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

Gopuff, Like Instacart, Is Dreaming of an Amazon-Like Ad Business

By Berber Jin, Mark Di Stefano and Sahil Patel · Feb 1, 2022 11:22am PST

Amazon built a $24 billion U.S. ad business by selling ad spots on its marketplace to merchants. Gopuff hopes to follow in its footsteps. The money-losing rapid-delivery startup is ramping up its ad sales efforts in hopes of strengthening its finances ahead of a possible public listing, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Gopuff... Amazon built a $24 billion U.S. ad business by selling ad spots on its marketplace to merchants....

The exterior of an Apple retail store. Photo: Bloomberg.

Apple May Warm to WebXR; What’s Next In Games and Metaverse M&A?

By Mathew Olson · Feb 1, 2022 11:00am PST

AR/VR developers, take note: new evidence suggests Apple will support the WebXR standard both in its Safari browser and on its upcoming headset. Such a move would help shift development for AR/VR further away from a discrete app model and toward something a bit more open like the old web (or even, yes, like the m-word everyone is throwing around... AR/VR developers, take note: new evidence suggests Apple will support the WebXR standard both in...

Art by Haejin Park

How Tiger Global Found Its Winning Strategy

By Sebastian Mallaby · Feb 1, 2022 9:00am PST

The invention of the growth-equity business began with a phone call. A young analyst named Scott Shleifer had recently joined Tiger Global, a small New York hedge fund. In the summer of 2002, a friend got in touch. “My work is going very poorly,” Shleifer told him. His mission was to scope out hedge-fund investments in semiconductors... The invention of the growth-equity business began with a phone call. A young analyst named Scott...

Microsoft’s ‘Netflix for Games’ Could One Day Tame Yo-Yoing Gaming Revenue

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 1, 2022 6:00am PST

Microsoft’s ‘Netflix for Games’ Could One Day Tame Yo-Yoing Gaming Revenue

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 1, 2022 6:00am PST

Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $68 billion—the biggest deal in the software giant’s history—in large part to help it supercharge a Microsoft subscription game service that could shake up how people pay for console games. That service has a long way to go before it transforms Microsoft’s games business,... Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $68 billion—the biggest deal in the software...

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Photo: Bloomberg

What FTX’s Latest Raise Says About the Private Market

By Akash Pasricha · Jan 31, 2022 5:11pm PST

Another week, another fundraising from a company with FTX in its name. The Bahamian cryptocurrency exchange FTX closed a $400 million round on Monday, valuing the company at $32 billion. The announcement came just days after the company’s American affiliate, FTX US, closed a $400 million round at an $8 billion valuation.They represent two more... Another week, another fundraising from a company with FTX in its name. The Bahamian...

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. Photo by Bloomberg.

Spotify’s Real Challenge

By Martin Peers · Jan 31, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

If the past few days have proved anything, it’s that reporters pay more attention to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell than do investors. After rising 13% today amid a broader market upswing, Spotify shares are now back to where they were trading before Neil Young pulled his music off the service last week in protest over its hosting of Joe Rogan and... If the past few days have proved anything, it’s that reporters pay more attention to Neil Young...

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

What to Expect From Social Media Earnings This Week

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 31, 2022 3:20pm PST

This week brings a parade of fourth-quarter earnings from major tech companies. Here’s what we’re paying close attention to in the creator-sphere. Alphabet (Tuesday)Google parent company Alphabet began breaking out YouTube’s advertising revenue for the first time in February 2020. We’ll be watching to see if YouTube's revenue growth sped up... This week brings a parade of fourth-quarter earnings from major tech companies. Here’s what we’re...

Jokr advertisements in Manhattan. Photo: AP

Instant Delivery Startup Jokr in Talks to Sell New York Operations

By Berber Jin · Jan 31, 2022 11:33am PST · 1 comment

Jokr advertisements in Manhattan. Photo: AP

Instant Delivery Startup Jokr in Talks to Sell New York Operations

By Berber Jin · Jan 31, 2022 11:33am PST · 1 comment

Instant-delivery startup Jokr has initiated talks to sell its New York operations, which make up the bulk of its U.S. business, after encountering heavy losses in the city, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter. Jokr has reached out to several rivals, including Philadelphia-based Gopuff, Istanbul-based Getir and California-based... Instant-delivery startup Jokr has initiated talks to sell its New York operations, which make up...

