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

Jobs@TheInformation

puts “Hello Information Engineering Team”

By The Information Staff · Dec 9, 2021 9:01am PST

The Information is looking for passionate, product-oriented full-stack engineers to join our team, in San Francisco or remotely. About Us The Information is a San Francisco-based business publication known for original, in-depth reporting about the technology industry. We're the go-to daily read for the most important people in technology... The Information is looking for passionate, product-oriented full-stack engineers to join our...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Got Whistleblowers? Good.

By Ariella Steinhorn and Amber Scorah · Dec 9, 2021 9:00am PST · 3 comments

Employees at Silicon Valley’s powerful companies are finding their own power, speaking out against abuses ranging from toxic culture and bullying bosses to fraudulent promises and damaging products. Now, those companies’ leaders have to choose how to respond: snuff out these rumblings of unrest or harness their energy? They... Employees at Silicon Valley’s powerful companies are finding their own power, speaking...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft Seeks to Stem Employee Departures Through ‘Career Check-ins’

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 9, 2021 6:00am PST

Microsoft employees have been known to stick around. CEO Satya Nadella and several other senior executives joined the company more than 25 years ago. But that has changed amid the pandemic, as Microsoft, along with virtually every other technology company, has struggled to retain talent. Attrition at Microsoft has become a big enough problem... Microsoft employees have been known to stick around. CEO Satya Nadella and several other senior...

An Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y. Photo by Bloomberg

The Other Amazon Antitrust Paradox

By Martin Peers · Dec 8, 2021 5:00pm PST

An Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y. Photo by Bloomberg

The Other Amazon Antitrust Paradox

By Martin Peers · Dec 8, 2021 5:00pm PST

Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan and other Amazon critics face an inconvenient truth in a Wall Street Journal article today about the impact Amazon is having on the unskilled labor market. Undercutting the lefty dogma that Amazon is bad for labor, the Journal story suggests Amazon is helping drive improvements in wages and benefits for... Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan and other Amazon critics face an inconvenient truth in a...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Kickstarter’s Blockchain Plans Risk Challenge From DAOs; Congress’ Meta Concerns

By Hannah Miller · Dec 8, 2021 4:25pm PST · 1 comment

Kickstarter’s planned transition to a blockchain-based platform next year further highlights the growing intersection of crypto and crowdfunding. The crowdfunding site plans to make the switch next year, according to Bloomberg. But that may not be soon enough to compete with blockchain-based groups called decentralized autonomous organizations,... Kickstarter’s planned transition to a blockchain-based platform next year further highlights the...

Instagram head Adam Mosseri speaks at a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg.

Creator Economy

What JoJo Siwa Told Instagram’s Mosseri; Messaging Startup Authoritive Scores Funding

By Mahira Dayal · Dec 8, 2021 3:58pm PST

Instagram’s creator conference in June was supposed to celebrate its commitment to influencers. But one marquee interview has come back to bite Instagram head Adam Mosseri. At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) used Mosseri’s video exchange with Instagram and YouTube star JoJo Siwa to make the point that... Instagram’s creator conference in June was supposed to celebrate its commitment to influencers....

A screen from a smart television powered by Roku. Photo by Bloomberg

Predictions 2022

Why Roku Will Buy a Movie and TV Studio

By Jessica Toonkel · Dec 8, 2021 11:56am PST

Roku is best known as the maker of a hockey-puck–size device that attaches to television sets and lets people stream shows from Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services. But Roku now makes most of its money selling advertising. And to broaden that part of its business, it has been taking baby steps into the world of making its own... Roku is best known as the maker of a hockey-puck–size device that attaches to television...

