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

Mojo headquarters in Saratoga, CA. Photo: Mojo Vision

Another $45 Million for AR Contact Lenses; The Latest From CES

By Mathew Olson · Jan 4, 2022 11:00am PST

This morning, Saratoga, CA-based startup Mojo Vision announced that it has raised an additional $45 million for its Series B-1 funding, bringing the total for the round to $96 million. New investors—including Amazon’s Alexa Fund and enterprise AR player PTC—evidently have some faith in Mojo’s progress toward AR contact lenses.As I’ve noted in... This morning, Saratoga, CA-based startup Mojo Vision announced that it has raised an additional...

Jonathan Kanter. Photo by Flickr/New America. Art by Mike Sullivan

Justice Department Eyes New Antitrust Enforcers, But Tensions Slow Hiring Process

By Josh Sisco · Jan 4, 2022 7:00am PST

Jonathan Kanter took over as head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division almost two months ago. So far, the division has been slow to hire staff to top jobs, potentially delaying Kanter’s aggressive enforcement and policy agenda, including its plans to rein in the power of the technology industry. The hiring holdups... Jonathan Kanter took over as head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division almost two...

Photo by Bloomberg

The Biggest Tech Names Likely to Go Public in 2022

By The Information Staff · Jan 4, 2022 6:00am PST · 4 comments

The recent poor performance of many tech initial public offerings is likely to slow the drumbeat of new listings this year. Still, we expect dozens of highly valued startups to go public, including design app Canva, crypto exchange FTX, consumer banking app Chime and delivery startup Gopuff. These new offerings would aim to take advantage of... The recent poor performance of many tech initial public offerings is likely to slow the drumbeat...

Elizabeth Holmes. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Elizabeth Holmes Shouldn’t Go to Prison

By Martin Peers · Jan 3, 2022 5:09pm PST · 36 comments

Elizabeth Holmes. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Elizabeth Holmes Shouldn’t Go to Prison

By Martin Peers · Jan 3, 2022 5:09pm PST · 36 comments

Finally! It shouldn’t be a surprise that a jury found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty this afternoon on four charges of fraud and conspiracy. It was obviously hard for jurors to look past evidence that, for example, Holmes had doctored paperwork by adding the logos of pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer to suggest they were... Finally! It shouldn’t be a surprise that a jury found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty...

Metaversal co-founders Dan Schmerin and Yossi Hasson. Photos by Metaversal. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Inside Metaversal’s $50 Million Fundraise; Samsung Makes Questionable NFT Play

By Hannah Miller · Jan 3, 2022 4:00pm PST

Metaversal, an investment firm and venture studio focused on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), kicked off the new year by raising $50 million in Series A funding at a $181 million valuation. I chatted with Metaversal's co-founders to learn more about their plans to put all that cash to work. CoinFund and Foxhaven Asset Management led the... Metaversal, an investment firm and venture studio focused on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), kicked...

LTK co-founders Baxter Box (l) and Amber Venz Box (r) announced a $300 million investment from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 in November. Photo: LTK

Creator Economy

The Startups That Powered Creator Economy Investments to $5 Billion

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 3, 2022 2:40pm PST

In October, we predicted that investments in U.S. creator economy startups would hit $5 billion by the end of last year. It turns out we were spot on. More than 140 U.S. companies in this sector raised at least $5.07 billion in funding last year, according to data from The Information's Creator Economy Database. That caps off a whirlwind... In October, we predicted that investments in U.S. creator economy startups would hit $5 billion...

Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix. Photo: AP

A Japanese Gaming Giant’s Metaverse Play; Intel’s Cold Feet on AR

By Mathew Olson · Jan 3, 2022 11:00am PST

Square Enix, the Japanese gaming publisher behind the long-running and beloved Final Fantasy series, is the latest entertainment company to publicly embrace the concept of the metaverse. And it’s not unreasonable to think that Square Enix could emerge as a metaverse leader if it makes a serious effort.Yosuke Matsuda, Square Enix’s president,... Square Enix, the Japanese gaming publisher behind the long-running and beloved Final Fantasy...

