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

Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger. Photo: Bloomberg

The Risk in Intel’s New Chipmaking Strategy

By Stephen Nellis · Feb 23, 2022 6:00am PST · 2 comments

Since the 1990s, Intel has managed the huge capital demands of the chipmaking business by concentrating on designing the most advanced and profitable chips and keeping its manufacturing operations lean. The company routinely snapped up billions of dollars in chipmaking tools, only to sell them off a few years later when they were no longer... Since the 1990s, Intel has managed the huge capital demands of the chipmaking business by...

Photo: Bloomberg

What to Expect From Coinbase Earnings; More on the OpenSea Hack

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 22, 2022 6:06pm PST

It’s a big week for crypto earnings, with Block and Coinbase both releasing their 2021 fourth-quarter results on Thursday. Today, we preview what to expect from Coinbase’s earnings call. Analysts expect fourth-quarter revenue of $1.98 billion, a nearly 300% increase from the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a regulatory filing. Analysts... It’s a big week for crypto earnings, with Block and Coinbase both releasing their 2021...

Spotify's Daniel Ek. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Spotify's Car Thing Will Stall

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

You’ve got to hand it to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek: He’s willing to try anything, no matter how silly it might seem, if it can help build his business. And we’re not talking about signing Joe Rogan. Instead, we’re thinking of Spotify’s new Car Thing device, released widely today. This gizmo lets people play the Spotify app in cars,... You’ve got to hand it to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek: He’s willing to try anything, no matter how silly...

Chart: Mike Sullivan

SoftBank Goes Big on the Creator Economy (Chart); Facebook Introduces Ad Revenue Sharing in Reels

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 22, 2022 2:58pm PST

Chart: Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy

SoftBank Goes Big on the Creator Economy (Chart); Facebook Introduces Ad Revenue Sharing in Reels

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 22, 2022 2:58pm PST

Our latest chart shows how SoftBank’s creator economy investments dovetail with areas the Japanese investing powerhouse’s CEO and founder, Masayoshi Son, has long championed, such as artificial intelligence. Over the past 12 months, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has made at least 10 investments in creator economy startups, including AI-powered... Our latest chart shows how SoftBank’s creator economy investments dovetail with areas the...

Art by Haejin Park.

The Most and Least Diverse Venture Capital Firms

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 22, 2022 11:54am PST · 1 comment

Over the last two years, many venture firms pledged to increase the diversity of their investment staff and the companies they back. It’s been difficult for venture capitalists, startup founders and others to determine the effectiveness of these efforts, but findings from The Information’s latest VC Diversity Index hold some answers.... Over the last two years, many venture firms pledged to increase the diversity of their investment...

The PlayStation VR2 headset, flanked by right and left hand VR2 "Sense" controllers. Credit: Sony.

Sony’s PlayStation VR2 Headset Design Sports New Comfort Features

By Mathew Olson · Feb 22, 2022 11:00am PST

Sony unveiled the design of its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset, revealing a device that on first glance looks quite similar to Meta Platforms’ Quest 2 headset. But a few new features suggest the new headset could be significantly more comfortable to wear than the original PlayStation VR headset. The only caveat is the headset’s cable... Sony unveiled the design of its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset, revealing a device that on...

From left: Li Bin photo from Zhongguancun Rongxin Financial Information Technology Alliance, Screenshot of China's president Xi Jinping via YouTube, Apple CEO Tim Cook photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan

Meet the Investor Bailing Out China’s Chip Industry

By Wayne Ma and Juro Osawa · Feb 22, 2022 6:00am PST

Last month, executives from two Chinese private equity firms hunkered down in a conference room at the Beijing headquarters of Tsinghua Unigroup. Once a star of China’s plan for semiconductor supremacy, Unigroup last year began choking on its own debt, filing for bankruptcy last July, and a government-led group had selected the two firms... Last month, executives from two Chinese private equity firms hunkered down in a conference room...

