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

From top clockwise: Frances Haugen, Elon Musk, Melinda French Gates. Photos by Bloomberg; AP. Art by Mike Sullivan

The Best and Worst in Tech PR in 2021

By The Information Staff · Dec 28, 2021 10:45am PST · 6 comments

It would be an understatement to say that Frances Haugen and her employer, the company formerly known as Facebook, had very different years. From a public relations standpoint, the two are mirror images of each other. Haugen was feted as a whistleblowing legend for providing the internal documents that formed the foundation for The Wall Street... It would be an understatement to say that Frances Haugen and her employer, the company formerly...

Illustration by Scotty Reifsnyder

From a CEO Revolving Door to Comparisons With Snowflake: Security Startup Lacework Bounces Back

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 28, 2021 6:00am PST

A couple years ago, Lacework reached the kind of crossroads where once-promising startups can easily slide toward also-ran status—or worse. Faced with sluggish sales of its cloud-based cybersecurity product, Lacework was struggling to raise more money from existing investors and facing a revolving door of CEOs. At one point, after Lacework... A couple years ago, Lacework reached the kind of crossroads where once-promising startups can...

Photo: Bloomberg

China Blesses IPO Loophole; VR’s Mainstream Moment

By Wayne Ma · Dec 27, 2021 5:16pm PST

The Chinese government loves to announce major policy moves during the holidays—when financial markets are often closed—and it didn’t disappoint this year. On Christmas Eve, Chinese regulators finally legitimized a legal loophole that has allowed Chinese tech firms such as Sina Corp., Alibaba and Tencent to list their shares overseas... The Chinese government loves to announce major policy moves during the holidays—when financial...

Mysten Labs co-founder and CEO Evan Cheng. Photo by Mysten Labs. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Why Mysten Labs’ Founders Left Meta to Launch Their Own Blockchain

By Hannah Miller · Dec 27, 2021 4:16pm PST

Mysten Labs co-founder and CEO Evan Cheng. Photo by Mysten Labs. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Why Mysten Labs’ Founders Left Meta to Launch Their Own Blockchain

By Hannah Miller · Dec 27, 2021 4:16pm PST

Meta Platforms is betting on blockchain, but for some former employees, the company hasn’t been moving fast enough. Here’s a look at Mysten Labs, a startup founded less than three months ago by Meta alums who worked on the company’s crypto efforts and left to create their own gaming-focused blockchain. Founders: Evan Cheng, Sam... Meta Platforms is betting on blockchain, but for some former employees, the company hasn’t been...

Meta's incoming CTO Andrew Bosworth wearing a recent prototype headset. Photo: Meta

Quest 2’s Holiday Sales Pose Upgrade Dilemma; Apple Nabs Meta Spokesperson

By Mathew Olson · Dec 27, 2021 11:02am PST

Christmas 2021 has come and gone, and it’d be reasonable to guess that it was the single biggest day for consumer adoption of VR in history. In lieu of official stats, various Meta employees on Twitter were eager to trumpet the headset’s holiday success over the weekend, and a handful of independent developers shared anecdotes about peaking... Christmas 2021 has come and gone, and it’d be reasonable to guess that it was the single biggest...

Images by Bloomberg; Shutterstock. Art by Mike Sullivan

2022 Predictions

The Information’s 2022 Predictions

By The Information Staff · Dec 27, 2021 10:00am PST · 6 comments

Many of this year’s biggest tech developments caught everyone by surprise. Who would have predicted Didi Global would go public and months later have to delist? Zillow abruptly abandoned its home-buying business. Instacart and DoorDash held merger talks. And Facebook changed its name. What will 2022 bring? Our reporters talked to their... Many of this year’s biggest tech developments caught everyone by surprise. Who would have...

Illustration by Josh Brill

The Biggest Bet in Sports Gambling: The Ad Push to Grab Customers

By Sahil Patel · Dec 27, 2021 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Want to know the biggest bet in online gambling? It’s the multibillion dollar marketing gamble sports betting firms like DraftKings and FanDuel are taking as they try to sign up as many customers as possible, as fast as possible. The steady legalization of online sports betting in states across America has sparked a rush by firms, also... Want to know the biggest bet in online gambling? It’s the multibillion dollar marketing...

