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

Amazon Ad Prices Surge, As Demand From Sellers Intensifies

By Mark Di Stefano · Aug 10, 2021 6:01am PDT · 3 comments

The cost to place key ads on Amazon’s main marketplace has surged more than a third since the start of the pandemic, a sign of the intense demand among merchants to promote their wares on the platform. But the rapid rise in ad prices also raises the possibility that Amazon may be pricing itself out of the picture for many sellers. Consumer... The cost to place key ads on Amazon’s main marketplace has surged more than a third since...

The Electric Flash Analysis: Researchers Resurrect the “Air” Battery, But Cost Remains An Issue

By Steve LeVine · Aug 10, 2021 3:00am PDT

Form co-founder Yet-Ming Chiang. Photo by Bloomberg.Two weeks ago, Form Energy, a Massachusetts startup with celebrity founders and funders, attracted much battery industry attention by publicizing an exotic “iron-air battery,” a long-lasting technology it said was so cheap that it would undercut natural gas in electricity generation.Today, a... Form co-founder Yet-Ming Chiang. Photo by Bloomberg.Two weeks ago, Form Energy, a Massachusetts...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Unsurprising Reality Behind the Apple Privacy Storm

By Martin Peers · Aug 9, 2021 5:00pm PDT

Nuance and complexity don’t translate well in today’s news media, so you can reliably bet that any time a complicated story is dominating the headlines, some key facts are astray. Witness the Apple child safety controversy of the past few days. Based on an Apple’s memo today, and a more thoughtful analysis published by Apple-watcher John Gruber,... Nuance and complexity don’t translate well in today’s news media, so you can reliably bet that...

All Social Networks Look The Same Now

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 9, 2021 4:03pm PDT

Creator Economy

All Social Networks Look The Same Now

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 9, 2021 4:03pm PDT

Our latest chart shows how many features social media networks have in common, ranging from livestreaming to TikTok competitors and shopping. It’s a sign of the social media market maturing, similar to how smartphones and laptops now share similar interfaces and functions. The pandemic has also made competition even more fierce among social... Our latest chart shows how many features social media networks have in common, ranging from...

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., speaks as Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, listens at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Monday. Photo: Bloomberg. Illustration: Mike Sullivan

Crypto Tax Plan in Limbo; Circle Wants to Become a Bank

By Hannah Miller · Aug 9, 2021 3:03pm PDT

The bipartisan infrastructure bill has thrust the cryptocurrency industry into the national spotlight. And until Monday afternoon, it looked like the industry was headed for a major victory.Earlier Monday, a group of five senators from both political parties said they had worked with the U.S. Treasury Department to clarify language in the bill... The bipartisan infrastructure bill has thrust the cryptocurrency industry into the national...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Six Networking Startups to Watch

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 9, 2021 12:50pm PDT · 1 comment

Chipmaker Marvell’s $1.1 billion acquisition last week of Innovium, a chip startup that competes with networking chip behemoth Broadcom, signaled a major shift in the chip market. After years in which investors had shied away from putting money into the networking sector, nervous about taking on Broadcom, attitudes have changed. A variety... Chipmaker Marvell’s $1.1 billion acquisition last week of Innovium, a chip startup that...

Niantic CEO John Hanke. Photo by Bloomberg

Niantic to Frustrated Pokemon AR Gamers—“We Hear You”

By Mathew Olson · Aug 9, 2021 11:00am PDT

After an outpouring of criticism from players, Pokemon Go makers Niantic is forming an internal team aimed at finding a middle ground between the AR gaming experience fans came to love during the pandemic and the vision Niantic has for the game.To recap, a week ago, Niantic in the U.S. and New Zealand rolled back temporary pandemic safety... After an outpouring of criticism from players, Pokemon Go makers Niantic is forming an internal...

ZhenFund CEO Anna Fang. Photo: Bloomberg

Beijing’s Tech Crackdown Doesn’t Slow Early-Stage Chinese VCs

By Juro Osawa and Shai Oster · Aug 9, 2021 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

ZhenFund CEO Anna Fang. Photo: Bloomberg

Beijing’s Tech Crackdown Doesn’t Slow Early-Stage Chinese VCs

By Juro Osawa and Shai Oster · Aug 9, 2021 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Beijing’s regulatory crackdown and a $1 trillion selloff of Chinese tech stocks haven’t stopped venture capitalists from making new investments in early-stage Chinese startups. Chinese VC investors are keeping one eye on the government’s new policies, which have caused Chinese startups to suspend their plans for U.S. initial... Beijing’s regulatory crackdown and a $1 trillion selloff of Chinese tech stocks...

The Million-Mile Battery is Really Here. It Will Change Everything

By Steve LeVine · Aug 8, 2021 2:00pm PDT

Dalhousie University professor and Tesla lead battery scientist Jeff Dahn. Photo: Dal UWelcome back! Event alert: Please RSVP here for “The New Iron Age,” the inaugural monthly Live Chat with The Electric. On Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, I will speak with Yet-Ming Chiang, co-founder of some of the most important battery startups of the last dozen... Dalhousie University professor and Tesla lead battery scientist Jeff Dahn. Photo: Dal UWelcome...

What the VC Reckoning Means for Entrepreneurs

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 7, 2021 7:45am PDT · 6 comments

When I finished reading Sam’s excellent column this week on the end of venture capital as we know it, I had one question: What do the changes mean for entrepreneurs?So I spent some time this week thinking about the subject and grilling Sam and others about it. I’ve learned a lot.First, a recap of the column: In 2,000 words, Sam summarized his... When I finished reading Sam’s excellent column this week on the end of venture capital as we know...