The newly revampe main island environment in Fortnite. Credit: Epic Games

A Curious Apple AR/VR Job Listing; Fortnite’s Engine Switch

By Mathew Olson · Dec 8, 2021 11:00am PST

The newly revampe main island environment in Fortnite. Credit: Epic Games

A Curious Apple AR/VR Job Listing; Fortnite’s Engine Switch

By Mathew Olson · Dec 8, 2021 11:00am PST

A new job listing for a role in Apple’s AR/VR division suggests that Apple wants to rethink or potentially streamline the way that apps are made for its future headworn devices. It could also suggest that Apple is exploring a move beyond the App Store model that has brought it both success and waves of criticism on mobile.The listing in... A new job listing for a role in Apple’s AR/VR division suggests that Apple wants to rethink or...

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan. Photo by Bloomberg

Why the FTC Rejected Nvidia’s Antitrust Settlement for $75 Billion Arm Deal

By Josh Sisco · Dec 8, 2021 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Regulators who normally seek to block mergers between companies that compete with one another are becoming increasingly combative about vertical mergers between companies that don’t. The latest example is how the Federal Trade Commission handled chipmaker Nvidia’s contentious takeover of Arm Holdings, a designer of chips for mobile... Regulators who normally seek to block mergers between companies that compete with one another are...

Mobileye's stand at the Munich Motor Show in September. Photo by Bloomberg.

Intel’s Lesson for Alphabet

By Martin Peers · Dec 7, 2021 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Intel’s decision to take its Mobileye unit public is a smart way to let investors buy directly into the technology side of the self-driving–car business. Plenty of people surely have little interest in owning Intel directly, given the troubles it’s had in chips. And Intel’s move raises a question: Why isn’t Alphabet, owner of pioneering... Intel’s decision to take its Mobileye unit public is a smart way to let investors buy directly...

A virtual private island based in the Sandbox metaverse's Fantasy Islands real estate development. Photo by Republic Realm.

A Second Life for Crypto and NFTs in the Metaverse; Another Meta Exec Quits

By Hannah Miller · Dec 7, 2021 4:27pm PST

As Meta Platforms has pivoted toward the metaverse, cryptocurrencies related to this immersive, three-dimensional version of the internet have taken off. Meta’s announcement helped boost the value of metaverse-related cryptocurrencies, according to new data from Macro Hive. The market research firm found that its Meta index, which tracks the... As Meta Platforms has pivoted toward the metaverse, cryptocurrencies related to this immersive,...

Discord is testing a new feature that allows creators to charge fans for subscriptions on the chat app. Photo: Bloomberg

Discord Takes Back Turf from Patreon; Facebook Boosts Tipping

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 7, 2021 3:45pm PST

Discord is testing a new feature that allows creators to charge fans for subscriptions on the chat app. Photo: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

Discord Takes Back Turf from Patreon; Facebook Boosts Tipping

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 7, 2021 3:45pm PST

It’s long been popular practice for creators to sell access to their private Discord communities as part of paid subscriptions on Patreon, YouTube and Twitch. The arrangement kept creators, such as gamers with big followings, conversing with their fans on Discord. But the chat app didn’t get any subscription revenue; the other platforms did.... It’s long been popular practice for creators to sell access to their private Discord communities...

Signage for Bumble on the day the company went public on the Nasdaq earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg.

Just How Much Did 2021’s Tech IPOs Underperform Last Year’s? A Lot

By Aidan Ryan · Dec 7, 2021 11:30am PST

If you have the impression that a lot of this year’s tech initial public offerings haven’t done well, you’re not wrong. Nearly two-thirds of tech companies that went public via IPO this year are trading below their IPO price, according to data provided by Dealogic. The weak performance is a reflection of both the market, which... If you have the impression that a lot of this year’s tech initial public offerings...