A look at how Meta's avatars will be integrated into Instagram. Credit: Meta Platforms.

Meta’s Avatars Meet Instagram; Ubisoft’s Metaverse Missteps

By Mathew Olson · Jan 31, 2022 11:01am PST

Today, for the first time since the company’s rebranding, Meta Platforms announced a step forward for its metaverse ambitions that isn’t reliant on VR or AR. Meta’s avatar system—the tools it gives users to make 3D caricatures of themselves—is getting an update that brings the avatars into Instagram for the first time.What use are these avatars,... Today, for the first time since the company’s rebranding, Meta Platforms announced a step forward...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Vinod Khosla: “Stop Asking Me About the Markets”

By Vinod Khosla · Jan 31, 2022 9:00am PST · 4 comments

We in venture capital often get asked, “How is the market cycle affecting your investing?” And at times like this, with tech stocks now in correction territory, we get it more than ever. Here’s the answer: If you’re pursuing radical innovation, market cycles matter much less. Public market and hedge fund investors... We in venture capital often get asked, “How is the market cycle affecting your...

The People With Power at Stripe After COO Steps Back

By Kate Clark · Jan 31, 2022 6:00am PST · 1 comment

A public listing of online payments giant Stripe, which could occur as soon as this year, will be a major event on Wall Street. Stripe was valued at $95 billion in a March fundraising but is worth $225 billion or higher based on offers in the secondary market for private shares. That puts the spotlight on the core group of Stripe executives who... A public listing of online payments giant Stripe, which could occur as soon as this year, will be...

Left to right, Redwood Materials' JB Straubel, Northvolt's Paolo Cerruti and Peter Carlsson, American Battery's Ryan Melsert, and QuantumScape's Celina Mikolajczak. Photos: Bloomberg, Northvolt, ABTC, QuantumScape. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Meet the 12 Tesla Diaspora Members Building Battery Supply Chains That Carmakers Won’t

By Steve LeVine · Jan 30, 2022 2:00pm PST

Left to right, Redwood Materials' JB Straubel, Northvolt's Paolo Cerruti and Peter Carlsson, American Battery's Ryan Melsert, and QuantumScape's Celina Mikolajczak. Photos: Bloomberg, Northvolt, ABTC, QuantumScape. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Meet the 12 Tesla Diaspora Members Building Battery Supply Chains That Carmakers Won’t

By Steve LeVine · Jan 30, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! For months, I’ve been discussing the shortage and price spike in battery metals, and how it puts the U.S. and Europe at a sharp competitive disadvantage to China. But I have not mentioned a particular group of companies that’s attempting to tackle this problem. Today I profile these three companies and the... Welcome back to The Electric! For months, I’ve been discussing the shortage and price spike...

The Information Weekend: A Tech Shaman Rises in the Yucatan; a Guide to Surviving the Crypto Winter; and Why You Should Give ‘Cheer’ a Chance

The Information Weekend: A Tech Shaman Rises in the Yucatan; a Guide to Surviving the Crypto Winter; and Why You Should Give ‘Cheer’ a Chance

By Jon Steinberg · Jan 29, 2022 8:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!If you’re feeling some post-New Year’s malaise right now, you’re not alone. It’s only natural amidst a volatile week on the stock market, the onset of a potential crypto winter, and the forecast (on the East Coast, at least) of snowpocalypse. But it’s good to know that you can ignore the doldrums and duck out to... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!If you’re feeling some post-New Year’s malaise right now, you’re not...