Photograph: Sophia Amoruso

Sophia Amoruso Wants to Retire ‘Girlboss’ for Good; Danielle Baskin Is Tech’s Most Prolific Prankster

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 24, 2021 8:00am PST

Photograph: Sophia Amoruso

Sophia Amoruso Wants to Retire ‘Girlboss’ for Good; Danielle Baskin Is Tech’s Most Prolific Prankster

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 24, 2021 8:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend: Christmas Eve edition!It’s over: another holiday shopping season, in the books. We’ve already shared The Information’s tech-adjacent gift picks, an overview of Silicon Valley’s annual gifting arms race, and our last-second NFT-buying guide, so I won’t bombard you with any more gift-related journalism this... Hi, welcome to your Weekend: Christmas Eve edition!It’s over: another holiday shopping season, in...

Alphabet's Ruth Porat. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech’s Best and Worst of 2021

By Martin Peers · Dec 23, 2021 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

As the year winds down into a holiday break—clouded by rampaging Covid-19 infections—this seems the appropriate time to call out the year’s most noteworthy events and people in tech and media. As the year winds down into a holiday break—clouded by rampaging Covid-19 infections—this seems...

Incoming Meta Platforms CTO Andrew Bosworth speaks during the virtual Facebook Connect event in October. Screengrab via YouTube.

Meta Bets on Blockchain; New Crypto Legislation Could Ring in 2022

By Hannah Miller · Dec 23, 2021 4:22pm PST

Meta Platforms is diving even further into the blockchain matrix. It wants to create “deep compatibility” with blockchain technology, according to an internal post that The New York Times obtained. In his post on Tuesday, Andrew Bosworth, who leads Meta’s augmented reality and virtual reality efforts, said that the company is interested in... Meta Platforms is diving even further into the blockchain matrix. It wants to create “deep...

Credit: Bloomberg, Illustration: Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy

Creator Economy: 2021 Year in Review and Our 2022 Predictions

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 23, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome to the last Creator Economy newsletter of 2021. Thank you so much for reading, sharing with others and giving your feedback and tips. As of today, we have published 134 editions of this newsletter. We’ve chronicled the competition among tech giants for internet performers, tracked new startups, spotlighted creators, brought... Welcome to the last Creator Economy newsletter of 2021. Thank you so much for reading, sharing...

‘The Only Way to Find Out If You’re a Pariah Is to Stick Around’: Sophia Amoruso Looks to the Future

By Josh Duboff · Dec 23, 2021 12:00pm PST · 3 comments

‘The Only Way to Find Out If You’re a Pariah Is to Stick Around’: Sophia Amoruso Looks to the Future

By Josh Duboff · Dec 23, 2021 12:00pm PST · 3 comments

Sophia Amoruso has complicated feelings about the word “girlboss.” “That poor word, I feel so bad for that word,” she says over the phone from her home in Los Angeles. “It must be so exhausted. It is exhausted. It does need to be put to rest. I have no attachment to it. I kind of cringe when people are like, ‘You’re a girlboss,’ or whatever. I... Sophia Amoruso has complicated feelings about the word “girlboss.” “That poor word, I feel so bad...

A close up of the Magic Leap 2 AR headset. Credit: Magic Leap

Magic Leap Departures; A Look at Meta’s VR Open Source Support

By Mathew Olson · Dec 23, 2021 11:30am PST

A string of executives have lately exited Magic Leap, Reality Check has learned, including some people who joined earlier this year. These exits, previously unreported, add to the air of uncertainty around the company’s future. Tracey Trewin, Magic Leap’s Chief Product Officer, and Anuj Gosalia, Chief Software and Cloud Officer both left... A string of executives have lately exited Magic Leap, Reality Check has learned, including some...

Illustration by Danielle Davis.