Illustration by Jesus Escudero

Instant Delivery Startups Test a New Tactic: Slower Delivery

By Berber Jin · Jan 3, 2022 6:00am PST · 11 comments

Illustration by Jesus Escudero

Instant Delivery Startups Test a New Tactic: Slower Delivery

By Berber Jin · Jan 3, 2022 6:00am PST · 11 comments

Instant-delivery startups promising to ferry groceries to customers in 15 minutes or less have rushed to expand in major cities like New York and Chicago in the past year. But they’re burning far more cash in the U.S. than in other countries where they operate, causing several of them to test major changes to their business... Instant-delivery startups promising to ferry groceries to customers in 15 minutes or less have...

Polestar's first model, the Polestar 1, released in 2018. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

How Chinese EV and Battery Makers Will Break Into the U.S.

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

Happy 2022 and welcome back to The Electric! In response to the end-year reader survey, we will be adding features to your subscription as the year unfolds. One of them will be The Electric Quarterly, a four-times-a-year special edition making sense of the quarter and year to date, and looking forward to what comes next. Stay tuned for... Happy 2022 and welcome back to The Electric! In response to the end-year reader survey, we...

The Information Weekend’s Last-Call 2021 Culture List

The Information Weekend’s Last-Call 2021 Culture List

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 31, 2021 8:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend: New Years Eve edition!There were plenty of unmissable cultural moments in 2021: “Squid Game” exploded, “Dune” dazzled, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift dominated, Bennifer reunited, “Friends” and Carrie Bradshaw returned, and sea shanties took over TikTok. But those were just the headliners. Suspecting there was more... Hi, welcome to your Weekend: New Years Eve edition!There were plenty of unmissable cultural...

Apple CEO Tim Cook at an AirPods production line with Luxshare CEO Grace Wang (standing behind Cook) in 2017. Photo by Luxshare

Designed by Apple: Female Billionaires; Tech Stocks’ Best and Worst

By Amir Efrati · Dec 30, 2021 5:12pm PST · 2 comments

Apple has created a lot of wealth for executives whose companies supply components and manufacturing services for its products, most notably Taiwan-based Foxconn and TSMC. One of the lesser known beneficiaries, Luxshare, and its CEO Grace Wang take center stage in Wayne’s excellent piece today about Apple getting cozy with Chinese suppliers as a... Apple has created a lot of wealth for executives whose companies supply components and...

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Crypto Predictions for 2022

By Hannah Miller · Dec 30, 2021 4:00pm PST · 3 comments

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Crypto Predictions for 2022

By Hannah Miller · Dec 30, 2021 4:00pm PST · 3 comments

This is the last edition of TI Crypto Global for 2021. I appreciate all the feedback and tips I’ve gotten since launching the newsletter in June. I’ve already reflected on crypto’s biggest moments this year, so now it’s time to gaze into the crystal ball for the year ahead. While 2021 was a huge year, 2022 could be even more consequential for... This is the last edition of TI Crypto Global for 2021. I appreciate all the feedback and tips I’...

The Information Weekend’s Last-Call 2021 Culture List

By The Information Staff · Dec 30, 2021 9:00am PST · 1 comment

There were plenty of unmissable cultural moments in 2021: “Squid Game” exploded, “Dune” dazzled, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift dominated, Bennifer reunited, “Friends” and Carrie Bradshaw returned, and sea shanties took over TikTok. But those were just the headliners. Suspecting there was more to 2021 than Lil Nas X and #FreeBritney, The... There were plenty of unmissable cultural moments in 2021: “Squid Game” exploded, “Dune” dazzled,...

Apple CEO Tim Cook at an AirPods production line with Luxshare CEO Grace Wang (standing behind Cook) in 2017. Photos by Bloomberg; Shutterstock; Luxshare. Art by Mike Sullivan

How Apple Grew Closer to China By Turning ‘Little Foxconn’ Into a National Champion

By Wayne Ma · Dec 30, 2021 6:00am PST · 7 comments

If you’ve used an iPhone 13, an Apple Watch or AirPods, chances are you’ve touched the handiwork of Luxshare, which assembles them. Over the past decade, it became the biggest Chinese manufacturer of consumer electronics. Luxshare got to this vaunted position because of Apple. For more than a decade Apple has been sending its... If you’ve used an iPhone 13, an Apple Watch or AirPods, chances are you’ve touched...