Art by Mike Sullivan, Shutterstock

A Survivor’s Guide to Braving the Crypto Winter

By Margaux MacColl · Jan 29, 2022 6:00am PST · 2 comments

There’s a cold front in the metaverse. Stoked by investor fears of rising interest rates and dried up liquidity, the price of cryptocurrencies plummeted this week, with the market shedding a trillion dollars from bitcoin’s all-time high in November. The swoon is giving crypto diehards flashbacks to 2018. That was the last time the industry... There’s a cold front in the metaverse. Stoked by investor fears of rising interest rates and...

Alphabet's Mountain View headquarters. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Dangers of War Against Google’s Ad Tech

By Martin Peers · Jan 28, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Google’s legal department has its hands full these days, given numerous antitrust lawsuits filed both by the Justice Department and individual states targeting different parts of its business. Our scoop today—about how a bipartisan group of senators is putting together a bill to force Google to divest its ad tech operations—will only add to the... Google’s legal department has its hands full these days, given numerous antitrust lawsuits filed...

From left: Sens. Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photos by Bloomberg

Senators Target Google With New Bill to Break Its Grip on Murky Ad Tech Market

By Josh Sisco, Sarah Krouse and Mark Di Stefano · Jan 28, 2022 2:09pm PST · 2 comments

From left: Sens. Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photos by Bloomberg

Senators Target Google With New Bill to Break Its Grip on Murky Ad Tech Market

By Josh Sisco, Sarah Krouse and Mark Di Stefano · Jan 28, 2022 2:09pm PST · 2 comments

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators that has been trying to rein in Google and other big tech companies plans to introduce a bill that would regulate the shadowy world of online ads more like how the government regulates Wall Street. The draft bill, aiming to prevent potential conflicts of interest, would effectively force Google to sell or spin... A bipartisan group of U.S. senators that has been trying to rein in Google and other big tech...

Illustration by Danielle Davis.

After Winning a Buffalo, N.Y., Startup Competition, a Founder Trades Sand for Snow

By Annie Goldsmith · Jan 28, 2022 12:00pm PST

In this week’s Decamped, we chat with Scott Wayman, CEO and founder of Kangarootime, a software company for child-care centers and preschools. Wayman moved from Long Beach, Calif., to Buffalo, N.Y., after winning the 43North startup accelerator competition, but he’s relocating his company for the long run. Why Buffalo: So 43North is an economic... In this week’s Decamped, we chat with Scott Wayman, CEO and founder of Kangarootime, a software...

Jacob Ward

Jacob Ward’s “The Loop” Peers Into the Black Box of Machine-Learning Algorithms and Returns With a Dire Warning

By Jon Steinberg · Jan 28, 2022 12:00pm PST · 3 comments

This is “10 Questions,” a new featurein which we ask tech authors to pull back the covers on their recently released books. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. In 2015, NBC science and technology correspondent Jacob Ward began to meet researchers who were doing revolutionary work on understanding unconscious human behaviors.... This is “10 Questions,” a new featurein which we ask tech authors to pull back the covers on...

Art by Mike Sullivan. All photographs courtesy the Temple of Light.

Prayers of the Tuluminati: Down in the Yucatan, a Temple and Its Tech Shaman Chase Enlightenment

By Zoe Bernard · Jan 28, 2022 6:00am PST · 5 comments

Ben Way—serial entrepreneur, investor, and seeker of higher truths—stands over the stovetop in his airy hacienda in Tulum, Mexico, stirring an enormous vat of pea soup. Because he is in the midst of an annual detox, which began on January 1, the soup will be Way’s first meal in five days. Despite this lack of sustenance, Way exudes tremendous... Ben Way—serial entrepreneur, investor, and seeker of higher truths—stands over the stovetop in...

Apple's new Mac laptop. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Mac Renaissance

By Martin Peers · Jan 27, 2022 5:19pm PST

Apple's new Mac laptop. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Mac Renaissance

By Martin Peers · Jan 27, 2022 5:19pm PST

For a company as routinely successful as Apple, continued success can get repetitive. Tonight’s earnings call, for instance, was so full of the usual hyperbole about record revenues that Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri repeated a segment of his commentary without missing a beat. But within the eye-glazing recitations of Apple’s various... For a company as routinely successful as Apple, continued success can get repetitive. Tonight’s...