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

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Photo by Bloomberg

SoftBank’s Son Doubles Down on Personal Risk Exposure

By Martin Peers · Aug 10, 2021 5:00pm PDT

Investing in tech is, by definition, a risky endeavor, given the high failure rate of new enterprises. But SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, whose tolerance for risk has always been unusually high, is doubling down on his personal exposure. Son revealed on Tuesday that he plans to invest $2.6 billion personally in the company’s Vision Fund 2, which he... Investing in tech is, by definition, a risky endeavor, given the high failure rate of new...

Photo credit: Bloomberg

Creator Economy

How YouTube’s Crackdown on Unboxing Videos Could Play Out

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 10, 2021 4:27pm PDT

New moves by YouTube to better protect minors could have consequences for social media creators who create toy-focused videos for children. On Tuesday, YouTube and its parent company Google announced new safety features for users under 18, following a similar move by Instagram last month. Changes include allowing minors to ask for their... New moves by YouTube to better protect minors could have consequences for social media creators...

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. Photo by Bloomberg

FTC Investigating Uber’s Gopuff Partnership Alongside Drizly Deal

By Josh Sisco and Mark Di Stefano · Aug 10, 2021 3:45pm PDT

The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing a partnership struck in May between Uber and Gopuff that allows people to order items from Gopuff through the Uber Eats delivery app, according to two people familiar with the matter and a document seen by The Information. The FTC is looking to see whether the agreement could hamper competition in... The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing a partnership struck in May between Uber and Gopuff...

An image from ZED RUN, an online game that allows players to race, breed and sell NFT horses. Photo: Virtually Human Studio

The Rise of NFT Gaming; Infrastructure Bill Passes the Senate

By Hannah Miller · Aug 10, 2021 3:01pm PDT

An image from ZED RUN, an online game that allows players to race, breed and sell NFT horses. Photo: Virtually Human Studio

The Rise of NFT Gaming; Infrastructure Bill Passes the Senate

By Hannah Miller · Aug 10, 2021 3:01pm PDT

The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed the Senate on Tuesday without any changes to language surrounding new tax-reporting requirements for cryptocurrency businesses. Despite two competing amendments that aimed to narrow and clarify which types of companies would have to follow these proposed rules, neither made it to the final bill, which is... The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed the Senate on Tuesday without any changes to language...

Kat Harris, a developer, wearing Snap's AR Spectacles. Photo by Snap

Snap Hires AR Leader From Facebook; Niantic’s Scanning Acquisition

By Mathew Olson · Aug 10, 2021 11:00am PDT

Snap’s hiring on Monday of Facebook AR executive Joe Darko to oversee AR Developer Relations demonstrates just how much Snap and Facebook are vying for not only the same consumers but even the same pool of AR developers and creators.Darko helped launch the Spark AR Partner Network in his time as the global lead for Facebook’s AR ecosystem. His... Snap’s hiring on Monday of Facebook AR executive Joe Darko to oversee AR Developer Relations...

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

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...

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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...