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

Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

Creator Economy Investors Grow More Discerning; Pinterest Expands Its Creator Fund

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 28, 2022 2:56pm PDT

Today we released an update to the Creator Economy Database, which now features 175 global startups and more than $6 billion in venture capital raised by U.S. startups since January 2021. There’s a lot that changed.For a start, we took eight categories and divided them into 12 to reflect growth in certain niches. Creator platforms (38) and... Today we released an update to the Creator Economy Database, which now features 175 global...

A concept image of how mixed reality with Mesh and HoloLens 2. Credit: Microsoft.

Microsoft’s Metaverse Security Stance; Sony’s VR Eye-Tracking Gains

By Mathew Olson · Mar 28, 2022 11:00am PDT

Every new boom in internet tech comes with security risks—just ask all the crypto adherents who’ve had their NFTs pilfered and wallets drained. Microsoft’s new vice president of security, former Amazon Web Services executive Charlie Bell, says the potential security threats posed by the metaverse “could be deal-breakers for enterprises if we don... Every new boom in internet tech comes with security risks—just ask all the crypto adherents who’...

Apple CEO Tim Cook in a video promoting new privacy features in June 2021. Credit: Apple

Apple’s Next Blow to the Ad Industry May Be Hiding in Plain Sight

By Sarah Krouse · Mar 28, 2022 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Nearly a year after Apple implemented privacy changes that make it harder for digital advertisers to track how consumers use their smartphone apps, the iPhone maker has already introduced two other privacy features that mask the identity of Apple device users. Together, they threaten to further constrain the online ad industry’s ability to... Nearly a year after Apple implemented privacy changes that make it harder for digital advertisers...

Images via Shutterstock.

Creator Economy Startup Funding Drops 30% in First Quarter

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 28, 2022 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Images via Shutterstock.

Creator Economy Startup Funding Drops 30% in First Quarter

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 28, 2022 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Three new creator economy unicorns. Two startups running meme accounts. Several that incorporate crypto. And $1 billion in first-quarter investments. These are some of the highlights from The Information’s newly updated Creator Economy Database. It now features 175 global private companies in this sector, ranging from services that... Three new creator economy unicorns. Two startups running meme accounts. Several that incorporate...

Illustration: Haejin Park/The Information

The Electric Quarterly: China Tightens Its Grip on U.S. and European EV Makers

By Steve LeVine · Mar 27, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric!The year is just three months old, yet a torrent of events has already happened and new trends have taken shape. To help make sense of it all and connect the dots, below you will find the first issue of The Electric Quarterly, a four-times-a-year special edition of the publication that both wraps up the most recent... Welcome back to The Electric!The year is just three months old, yet a torrent of events has...

The Information Weekend's Special Kids and Tech Issue

The Information Weekend's Special Kids and Tech Issue

By Jon Steinberg · Mar 26, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! As the father of two tween girls, I eagerly anticipated the results of The Information’s first-ever survey of tech parents. The report is fascinating, both for the questions it answers, and the new ones it raises. How many hours of screen-time per day is “normal”? Is anyone out there actually letting kids use VR... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! As the father of two tween girls, I eagerly anticipated the...

Art by Clark Miller.

Play Games, Earn Crypto: For Children of Blockchain Pros, Play-to-Earn Gaming Opens a Brave New World

By Margaux MacColl · Mar 26, 2022 7:00am PDT

Michael Bacina’s daughter knew her father worked in the crypto industry, and she wanted in. Bacina, a lawyer at Piper Alderman in Sydney specializing in blockchain law, recalled a fateful day in a cafe two years ago, when his daughter, then 7 years old, turned to him and asked, “When are you going to buy some [bitcoin] for us?” He was thrilled—... Michael Bacina’s daughter knew her father worked in the crypto industry, and she wanted in....