A Startup Founder Moved to Las Vegas for the Weather, Then Developed Political Ambitions

By Annie Goldsmith · Dec 23, 2021 9:00am PST · 1 comment

In this week’s “Decamped,” we chat with Madison Campbell, co-founder and CEO of Leda Health, a startup that gives sexual assault survivors free self-administered examination kits. Campbell recently resettled in Summerlin, Nev., a suburb of Las Vegas, and is in the process of moving her company from its New York headquarters. Why Vegas: One, I... In this week’s “Decamped,” we chat with Madison Campbell, co-founder and CEO of Leda Health, a...

Animation by Mike Sullivan. All photographs courtesy Danielle Baskin.

How Silicon Valley’s Most Prolific Prankster Mirrors the Industry She Parodies

By Margaux MacColl · Dec 23, 2021 9:00am PST · 6 comments

As the BART doors slid open, Danielle Baskin thought to herself, “Ohhh, shit.” The train car was packed with art connoisseurs wearing sparkly dresses, blue tuxedos and at least one chicken mask. It was appropriate for the dress code: “eclectic formal attire.” That same day, at the 2021 Art Basel in Miami, Silicon Valley hotshots sipped champagne... As the BART doors slid open, Danielle Baskin thought to herself, “Ohhh, shit.” The train car was...

Downtown San Francisco. Photo by Shutterstock

Why Remote Work Doesn’t Mean the End of Office Space

By Sarah Krouse · Dec 23, 2021 3:00am PST · 1 comment

Downtown San Francisco. Photo by Shutterstock

Why Remote Work Doesn’t Mean the End of Office Space

By Sarah Krouse · Dec 23, 2021 3:00am PST · 1 comment

Block, the financial services-focused tech company known until recently as Square, was one of the first high-profile tech businesses to allow permanent remote work when founder and CEO Jack Dorsey announced the policy in early 2020. And yet more than a year later, the majority of employees said they wanted to work from an office at least... Block, the financial services-focused tech company known until recently as Square, was one...

TikTok's app on a smartphone. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why 2022 Will Be TikTok’s Year

By Martin Peers · Dec 22, 2021 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Data out earlier this week from Cloudflare revealed that TikTok is now the most popular online destination globally, ahead of Google for the first time. That’s an enormous deal for tech. And it suggests that the focus of antitrust regulators on big tech, which has consumed so much attention this year, is misplaced. Big tech is already losing... Data out earlier this week from Cloudflare revealed that TikTok is now the most popular online...

Block CEO Jack Dorsey and Andreessen Horowitz co-founder and general partner Marc Andreessen. Photos by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Dorsey/Andreessen Clash Puts Crypto at Crossroads

By Hannah Miller · Dec 22, 2021 4:03pm PST · 1 comment

The crypto Twitter debates continued to rage on Wednesday after Marc Andreessen, co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, blocked Jack Dorsey. “I’m officially banned from Web3,” Dorsey said in a tweet that showed a screenshot of Andreessen’s block. Andreessen’s public rejection followed Dorsey’s sparring on Monday with Chris Dixon,... The crypto Twitter debates continued to rage on Wednesday after Marc Andreessen, co-founder and...

Chart: Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy

The Year in Charts; Top 10 Creator Economy Moments

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 22, 2021 2:00pm PST

It’s hard to keep up with the frenzy of creator economy announcements, let alone compare similar offerings from different platforms. That’s why we’ve leaned into making charts to break down these features in a digestible format. The three charts that generated the most chatter on social media this year compared tipping take rates, creator funds... It’s hard to keep up with the frenzy of creator economy announcements, let alone compare similar...

Kevin Martin, U.S. public policy chief for Meta, at an event in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg

Meta Brings Back Republican to Top Lobbying Job After Search for a Democrat Fizzles

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Dec 22, 2021 11:35am PST · 1 comment

Kevin Martin, U.S. public policy chief for Meta, at an event in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg

Meta Brings Back Republican to Top Lobbying Job After Search for a Democrat Fizzles

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Dec 22, 2021 11:35am PST · 1 comment

Meta Platforms is throwing in the towel on a plan to hire a top Democrat to lead its lobbying team after searching in vain for almost a year for a candidate from the party. Instead, Meta—the parent company of Facebook—has announced internally that Kevin Martin, the Republican who previously held the company’s top lobbying role,... Meta Platforms is throwing in the towel on a plan to hire a top Democrat to lead its lobbying...