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

Photo by Bloomberg

ByteDance in Talks to Borrow Up to $5 Billion to Fund Overseas Expansion

By Juro Osawa · Sep 7, 2021 11:30pm PDT

TikTok owner ByteDance is in talks with banks to borrow up to $5 billion in a syndicated loan to refinance debt and pay for overseas expansion, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the path to an initial public offering appears unlikely this year. ByteDance plans to use more than half of the money to refinance its existing debt to take... TikTok owner ByteDance is in talks with banks to borrow up to $5 billion in a syndicated loan to...

Steve Martin and Martin Short, two of the stars of Hulu's New "Only Murders in the Building"

Disney Threatens Hulu’s Success With Price Hike

By Martin Peers · Sep 7, 2021 5:00pm PDT

It may be time for a consumer price index just for video streaming. Disney’s Hulu is raising its price by $1 a month, the company revealed today, just six months after Disney jacked up the price of its flagship Disney+ service by the same amount. Both price bumps followed a similar move by Netflix late last year. If this reminds you of the cable... It may be time for a consumer price index just for video streaming. Disney’s Hulu is raising its...

Illustration: Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy

What TikTok’s Growing Threat to YouTube Means

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 7, 2021 4:00pm PDT · 2 comments

TikTok’s rise is often seen as a major threat to Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram. And for good reason. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has talked about how TikTok is ahead and he’s laid out plans for making Instagram’s home screen look a lot more like the short-form video app. But the way TikTok is rattling YouTube has generated less... TikTok’s rise is often seen as a major threat to Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram. And for...

El Salvador President and bitcoin enthusiast Nayib Bukele. Photo by Bloomberg

Bitcoin Drops After El Salvador Rollout; The NFL’s Crypto Ban

By Hannah Miller · Sep 7, 2021 2:39pm PDT

El Salvador President and bitcoin enthusiast Nayib Bukele. Photo by Bloomberg

Bitcoin Drops After El Salvador Rollout; The NFL’s Crypto Ban

By Hannah Miller · Sep 7, 2021 2:39pm PDT

Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been wishing each other “Happy Bitcoin Day” as El Salvador officially adopted the digital currency as legal tender on Tuesday, the first nation to do so. But the occasion hasn’t been that joyous for owners of bitcoin. The price of the digital currency fell as much as 17% on Tuesday, to just under $43,000, after El... Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been wishing each other “Happy Bitcoin Day” as El Salvador...

Zach Lieberman, a developer, wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo by Snap

Snap’s Newest AR Hire; The Questions Raised by Police VR Training

By Mathew Olson · Sep 7, 2021 11:01am PDT

Snap is continuing its AR hiring spree—helping bring a clearer picture of its AR strategy into focus. What we’re learning is that Snap wants its camera and AR tech to be spread widely across the hardware ecosystem.Nishad Pai, most recently a business development and partnerships executive at Adobe, is joining as Snap’s Global Head of Platform... Snap is continuing its AR hiring spree—helping bring a clearer picture of its AR strategy into...

Tech IPO Scorecard: Why Monday.com Soared and Sprinklr Flopped

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 7, 2021 6:00am PDT · 6 comments

Forget all the talk about high-profile consumer initial public offerings like Robinhood. Most of the best-performing tech IPOs of this year are enterprise software firms, such as Monday.com, a project management software firm that has soared 160% since its June IPO, and Couchbase, a database provider whose stock has doubled since its July... Forget all the talk about high-profile consumer initial public offerings like Robinhood. Most of...

Fidji Simo. Photos by AP; art by Mike Sullivan

Can Instacart’s New CEO Deliver?

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Berber Jin · Sep 6, 2021 11:57am PDT

In late June, Instacart CEO and founder Apoorva Mehta had a message for DoorDash: After weeks of discussions between the two companies about a possible merger, Mehta told his counterparts at the meal-delivery company that the talks were off, according to several people with knowledge of the matter. But the talks weren’t off. In early July,... In late June, Instacart CEO and founder Apoorva Mehta had a message for DoorDash: After weeks of...

