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

Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla. Art by Mike Sullivan

Khosla’s Lawsuit Against Lime Shows Ugly Side of Aborted Acqui-Hires

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 15, 2021 12:48pm PDT · 2 comments

It would have been an unremarkable transaction: Electric skateboard pioneer Boosted was running out of money in late 2019 and tried to sell key assets and transfer some employees to Lime, a scooter rental firm, for $30 million in Lime’s stock. The deal would have helped Boosted’s biggest financial backer, Khosla Ventures, recoup some... It would have been an unremarkable transaction: Electric skateboard pioneer Boosted was running...

A customer wearing a pair of AirPods Max headphones at an Apple store in South Korea. Photo by Bloomberg

TI Reality Check: Time to Talk About AR Audio

By Mathew Olson · Mar 15, 2021 11:01am PDT

Welcome back! The visual side of VR and AR captures the bulk of the attention, but audio merits a lot more discussion than it gets, something that a recent Apple patent reminded me of. First though, let’s talk about one kind of audio technology that’s on the market today: smart hearing aids. While hearing aids are today mainly used... Welcome back! The visual side of VR and AR captures the bulk of the attention, but audio merits a...

A worker at a picking station at an Amazon warehouse. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Expands Effort to ‘Gamify’ Warehouse Work

By Paris Martineau and Mark Di Stefano · Mar 15, 2021 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

At dozens of Amazon warehouses every day, employees go about their regular work routines, plucking the items from shelves that make up customer orders and dropping them into plastic bins. They get paid, of course, but some of them are also vying for digital rewards that allow them to buy virtual narwhals, dinosaurs and other electronic pets. ... At dozens of Amazon warehouses every day, employees go about their regular work routines,...

What I Learned as a Founder During Covid-19

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 13, 2021 7:46am PST · 4 comments

What I Learned as a Founder During Covid-19

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 13, 2021 7:46am PST · 4 comments

A few weeks ago, one longtime team member at The Information asked one of her colleagues on Zoom: “So, how tall are you?” She’d never met her in person. It’s one of many examples of the utter strangeness of the last year. A year ago this week, like all of you, we at The Information shut down our offices. In a note to... A few weeks ago, one longtime team member at The Information asked one of her colleagues on Zoom:...

Microsoft president Brad Smith. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Daily Briefing: Behind Microsoft’s Attacks on Google

By Martin Peers · Mar 12, 2021 5:32pm PST

A public brawl between two big companies is always fun to watch. It doesn’t happen very often, as most business executives go to great lengths to avoid saying anything in public remotely colorful (that’s one reason why Elon Musk is so much fun to watch). So the war of words between Microsoft and Google on Friday, triggered by... A public brawl between two big companies is always fun to watch. It doesn’t happen very...

The Information’s 411 — Condé Nast Turns a New Page

By Tom Dotan · Mar 12, 2021 3:28pm PST

Tom speaks to Roger Lynch, the CEO of magazine giant Condé Nast, about how he’s trying to turn the company around and build out newer businesses like e-commerce, longform video and digital subscriptions. He also talks about how the company handled its cultural reckoning last year. Then Alex and Mat join to recap their interview with... Tom speaks to Roger Lynch, the CEO of magazine giant Condé Nast, about how he’s...

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Reversal, Netflix Discussed Selling Shows to TV Networks

By Jessica Toonkel · Mar 12, 2021 12:34pm PST · 1 comment

Netflix has made a name for itself as the exclusive home for its original series like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Stranger Things” and “Firefly Lane.” But in what could be a major departure in strategy, the streaming giant in recent months has explored licensing some of its movies and series to other TV... Netflix has made a name for itself as the exclusive home for its original series like “The...

Conde CEO Roger Lynch. Photo by Bloomberg. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Condé Nast Expects Strong Revenue Growth in 2021 After “Very Difficult Year,” CEO Says

By Tom Dotan · Mar 12, 2021 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Conde CEO Roger Lynch. Photo by Bloomberg. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Q&A

Condé Nast Expects Strong Revenue Growth in 2021 After “Very Difficult Year,” CEO Says

By Tom Dotan · Mar 12, 2021 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Magazine giant Condé Nast, publisher of titles including Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Wired, had a “very, very difficult year” in 2020, thanks to the pandemic’s impact on advertising, CEO Roger Lynch says. But this year, he predicts, revenue will grow by “double-digit percentages,” and long term he... Magazine giant Condé Nast, publisher of titles including Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New...

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Tech Breakups Could Be Good for Shareholders: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Mar 11, 2021 5:02pm PST

Democrats in Congress are starting work on changes to antitrust laws that would make it tougher for big companies—most obviously big tech firms—to do acquisitions. Along with antitrust action already begun, the legislation being discussed could even end up forcing tech giants to divest existing businesses. Tech firms are sure to... Democrats in Congress are starting work on changes to antitrust laws that would make it tougher...

A Google Cardboard VR viewer in 2015. Photo by Bloomberg

TI Reality Check: What Happened to Google in AR and VR?

By Mathew Olson · Mar 11, 2021 11:02am PST

Welcome back! We kicked off my first week running Reality Check with a Mark Zuckerberg interview about Facebook’s big plans for the future in AR and VR. Now I’d like to take a look at another company, Google, that seems to have much less going on in the category. Last week, UploadVR noticed that Google has stopped selling its... Welcome back! We kicked off my first week running Reality Check with a Mark Zuckerberg interview...

Clockwise from top left: Aaron Levant, Virgile Ollivier, Branon Kruse, Brian Nickerson, Amber Venz Box and Baxter Box, Dan Dan Li. Photos courtesy of the subjects.