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook-parent Meta Platforms. Photo: Bloomberg

Meta’s Facebook Deepens Partisan Lines; What Waymo Didn’t Say

By Laura Mandaro · Dec 29, 2021 6:11pm PST

For several years, Facebook has been in bad graces with Democrat policymakers, who blamed the company, recently renamed Meta Platforms, for securing Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential win by allowing Russian operatives to run riot on the social network. Two stories in the past week on Meta’s Washington operations suggest this distrust won’t go... For several years, Facebook has been in bad graces with Democrat policymakers, who blamed the...

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Crypto’s 10 Biggest Moments of 2021

By Hannah Miller · Dec 29, 2021 4:00pm PST · 1 comment

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Crypto’s 10 Biggest Moments of 2021

By Hannah Miller · Dec 29, 2021 4:00pm PST · 1 comment

It has undoubtedly been a landmark year for crypto. With a market value of $2 trillion for all digital currencies, broadening adoption and huge investments from VC firms, crypto is now a major force in tech. Here’s a look back at the 10 biggest moments in crypto this year. It has undoubtedly been a landmark year for crypto. With a market value of $2 trillion for all...

Roelof Botha (l) and Neil Shen. Photos by Steve Jennings and Remy Steinegger via Flickr. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

2022 Predictions

Why Sequoia Capital Will Split From Star Chinese Partner

By Kate Clark and Shai Oster · Dec 29, 2021 6:00am PST

Rising geopolitical tensions could spell the end of a 16-year relationship for Sequoia Capital and Sequoia Capital China. We predict the U.S. venture powerhouse and its Chinese affiliate, led by star deal maker Neil Shen, will move to part ways next year as the Chinese government extends a regulatory crackdown on tech companies and U.S.... Rising geopolitical tensions could spell the end of a 16-year relationship for Sequoia Capital...

The Apple Park campus in Cupertino, Calif. Photo: Bloomberg

Cybersecurity Startups Have a Lot to Prove

By Amir Efrati · Dec 28, 2021 6:08pm PST

Startups developing security software have largely tracked with the rest of the enterprise software startup field this year when it comes to funding and valuations—up and to the right—even as prices for publicly traded software companies fell a little closer to Earth. Venture capitalists poured a record $25 billion or so into cybersecurity... Startups developing security software have largely tracked with the rest of the enterprise...

Parker McCurley, co-founder and CEO of Decent Labs. Photo courtesy of Decent Labs. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Sarcophagus Raises $3.7M in VC/Crowdfunding Combo (Exclusive)

By Hannah Miller · Dec 28, 2021 4:00pm PST

Some of the most colorful headlines in the news about crypto focus on people locked out of massive fortunes because they lost the private keys needed to access their funds. Sarcophagus, a decentralized protocol that raised $3.7 million Tuesday, aims to prevent that problem from ever happening. Sarcophagus, which launched over a year ago,... Some of the most colorful headlines in the news about crypto focus on people locked out of...

A developer wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo: Snap

Looking Back at 2021 and at What’s Ahead for AR and VR in 2022

By Mathew Olson · Dec 28, 2021 12:10pm PST · 1 comment

A developer wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo: Snap

Looking Back at 2021 and at What’s Ahead for AR and VR in 2022

By Mathew Olson · Dec 28, 2021 12:10pm PST · 1 comment

This is the last dispatch from Reality Check for 2021. It is also the end of the newsletter’s first year of publication. Whether you started reading back in March when we began, or are just diving deeper into AR and VR now, thank you for spending time away from your headsets and try-on filters to read Reality Check.For The Information’s annual... This is the last dispatch from Reality Check for 2021. It is also the end of the newsletter’s...