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. Photo by Bloomberg

Epic’s Disingenuous Google Claims

By Martin Peers · Aug 6, 2021 5:00pm PDT

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney knows how to play to the crowd. In a court filing unsealed Thursday night related to Epic’s lawsuit against Google—initiated around the same time that Epic went after Apple last year—Epic makes the sure-to-generate-headlines assertion that Google had “contemplated buying some or all of Epic to squelch” the threat posed... Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney knows how to play to the crowd. In a court filing unsealed Thursday...

Illustration by Mike Sullivan

As Cloud Customers Whine About AWS Bills, Cisco Looks to Woo Them Back to Data Centers

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 6, 2021 10:00am PDT · 2 comments

Illustration by Mike Sullivan

As Cloud Customers Whine About AWS Bills, Cisco Looks to Woo Them Back to Data Centers

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 6, 2021 10:00am PDT · 2 comments

Cloud computing providers such as Amazon Web Services have become widely accepted by businesses that don’t want to manage their own data centers, but some AWS customers continue to grumble about the high costs of the cloud. Even the most sophisticated tech companies have stumbled in managing those expenses. Seeking to capitalize on that... Cloud computing providers such as Amazon Web Services have become widely accepted by businesses...

Illustration by Danielle Davis

An Old VC Taboo Fades: More Firms Invest in Rivals

By Berber Jin · Aug 6, 2021 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

In early 2020, venture firms CapitalG and IVP each considered investing in Olive, a startup using artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks for healthcare workers. But the two firms ultimately passed on the potential investment, in part because their respective partners concluded it could conflict with both companies’ prior... In early 2020, venture firms CapitalG and IVP each considered investing in Olive, a startup using...

South Park's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Photo by AP

ViacomCBS’ South Park Decision Shows Industry’s Muddled Strategy

By Martin Peers · Aug 5, 2021 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Most big TV companies are now squarely in the streaming game. But no one can accuse them of abandoning their buddies in the traditional cable world. Take ViacomCBS, which proudly announced today it had renewed its deal with the makers of “South Park” for several new seasons of that hit animated series, to run on… you guessed it, the decades-old... Most big TV companies are now squarely in the streaming game. But no one can accuse them of...

Erin Miller. Photo: Erin Miller

Creator Economy

Why Disappearing Posts Have Staying Power; The TikToker Who Revels in ‘90s Nostalgia

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 5, 2021 4:02pm PDT

If you need a clue as to where social media is going, spend some time on Snapchat. An early pioneer of disappearing Stories, it’s now primarily used by young people to message privately with small groups of friends. Those messages quickly disappear, too. It turns out ephemerality, the fancy name for technology that deletes itself, has... If you need a clue as to where social media is going, spend some time on Snapchat. An early...

Ethereum’s Makeover; a Startup Aims to Be Crypto’s Cameo

By Hannah Miller · Aug 5, 2021 2:16pm PDT · 3 comments

Ethereum’s Makeover; a Startup Aims to Be Crypto’s Cameo

By Hannah Miller · Aug 5, 2021 2:16pm PDT · 3 comments

The price of ether is on the rise after a new upgrade to the cryptocurrency’s Ethereum blockchain went live Thursday. Ether, which has the second-largest market capitalization of any crypto after bitcoin, climbed 4% to $2,807 over the past 24 hours. The changes, designed to make Ethereum transactions faster and less expensive, have the potential... The price of ether is on the rise after a new upgrade to the cryptocurrency’s Ethereum blockchain...

Reese Witherspoon. Photo by Bloomberg

Just How Rich Was Hello Sunshine’s Sales Price? Five Times Public Media Stock Values

By Jessica Toonkel and Sahil Patel · Aug 5, 2021 11:53am PDT · 1 comment

Since a Blackstone-led group agreed to buy Hello Sunshine at a valuation of $900 million this week, there’s been lots of talk about the rich prices Hollywood studios are fetching amid a shortage of quality programming for streaming. Just how rich, though, has remained murky—until now. The Information has learned that Hello Sunshine,... Since a Blackstone-led group agreed to buy Hello Sunshine at a valuation of $900 million this...

Sony's first VR headset. Photo by Sony

Epic to Take Another Crack at Defining the Metaverse; Sony's VR Ambitions

By Mathew Olson · Aug 5, 2021 11:00am PDT

Next Tuesday, Marc Petit of Epic Games plans to talk on the metaverse at the annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference. It’ll be a chance for someone other than CEO Tim Sweeney to explain Epic’s vision for this next stage of computing. Hopefully, given the venue, it’ll be more substantive than Sweeney’s tweets and testimony in the Epic v.... Next Tuesday, Marc Petit of Epic Games plans to talk on the metaverse at the annual SIGGRAPH...

Know anyone who'd like The Electric?

By Steve LeVine · Aug 5, 2021 9:17am PDT

Hi! We’re now a few weeks into The Electric, and I hope you’ve found it valuable so far. The full archive is here.I’m writing with a request. I’m hoping that as many people as possible benefit from the free pilot we’re conducting. Until it ends and the paid beta begins, anyone can sign up and read the weekly deep-dives, receive important flash... Hi! We’re now a few weeks into The Electric, and I hope you’ve found it valuable so far. The full...

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Bloomberg

Chinese Government Invested in the Same Tech Companies It’s Now Attacking

By Shai Oster and Juro Osawa · Aug 5, 2021 6:00am PDT

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Bloomberg

Chinese Government Invested in the Same Tech Companies It’s Now Attacking

By Shai Oster and Juro Osawa · Aug 5, 2021 6:00am PDT

A month ago, China’s top internet regulator launched a cybersecurity probe into Chinese truck-hailing company Full Truck Alliance, causing its share price to plunge less than two weeks after its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Yet the same internet regulator controls an investment fund that owns shares in the... A month ago, China’s top internet regulator launched a cybersecurity probe into Chinese...