Ukraine as a source...

Ukrainian servicemen sit atop armored personnel carriers driving on a road in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Photo: AP

Instagram Influencers and Twitch Streamers Broadcast Russia's Ukraine Invasion

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 24, 2022 2:17pm PST

Ukrainian servicemen sit atop armored personnel carriers driving on a road in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Photo: AP

Creator Economy

Instagram Influencers and Twitch Streamers Broadcast Russia's Ukraine Invasion

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 24, 2022 2:17pm PST

It’s a jarring contrast: Just a day ago, Sofia Stuzhuk, an influencer in Ukraine with 5.5 million followers, was posting videos of playing with her young daughter and a new manicure on Instagram Stories. Then on Thursday, her short videos started focusing on a geopolitical crisis, as Stuzhuk reposted a video of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr... It’s a jarring contrast: Just a day ago, Sofia Stuzhuk, an influencer in Ukraine with 5.5 million...

A metaverse wine tasting, as depicted in the "Viverse" concept reel. Credit: HTC.

HTC’s New Metaverse Plans Are Not Going Over Well With Customers

By Mathew Olson · Feb 24, 2022 11:00am PST

We learned on Wednesday just how much HTC wants to be seen as a fully fledged, all-around metaverse player, not just a company known for capable VR products. The maker of Vive VR products released a new concept video of the “Viverse,” a day-in-the-life depiction of a theoretical metaverse. The video mixes real Vive VR products with a heavy dose... We learned on Wednesday just how much HTC wants to be seen as a fully fledged, all-around...

Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin on stage at EthDenver.
Photo by Alexandra Masihy, EthDenver.

Scene and Heard

In Denver, an Ethereum Conference Overflows With Burning Man Vibes and Anti-VC Sentiment

By Kate Clark · Feb 24, 2022 10:00am PST · 4 comments

“You can’t help but walk around here and go, ‘What the fuck is this?’” John Paller is sitting in a small, white-walled meeting room somewhere inside the century-old Denver Sports Castle, a six-floor, 35,000-square-foot former Chrysler showroom that’s overdue for a renovation. The longtime Denver entrepreneur says that the venue is a “total pile... “You can’t help but walk around here and go, ‘What the fuck is this?’” John Paller is sitting in...

Images via Shutterstock; art by Mike Sullivan

Modest Proposals

How to Put Physical Assets on the Blockchain

By Sam Lessin · Feb 24, 2022 9:00am PST · 19 comments

People who focus on crypto love to talk about the importance of bringing “real-world,” hard-to-trade assets like real estate onto the blockchain. Why? The advantages go both ways. For the crypto ecosystem, bringing physical assets (and their associated cash flows) on chain would unlock immense value and help end the reliance on... People who focus on crypto love to talk about the importance of bringing...

Screengrab of Jeremy Achin via YouTube. Art by Mike Sullivan

DataRobot, a $6 Billion AI Startup, Fired Executives After Complaints About Sexist Culture

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 24, 2022 6:00am PST

Screengrab of Jeremy Achin via YouTube. Art by Mike Sullivan

DataRobot, a $6 Billion AI Startup, Fired Executives After Complaints About Sexist Culture

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 24, 2022 6:00am PST

When the board of directors at artificial intelligence software startup DataRobot pushed out its CEO last March, they did so partly because the executive, Jeremy Achin, feuded with his sales teams and resisted the idea of taking the company public. But board members also hoped a change would foster a more welcoming environment for women,... When the board of directors at artificial intelligence software startup DataRobot pushed out its...

Block CEO Jack Dorsey at a bitcoin conference in Miami on June 4. Photo: Bloomberg.

Block’s Earnings Preview; Who’s Decamped to Web3 Firms in 2022

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 23, 2022 5:30pm PST

All eyes are on CEO Jack Dorsey as Block announces its earnings after the close of the market on Thursday. It’s the first report since the company changed its name from Square to Block in early December.Analysts polled by S&P Market Intelligence forecast Block will generate $4.06 billion in revenue, up 29% from the fourth quarter of 2020.... All eyes are on CEO Jack Dorsey as Block announces its earnings after the close of the market on...

An Allbirds store in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Allbirds Avoids Walking in Meta’s Shoes

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 23, 2022 5:00pm PST

Lately, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how Apple’s mobile privacy changes—which recently blew a hole in the finances and stock of Meta, Facebook’s parent company—may also affect lots of other companies that have benefited from relatively cheap advertising on Facebook. Earlier this week, Ben Thompson said in a post on his Stratechery... Lately, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how Apple’s mobile privacy changes—which...

Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

LinkedIn Jumps Into Podcasts; OpenSea Recruits Another Meta Exec

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 23, 2022 3:41pm PST

LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network tries to carve out territory in the ongoing battle for influencers and their fans. On Wednesday, it announced its latest effort: its own collection of podcasts, which will include those produced by creators such as communications executive Morra... LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network...

A game created inside Horizon Worlds, Meta's newest social VR app. Credit: Meta Platforms.

Why Meta’s AI Research Could Make or Break Its Metaverse Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Feb 23, 2022 12:30pm PST

A game created inside Horizon Worlds, Meta's newest social VR app. Credit: Meta Platforms.

Why Meta’s AI Research Could Make or Break Its Metaverse Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Feb 23, 2022 12:30pm PST

Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In essence, Builder Bot works like a voice assistant for quickly sketching out virtual worlds. The company hopes such assistants will help spur creativity—and, by extension, economic activity—in the metaverse. It’s a compelling idea, and one that could go a... Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In...