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, earlier this month in Brussels. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Investors Shrugged Off Europe’s Big Tech Rules

By Nick Wingfield · Mar 25, 2022 4:55pm PDT

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, earlier this month in Brussels. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Investors Shrugged Off Europe’s Big Tech Rules

By Nick Wingfield · Mar 25, 2022 4:55pm PDT

Greetings!Go figure. Late Thursday, European policymakers agreed on new competition rules that could soon force the most powerful tech companies on the planet to make big changes to their businesses. What was the reaction from investors in Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Amazon and Apple—four of the “gatekeepers,” in EU parlance, who could face the... Greetings!Go figure. Late Thursday, European policymakers agreed on new competition rules that...

iStock. Art by Haejin Park.

Subscriber Survey

The Technology 1,000-Plus Tech Leaders Do (and Don’t) Give Their Kids

By The Information Staff · Mar 25, 2022 12:11pm PDT

Silicon Valley’s children spend far less time on screens than the average American kid, according to the Information’s first-ever Kids and Technology Survey. However, many get access to tablets and log onto social media younger than their peers across the nation. Surprising? Yes and no. Between privacy concerns, health risks to teenagers, and... Silicon Valley’s children spend far less time on screens than the average American kid, according...

A scene from the 1998 teen flick "Can't Hardly Wait" that probably couldn't happen today. Art by Clark Miller.

‘You’re Grounded’: Home Security Cams and GPS Trackers Are Killing the Teenage House Party

By Zoe Bernard · Mar 25, 2022 11:39am PDT · 2 comments

It was 10:30 p.m. in San Francisco, and Nick V., 33, noticed a strange notification on his phone. Some 1,700 miles away, the Ring camera outside his Dallas home had captured footage of two shadowy, unfamiliar figures walking out of his front door. Odder still, the Ring camera hadn’t recorded anyone entering the home all night, aside from his... It was 10:30 p.m. in San Francisco, and Nick V., 33, noticed a strange notification on his phone....

Art by Clark Miller.

Parental Guidance

The iPhone Abstinence Movement Has Failed. Is There a Better Way to Keep Kids Off Smartphones?

By Rachel Levin · Mar 25, 2022 11:38am PDT · 7 comments

Brooke Shannon, a mother of three in Austin, Tex., was traumatized by what she witnessed one day in 2017 while driving by her local middle school. She saw dozens of tweens standing around with their heads down, phones up, glazed eyes staring into their devices: alone together. “I went home and emailed 20 moms,” Shannon said, posing a heretical... Brooke Shannon, a mother of three in Austin, Tex., was traumatized by what she witnessed one day...

Art by Haejin Park.

From CodeSpark to “Shark Tank,” the Apps, Shows and Devices Silicon Valley Parents Swear By

By Annie Goldsmith · Mar 25, 2022 11:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Haejin Park.

From CodeSpark to “Shark Tank,” the Apps, Shows and Devices Silicon Valley Parents Swear By

By Annie Goldsmith · Mar 25, 2022 11:00am PDT · 1 comment

Silicon Valley’s kids—are they just like us? In our tech and parenting survey, we asked 1,053 subscribers about the technology they use with their children. We mined the survey for their specific recommendations, from kids’ shows to coding apps. Top 5 Shows on Streaming Networks or TV “Bluey” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” “Wild Kratts” “... Silicon Valley’s kids—are they just like us? In our tech and parenting survey, we asked 1,053...

Neil Shen, head of Sequoia China, in 2013. Photo: Fortune via Flickr

Sequoia Capital’s China Arm Seeks $8 Billion in New Funds, Defying Tech Rout

By Juro Osawa · Mar 25, 2022 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

The Chinese affiliate of Sequoia Capital, whose vast portfolio includes TikTok owner ByteDance and online fashion startup Shein, is in early talks with U.S.-based and other institutional investors to raise more than $8 billion across four new funds, according to three people familiar with the matter. It is trying to pull off one of the biggest... The Chinese affiliate of Sequoia Capital, whose vast portfolio includes TikTok owner ByteDance...

Ben Silbermann, co-founder and CEO of Pinterest. Photo by Bloomberg; Art by Mike Sullivan

Indecision at Pinterest

By Jessica Toonkel · Mar 25, 2022 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Last fall, executives at Pinterest were inching toward an agreement to acquire Verishop, an online shopping platform that Pinterest had been negotiating with for at least two months, according to two people familiar with the situation. The deal could have helped the internet scrapbooking service accelerate its belated commerce efforts. But the... Last fall, executives at Pinterest were inching toward an agreement to acquire Verishop, an...

