The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Images via Shutterstock; art by Mike Sullivan

Modest Proposals

How to Put Physical Assets on the Blockchain

By Sam Lessin · Feb 24, 2022 9:00am PST · 19 comments

People who focus on crypto love to talk about the importance of bringing “real-world,” hard-to-trade assets like real estate onto the blockchain. Why? The advantages go both ways. For the crypto ecosystem, bringing physical assets (and their associated cash flows) on chain would unlock immense value and help end the reliance on... People who focus on crypto love to talk about the importance of bringing...

Screengrab of Jeremy Achin via YouTube. Art by Mike Sullivan

DataRobot, a $6 Billion AI Startup, Fired Executives After Complaints About Sexist Culture

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 24, 2022 6:00am PST

When the board of directors at artificial intelligence software startup DataRobot pushed out its CEO last March, they did so partly because the executive, Jeremy Achin, feuded with his sales teams and resisted the idea of taking the company public. But board members also hoped a change would foster a more welcoming environment for women,... When the board of directors at artificial intelligence software startup DataRobot pushed out its...

Block CEO Jack Dorsey at a bitcoin conference in Miami on June 4. Photo: Bloomberg.

Block’s Earnings Preview; Who’s Decamped to Web3 Firms in 2022

By Aidan Ryan · Feb 23, 2022 5:30pm PST

All eyes are on CEO Jack Dorsey as Block announces its earnings after the close of the market on Thursday. It’s the first report since the company changed its name from Square to Block in early December.Analysts polled by S&P Market Intelligence forecast Block will generate $4.06 billion in revenue, up 29% from the fourth quarter of 2020.... All eyes are on CEO Jack Dorsey as Block announces its earnings after the close of the market on...

An Allbirds store in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Allbirds Avoids Walking in Meta’s Shoes

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 23, 2022 5:00pm PST

An Allbirds store in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Allbirds Avoids Walking in Meta’s Shoes

By Nick Wingfield · Feb 23, 2022 5:00pm PST

Lately, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how Apple’s mobile privacy changes—which recently blew a hole in the finances and stock of Meta, Facebook’s parent company—may also affect lots of other companies that have benefited from relatively cheap advertising on Facebook. Earlier this week, Ben Thompson said in a post on his Stratechery... Lately, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how Apple’s mobile privacy changes—which...

Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

LinkedIn Jumps Into Podcasts; OpenSea Recruits Another Meta Exec

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 23, 2022 3:41pm PST

LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network tries to carve out territory in the ongoing battle for influencers and their fans. On Wednesday, it announced its latest effort: its own collection of podcasts, which will include those produced by creators such as communications executive Morra... LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network...

A game created inside Horizon Worlds, Meta's newest social VR app. Credit: Meta Platforms.

Why Meta’s AI Research Could Make or Break Its Metaverse Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Feb 23, 2022 12:30pm PST

Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In essence, Builder Bot works like a voice assistant for quickly sketching out virtual worlds. The company hopes such assistants will help spur creativity—and, by extension, economic activity—in the metaverse. It’s a compelling idea, and one that could go a... Today, Meta Platforms gave a first look at an in-development AI tool called Builder Bot. In...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...