Startups to Watch

Six Businesses That Are Changing Online Shopping

By Malique Morris · Mar 11, 2021 10:20am PST · 1 comment

Stuck at home during the pandemic, Americans have been flocking to online shopping sites and mobile apps. The growth has been a boon for the rising number of startups that specialize in injecting excitement into online shopping for consumers who may have grown bored with mundane grids of product photos. Many of the emerging companies focus on... Stuck at home during the pandemic, Americans have been flocking to online shopping sites and...

The People With Power at Facebook as Its Hardware, Commerce Ambitions Expand

By Alex Heath · Mar 11, 2021 6:01am PST

The People With Power at Facebook as Its Hardware, Commerce Ambitions Expand

By Alex Heath · Mar 11, 2021 6:01am PST

Facebook in recent years has laid out an aggressive strategy of building its own consumer hardware to lessen its dependence on Apple and Google, makers of the two dominant mobile operating systems. The seriousness of its ambitions is reflected in its headcount: Nearly 10,000 people are working in its group developing augmented and virtual... Facebook in recent years has laid out an aggressive strategy of building its own consumer...

Roblox's web site. Photo by Bloomberg

What Roblox’s Public Debut Says About Direct Listings: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Mar 10, 2021 5:31pm PST · 11 comments

Roblox stock soared on its first day as a public company, closing a touch below $70 and valuing the gaming firm at about $38 billion. Assuming the stock stays that high, it means a very quick profit for venture capitalists who bought stock in Roblox’s last private fundraising at $45 a share in January. And that points to a flaw in the main... Roblox stock soared on its first day as a public company, closing a touch below $70 and valuing...

Photo via Flickr

Partner Content

International Expansion Top Priority for Business Leaders

By The Information Staff · Mar 10, 2021 3:26pm PST · 1 comment

The Information partnered with Singapore: Passion Made Possible to survey our subscribers on international expansion. The results, embedded below show the vast majority of companies maintaining or ramping up plans for expansion abroad. Responses came from a nearly 50% C-level respondent pool. We hope that you find the results valuable. A few key... The Information partnered with Singapore: Passion Made Possible to survey our subscribers on...

Lina Khan, photo by Getty Images. Illustration by Mike Sullivan.

What Big Tech Antitrust Foe Lina Khan Could Do at the FTC

By Josh Sisco · Mar 10, 2021 1:46pm PST · 4 comments

The Biden administration’s likely nomination of law professor Lina Khan as a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission might seem like a call to arms for tech companies. The appointment of Khan, who authored a seminal legal paper on how antitrust law could be used to prevent Amazon from extending its dominance to new businesses, would... The Biden administration’s likely nomination of law professor Lina Khan as a commissioner...

A marketing image from Roblox.

TI Reality Check: Roblox, Epic and the Platform Wars to Come

By Mathew Olson · Mar 10, 2021 11:01am PST · 2 comments

A marketing image from Roblox.

TI Reality Check: Roblox, Epic and the Platform Wars to Come

By Mathew Olson · Mar 10, 2021 11:01am PST · 2 comments

Welcome back! Today’s big story for the shape of what augmented and virtual reality might become is the public listing of Roblox. If you’re an American parent with school-age kids, there’s a very good chance you know what Roblox is. Roblox supports PC VR headsets, but it’s primarily a business that has evolved around more... Welcome back! Today’s big story for the shape of what augmented and virtual reality might...

Illustration by Josh Brill

Take a Hard Look at the Nondisclosure Agreement

By Ariella Steinhorn and Amber Scorah · Mar 10, 2021 10:01am PST · 3 comments

Last June, a former Pinterest employee named Ifeoma Ozoma and her colleague Aerica Shimizu Banks realized their experiences working at the company revealed a dramatic gap between its rhetoric and the reality of its culture. They believed they had been underpaid in comparison with their white colleagues, and they had also faced racist comments.... Last June, a former Pinterest employee named Ifeoma Ozoma and her colleague Aerica Shimizu Banks...

Producers and top cast members of Amazon's "Bosch" speaking with the press in 2016. Photo by AP

Banished by Netflix, Advertising Makes Comeback on New Streaming Services

By Jessica Toonkel · Mar 10, 2021 6:01am PST · 4 comments

Television commercials are making a comeback—on streaming video. After years of viewers shunning ads, initially by using digital video recorders to skip through commercial breaks and then by flocking to ad-free subscription services like Netflix, streaming services that put ads in shows are suddenly all the rage. Most of the new streaming... Television commercials are making a comeback—on streaming video. After years of viewers...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Photo by Bloomberg

What U.S. Tech Is Missing Out On: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Mar 9, 2021 5:31pm PST

Our story today about Tencent’s enormous investment gains points to a path not taken by the U.S. tech giants in deploying their vast cash resources. The article revealed that Tencent has built up an investment portfolio of stakes in nearly 1,200 companies, the vast majority of which are privately held. Can you imagine the political... Our story today about Tencent’s enormous investment gains points to a path not taken by the...

Images by Shutterstock. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

12 Charts That Show How Tech Took Off During a Year of Shutdowns

By Laura Mandaro · Mar 9, 2021 11:51am PST · 4 comments

Images by Shutterstock. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

12 Charts That Show How Tech Took Off During a Year of Shutdowns

By Laura Mandaro · Mar 9, 2021 11:51am PST · 4 comments

A year ago this month, U.S. tech companies told hundreds of thousands of workers to pack up their laptops and go home—at least until mid-April, some said. That deadline quickly joined other trashed predictions in the months that followed, as the coronavirus pandemic set grim records for lives lost, then topped them again and again. The... A year ago this month, U.S. tech companies told hundreds of thousands of workers to pack up their...