The prize from ore-to-gigafactory processing: cathode powder. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

Congress Has Slashed Biden’s Vaunted $174 Billion Battery Supply Chain. Now What?

By Steve LeVine · Sep 5, 2021 2:00pm PDT

The prize from ore-to-gigafactory processing: cathode powder. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

Congress Has Slashed Biden’s Vaunted $174 Billion Battery Supply Chain. Now What?

By Steve LeVine · Sep 5, 2021 2:00pm PDT

This Wednesday, Sept. 8, at noon ET: The Electric Presents: Making the Forever Battery. In its second live chat, The Electric is delighted to present a conversation between editor Steve LeVine and Sila Nanotechnologies CEO Gene Berdichevsky, who for a decade and a half has helped lead development of some of the world’s most important commercial... This Wednesday, Sept. 8, at noon ET: The Electric Presents: Making the Forever Battery. In its...

Silicon Valley’s Hypocrisy Over Elizabeth Holmes

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 4, 2021 7:45am PDT · 8 comments

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is back in the news in Silicon Valley. The jury in her forthcoming trial, in which she stands accused of defrauding investors and the public about the company’s blood tests, was selected this week. The trial starts next week and will last a few months. I was thinking about Holmes this week as I was... Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is back in the news in Silicon Valley. The jury in her...

Jeff Bezos, center, after his space flight in July. Photo by AP

The Best and Worst of the Summer's Tech Stories

By Martin Peers · Sep 3, 2021 5:00pm PDT

With Labor Day upon us, summer is effectively over. And with news today thin on the ground, this seems an appropriate moment to review the highs and lows of the summer in tech business. So without further ado, here are The Briefing’s awards for the most distinctive tech business stories of the past three months:Worst Boys-and-Their-Toys Moment:... With Labor Day upon us, summer is effectively over. And with news today thin on the ground, this...

Payments Startups Edge Out Shopify Rivals in VC Sweepstakes

By Malique Morris · Sep 3, 2021 9:37am PDT · 2 comments

Spurred by record levels of online shopping, investors have rushed to back e-commerce software companies this year. As they did so, they shifted their bets to startups that process digital payments and power online checkout, such as Klarna and Rapyd. Investment in e-commerce software companies—a group that includes firms working behind the... Spurred by record levels of online shopping, investors have rushed to back e-commerce software...

Photo of Agnes Chu by AP. Art by Mike Sullivan

Agnes Chu Tries to Bring Some Disney to Condé Nast. It’ll Be a Challenge.

By Sahil Patel and Mark Di Stefano · Sep 3, 2021 6:01am PDT

Photo of Agnes Chu by AP. Art by Mike Sullivan

Agnes Chu Tries to Bring Some Disney to Condé Nast. It’ll Be a Challenge.

By Sahil Patel and Mark Di Stefano · Sep 3, 2021 6:01am PDT

A year ago, executives at Condé Nast turned some heads when they hired Agnes Chu, a rising star who helped launch the Disney+ streaming service, to bring some entertainment mojo to magazine brands including The New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair. The idea was to develop more films and long-form shows and documentaries that the company... A year ago, executives at Condé Nast turned some heads when they hired Agnes Chu, a rising...

Apple's Fellow Phil Schiller, who oversees the App Store. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Already-Arbitrary App Store Rules Just Became More Complex

By Martin Peers · Sep 2, 2021 5:00pm PDT

Law schools may want to start introducing a new program to train lawyers in interpreting Apple’s App Store rules. The company’s latest changes, introduced to settle a Japanese antitrust investigation, add a layer of complexity to already-opaque rules. The rules have long had an element of arbitrariness, treating developers differently, as The... Law schools may want to start introducing a new program to train lawyers in interpreting Apple’s...