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Ford Model T cracked open the automobile market for the masses. Photo: Courtesy William Creswell/Creative Commons

Tesla and Its Rivals Don’t Want to Make Cheap EVs. That Choice Will Come Back to Haunt Them

By Steve LeVine · Feb 20, 2022 2:00pm PST

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Ford Model T cracked open the automobile market for the masses. Photo: Courtesy William Creswell/Creative Commons

Tesla and Its Rivals Don’t Want to Make Cheap EVs. That Choice Will Come Back to Haunt Them

By Steve LeVine · Feb 20, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!Be sure to register for the live chat at noon on Thursday: “The Straight Dope on the New Oil—Lithium.” My guest will be Joe Lowry, CEO of Global Lithium and one of the world’s foremost experts on the metal. Is there a shortage of lithium? Joe says the answer is yes—and that it will last through the decade. Tune... Welcome back to The Electric!Be sure to register for the live chat at noon on Thursday: “The...

Mapping Playboy's Digital Reinvention, Where NFTs Are the Magazine and the Metaverse Is the Mansion

Mapping Playboy's Digital Reinvention, Where NFTs Are the Magazine and the Metaverse Is the Mansion

By Jon Steinberg · Feb 19, 2022 8:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!For most of our kids’ lives, my wife and I have avoided giving them much technology. We’re not puritanical about it, but we saw little upside in letting our two girls own their own phones, tablets, smartwatches, or gaming consoles. But now that they are 12 and 10 years old, the daily drumbeat to let them have all of... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!For most of our kids’ lives, my wife and I have avoided giving them...

A London bus advertising Gopuff services. Photo: AP

A Vibe Shift in Venture

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 18, 2022 5:00pm PST

Earlier this week, The Cut published a story entitled “A Vibe Shift is Coming. Will Any of Us Survive It?” that quickly went viral, at least among the blue checkmark crowd on Twitter (the story was about a possible comeback of decadence in fashion and other parts of popular culture). The Information’s own Berber Jin today identified a different... Earlier this week, The Cut published a story entitled “A Vibe Shift is Coming. Will Any of Us...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

The Bunnies Have Left the Mansion: Inside Playboy’s Quest to Reinvent Itself as a Tech Company

By Annie Goldsmith · Feb 18, 2022 1:00pm PST · 4 comments

Mia Khalifa would be an obvious choice for a Playboy Playmate of the Month, if such a thing still existed. Instead, one of the biggest names in adult entertainment just signed up for its digital equivalent. Khalifa, a social media influencer and former porn star with 27 million Instagram followers, is set to join Playboy’s new subscription... Mia Khalifa would be an obvious choice for a Playboy Playmate of the Month, if such a thing still...

Post-Pandemic Changes Shine a Spotlight on Emerging Female Executives

By The Information Staff · Feb 18, 2022 12:18pm PST

Post-Pandemic Changes Shine a Spotlight on Emerging Female Executives

By The Information Staff · Feb 18, 2022 12:18pm PST

At the Women in Tech Leadership Forum, The Information brought together top female executives to discuss the incoming and evolving generation of employees, customers, and products following the workplace disruption brought on by the pandemic. The various forums examined different aspects of the post-pandemic workplace, including multiple... At the Women in Tech Leadership Forum, The Information brought together top female executives to...

Ro Khanna photo by Sam Gavin. Cover courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

Ro Khanna’s “Dignity in a Digital Age” Looks to Spread Tech Wealth Beyond the Valley

By Jon Steinberg · Feb 18, 2022 12:00pm PST · 5 comments

This is 10 Questions, in which we ask tech authors to pull back the covers on their recently released books. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Ro Khanna is best known as a three-term congressman from Silicon Valley, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and a vocal critic of the Big Tech companies headquartered... This is 10 Questions, in which we ask tech authors to pull back the covers on their recently...

Art by Haejin Park

The Boys Who Cried ‘Dox!’