An AR menu demo made for Snap's Spectacles by developer Brielle Garcia. Photo: Snap

Co-Founder Bobby Murphy on Snap’s AR Wins and Road Ahead

By Mathew Olson · Dec 7, 2021 11:00am PST

Snap’s co-founder Bobby Murphy is stepping out of the shadows. The company’s Chief Technology Officer long has taken a back seat to his colleague, CEO Evan Spiegel, when it comes to dealing with the public. But as Snap becomes more of a force in AR, Murphy has plenty to discuss.In an interview with The Information to mark today’s beginning of... Snap’s co-founder Bobby Murphy is stepping out of the shadows. The company’s Chief Technology...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo collage by Haejin Park. Photos by Bloomberg

Inside Tim Cook’s Secret $275 Billion Deal with Chinese Authorities

By Wayne Ma · Dec 7, 2021 6:00am PST · 8 comments

Apple’s iPhone recently became the top-selling smartphone in China, its second-biggest market after the U.S., for the first time in six years. But the company owes much of that success to CEO Tim Cook, who laid the foundation years ago by secretly signing an agreement, estimated to be worth more than $275 billion, with Chinese officials... Apple’s iPhone recently became the top-selling smartphone in China, its second-biggest...

DoorDash riders in New York in April. Photo by Bloomberg.

Ultrafast Wars Raise Risk of Investor Injury

By Martin Peers · Dec 6, 2021 5:00pm PST

DoorDash riders in New York in April. Photo by Bloomberg.

Ultrafast Wars Raise Risk of Investor Injury

By Martin Peers · Dec 6, 2021 5:00pm PST

Wandering around Manhattan has lately become a not-so-fun exercise in dodging the stream of bicycles ridden ferociously by delivery couriers, a population that is growing with the proliferation of ultrafast grocery-delivery services. DoorDash’s announcement on Monday that it is jumping into the ultrafast fray suggests that the danger of severe... Wandering around Manhattan has lately become a not-so-fun exercise in dodging the stream of...

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX US. Photo by FTX. Art by Mike Sullivan.

What a Lofty Valuation Could Mean for FTX US; OpenSea Takes Lyft’s CFO

By Hannah Miller · Dec 6, 2021 4:16pm PST

Late Friday, my colleagues Kate and Berber and I broke the news that Bahamian crypto exchange FTX and its U.S. affiliate FTX US are looking to raise a total of $1.5 billion at valuations of $32 billion and $8 billion, respectively. The figures represent not only potential gains for FTX, which was valued at $25 billion after it raised $420... Late Friday, my colleagues Kate and Berber and I broke the news that Bahamian crypto exchange FTX...

Universe CEO Joseph Cohen. Photo credit Jayson Carter.

Creator Economy

Addition Leads Funding for Website Builder Universe; Twitter Shuffles Top Team

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 6, 2021 2:32pm PST

Creators are making custom websites in vogue again.After years of watching social networks abruptly tweak their algorithms or make other changes like hiding popularity metrics, influencers are trying to exert more control over their audiences by launching their own websites and blogs. That’s feeding demand for the startups that help them build... Creators are making custom websites in vogue again.After years of watching social networks...

Roblox's home page, as shown on a laptop. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Treatment of Roblox in Spotlight in DOJ Antitrust Probe

By Josh Sisco · Dec 6, 2021 12:20pm PST

As the U.S. government tries to put together an antitrust case against Apple for the way it controls iPhones, prosecutors are looking for instances in which the company is unevenly enforcing rules for app developers in ways that could hurt its potential rivals. One example they’re focused on is Apple’s hands-off approach with gaming... As the U.S. government tries to put together an antitrust case against Apple for the way it...

A close-up of a controller for the next PlayStation VR headset. Credit: Sony

Sony’s Subscription Opportunity; An Indie VR Sensation

By Mathew Olson · Dec 6, 2021 11:00am PST

A close-up of a controller for the next PlayStation VR headset. Credit: Sony

Sony’s Subscription Opportunity; An Indie VR Sensation

By Mathew Olson · Dec 6, 2021 11:00am PST

Sony appears to finally see Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service often likened to a “Netflix for games,” as a threat to the PlayStation business. It’s reportedly planning a revamp to its own set of subscription plans that will see it compete more directly with Xbox’s. If Sony wants to be really smart about this, though, it should... Sony appears to finally see Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service often likened to a “...