Near Foundation CEO Marieke Flament. Photo: Near Foundation. Art by Mike Sullivan

Larry Ellison’s Sailing League to Form a DAO With Blockchain Protocol

By Aidan Ryan · Mar 24, 2022 5:37pm PDT

People are still figuring out what to do with DAOs, the decentralized autonomous organizations that typically allow members to vote on proposals through the number of crypto tokens they hold. Some are social clubs, others buy land, and some venture capitalists are using them to mingle with founders. Now an international sailing league co-founded... People are still figuring out what to do with DAOs, the decentralized autonomous organizations...

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber's NYC Taxi Deal Is Biggest Retreat Yet From Kalanick Era

By Martin Peers · Mar 24, 2022 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber's NYC Taxi Deal Is Biggest Retreat Yet From Kalanick Era

By Martin Peers · Mar 24, 2022 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Talk about waving the white flag! In recent years, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has pulled back from many of founder Travis Kalanick’s more ambitious initiatives, including autonomous car development and operations in many international markets. But Thursday’s news that Uber would partner with New York’s taxi industry to make all of the city’s... Talk about waving the white flag! In recent years, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has pulled back...

Kaeya Majmundar, co-founder and CEO of Swaypay. Credit: Michael Schacht

Creator Economy

The Startup Making TikTok Product Placements Easier; Q&A With Writer Polina Marinova Pompliano

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 24, 2022 3:44pm PDT

Creators have long expressed disappointment about how they make money from TikTok. Some receive payouts from the short-form video app’s $1 billion Creator Fund, but many others rely solely on brand partnerships. Swaypay, a startup launched in July, tries to provide an additional path: linking creators with advertisers for in-video product... Creators have long expressed disappointment about how they make money from TikTok. Some receive...

Photo by Shutterstock.

Startups That Were Pandemic Darlings Look Overvalued as Stocks Drop

By Akash Pasricha · Mar 24, 2022 12:48pm PDT · 3 comments

Many of the stocks that benefited most from pandemic-driven bumps have since fallen to their pre-pandemic levels, even when their businesses remain much bigger than they were back then. Now, startups that privately raised money at sky-high valuations during the pandemic, piggybacking off the soaring valuations of public companies, could be due... Many of the stocks that benefited most from pandemic-driven bumps have since fallen to their...

Tilt Five's glasses (designed to be plugged into a PC or Android device), controller and game board. Photo: Tilt Five.

Tilt Five Founder Jeri Ellsworth Talks AR Board Gaming; Autodesk’s AR/VR Acquisition

By Mathew Olson · Mar 24, 2022 11:00am PDT

Tilt Five, the AR startup focused on making glasses suited for digital board gaming, is finally shipping glasses to its early crowdfunding backers and today announced a lineup of 16 titles that will be available at the system’s commercial launch next quarter. For CEO and co-founder Jeri Ellsworth, both are major milestones along a winding path... Tilt Five, the AR startup focused on making glasses suited for digital board gaming, is finally...

Clockwise from upper left: Doug Merritt, Beth Axelrod, Christine Moy, Stacy Minero, Carolyn Everson, Bozoma Saint John, Gabor Cselle, Ada Yeo

On the Market: Executives From Airbnb, Netflix and J.P. Morgan

By The Information Staff · Mar 24, 2022 6:33am PDT

Clockwise from upper left: Doug Merritt, Beth Axelrod, Christine Moy, Stacy Minero, Carolyn Everson, Bozoma Saint John, Gabor Cselle, Ada Yeo

On the Market: Executives From Airbnb, Netflix and J.P. Morgan

By The Information Staff · Mar 24, 2022 6:33am PDT

In our latest installment of Free Agents, we’re highlighting trailblazers who are likely to continue making waves wherever they land next. They include Christine Moy, a J.P. Morgan executive who played a groundbreaking role at the intersection of Wall Street and crypto, and Doug Merritt, who as Splunk CEO led the company’s... In our latest installment of Free Agents, we’re highlighting trailblazers who are likely to...