By Margaux MacColl · Feb 18, 2022 11:00am PST · 6 comments

When Danny Casale tells me he is “completely, fully doxxed,” a series of nightmare images flash through my mind: videogame designers bombarded with rape and death threats, SWAT teams swarming the homes of innocent people, journalists inundated with crude photos. For me, and I imagine for most people familiar with the term, “doxxing” still... When Danny Casale tells me he is “completely, fully doxxed,” a series of nightmare images flash...

Anthony Eisen is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Afterpay

Q&A

What’s Next for Afterpay After Acquisition by Dorsey’s Block

By Malique Morris · Feb 18, 2022 10:35am PST

Afterpay co-CEO Anthony Eisen is experiencing the buy now, pay later industry at an inflection point as competition mounts and the pandemic tailwind for e-commerce fades. And stand-alone services have two options to battle that: Differentiate themselves or look for a deal to scale up. The Australia-based online lender is now part of... Afterpay co-CEO Anthony Eisen is experiencing the buy now, pay later industry at an inflection...

Brian Robbins talks about 'SpongeBob SquarePants' at an investor day event for Paramount+. Screengrab via Vimeo.

Why Disney+, Paramount+ and Legacy Media Streamers Can’t Escape the Past

By Andrew A. Rosen · Feb 18, 2022 9:00am PST · 2 comments

Brian Robbins talks about 'SpongeBob SquarePants' at an investor day event for Paramount+. Screengrab via Vimeo.

Why Disney+, Paramount+ and Legacy Media Streamers Can’t Escape the Past

By Andrew A. Rosen · Feb 18, 2022 9:00am PST · 2 comments

PARQOR is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, sign up here. Cultural criticism is not investment advice. But investors with emerging concerns about the future of streaming business models will find their echo in a criticism of streaming services’ vast... PARQOR is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every...

Daniel Sundheim, founder and chief investment officer of D1 Capital Partners, in 2019. Photo: Bloomberg.

Tiger Global, D1 Capital Signal Pullback From Big Private Tech Deals Amid Market Rout

By Berber Jin · Feb 18, 2022 6:00am PST · 5 comments

Responding to a steep sell-off in technology stocks, some hedge funds and other investment firms with large public stock portfolios have been turning away from investing in the most mature startups, reducing what’s been a crucial source of funding for the better part of two years. Instead they are focusing on buying beaten-down public tech... Responding to a steep sell-off in technology stocks, some hedge funds and other investment firms...

Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire. Photo: Sequoia Capital.

What Sequoia’s New Fund Says About its Crypto Ambitions

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 17, 2022 5:30pm PST

Sequoia Capital’s announcement Thursday that it was raising between $500 million and $600 million for a new fund focused exclusively on cryptocurrency startups is notable for a few reasons. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based firm had already signaled its intent to go deep on crypto last year, allocating 20% of its new investments to the sector. The... Sequoia Capital’s announcement Thursday that it was raising between $500 million and $600 million...

Palantir CEO Alexander Karp. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Flaws in Palantir's Big Tech-Like Growth Tactic

By Martin Peers · Feb 17, 2022 5:00pm PST

Enterprise software firm Palantir has proudly trod its own path in the tech industry, embracing an openly nationalist attitude that is in keeping with its roots serving the defense and intelligence communities. In his first appearance on a company earnings call today, CEO Alexander Karp even described Palantir as a company that “in every way... Enterprise software firm Palantir has proudly trod its own path in the tech industry, embracing...

Lyonel Dougé, CEO of TipSnaps. Photo: TipSnaps

Crowdfunding the Creator Economy; A Teen TikToker’s Violent Stalker

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 17, 2022 2:05pm PST

Lyonel Dougé, CEO of TipSnaps. Photo: TipSnaps

Creator Economy

Crowdfunding the Creator Economy; A Teen TikToker’s Violent Stalker

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 17, 2022 2:05pm PST

A growing number of startups are making it easier for creators to finance their video production beyond maxing out their credit cards. Below we look at three that offer a creator-focused version of the crowdfunding popularized by Kickstarter and GofundMe. On U.K.-based Ko-fi, for example, creators can set a crowdfunding goal and accept... A growing number of startups are making it easier for creators to finance their video production...