Andreessen Horowitz attorney Miles Jennings. Photo by Andreessen Horowitz

A16z’s New Crypto Hire; Another Blow for Binance

By Hannah Miller · Sep 2, 2021 3:24pm PDT

Andreessen Horowitz’s cryptocurrency group became the latest to beef up its regulatory expertise. The VC firm named Miles Jennings, previously a partner at law firm Latham & Watkins, as general counsel of its crypto team, citing his experience with crypto startups and regulators. Adding new talent with extensive legal knowledge... Andreessen Horowitz’s cryptocurrency group became the latest to beef up its regulatory expertise....

Clubhouse host and comedian Leah Lamarr. Photo: Andrew Max Levy

Creator Economy

Where Apple Could Loosen App Store Rules Next; Clubhouse’s New Icon

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 2, 2021 2:20pm PDT

Earlier this week we quoted a creator-economy startup founder who predicted Apple would keep chipping away at its rules on in-app payments to make it easier to bypass the company’s 30% fees on digital purchases. That forecast is coming true more quickly than we expected. Late Wednesday, the iPhone maker said it would allow reader apps, such... Earlier this week we quoted a creator-economy startup founder who predicted Apple would keep...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple Could Get an Edge in AR/VR with a Tethered Headset

By Mathew Olson · Sep 2, 2021 11:00am PDT · 2 comments

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple Could Get an Edge in AR/VR with a Tethered Headset

By Mathew Olson · Sep 2, 2021 11:00am PDT · 2 comments

News reported earlier today by my colleague Wayne Ma that Apple’s forthcoming mixed reality headset won’t be a purely standalone device is a big deal. It might not be obvious, but this implicitly gives Apple an edge over rivals like Facebook, allowing Apple to offer a more capable headset.As Wayne’s story says, the headset’s main chip will be... News reported earlier today by my colleague Wayne Ma that Apple’s forthcoming mixed reality...

Apple's campus. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple’s AR/VR Headset Will Need Connection to Other Device Such as iPhone

By Wayne Ma · Sep 2, 2021 9:08am PDT · 1 comment

New details of the custom chips designed by Apple for its forthcoming virtual reality and augmented reality headset indicate it will need to be wirelessly tethered to a phone or a similar device for the most advanced features, just as early versions of the Apple Watch required users to carry their iPhone with them. Apple completed work last year... New details of the custom chips designed by Apple for its forthcoming virtual reality and...

Photo of Katrina Lake (left) by Bloomberg; photo of Elizabeth Spaulding (right) by Stitch Fix; art by Mike Sullivan.

At Stitch Fix, Stylists and Algorithms Face Off

By Malique Morris · Sep 2, 2021 6:01am PDT · 7 comments

Last May, a Stitch Fix customer visited a section of the internet apparel retailer’s site called Complete Your Looks, where algorithms are supposed to recommend sweaters, shirts and other items that complement clothing the customer has bought in the past. On this visit, though, Stitch Fix didn’t offer any recommendations, a glitch... Last May, a Stitch Fix customer visited a section of the internet apparel retailer’s site...

Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg

Bezos’ New Growth Tactic is Filing Lawsuits

By Martin Peers · Sep 1, 2021 5:02pm PDT · 1 comment

Elon Musk joked on Twitter today that “filing legal actions against SpaceX” is Jeff Bezos’ “full time job.” Musk has a point. For all of Bezos’ talk about never forgetting the Day One principles of a startup, growing by a relentless focus on customers, it’s surprising how often his companies—Amazon and Blue Origin—have lately relied on legal... Elon Musk joked on Twitter today that “filing legal actions against SpaceX” is Jeff Bezos’ “full...

The Next Creator Economy Unicorns

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 1, 2021 4:02pm PDT · 2 comments

Creator Economy

The Next Creator Economy Unicorns

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 1, 2021 4:02pm PDT · 2 comments

Our latest chart looks at the creator economy startups that have achieved unicorn status, according to our database of companies in this sector. The list is quite varied. While two focus on creator- or celebrity-run online courses (Kajabi, MasterClass), the others offer very different products, such as Patreon’s membership platform or Cameo... Our latest chart looks at the creator economy startups that have achieved unicorn status,...