The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Apple’s New Privacy Policy Tests the Limits of Its Platform Power

By Eric Seufert · Apr 6, 2021 9:02am PDT · 29 comments

Apple plans to soon implement a broad new privacy policy that thoroughly upends the mobile advertising industry. App Tracking Transparency, or ATT, is a radical course change that endangers the business models of ad platforms, app publishers and online retailers alike. It’s hard to overstate just how much consternation and anxiety ATT has... Apple plans to soon implement a broad new privacy policy that thoroughly upends the mobile...

From left, Chase Coleman III, Scott Shleifer, and John Curtius. Photos by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan

Inside Tiger Global’s Deal Machine

By Kate Clark · Apr 6, 2021 6:00am PDT · 7 comments

In early 2018, Tiger Global Management hired retired U.S. Army colonel Greg Gadson to speak at the hedge fund’s offsite conference at Miraval, a luxury resort and spa in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Gadson, who lost both legs to an explosion in Baghdad, shared this advice on overcoming intense adversity: “Focus on what you can do... In early 2018, Tiger Global Management hired retired U.S. Army colonel Greg Gadson to speak at...

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Briefing: The Supreme Court’s Good and Bad News for Tech

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

The tech industry got some good news and bad news from the Supreme Court today. The good news was a ruling in favor of Google in its decade-long copyright battle with Oracle. Companies ranging from Microsoft to Etsy had warned that an Oracle victory would make life much harder for the entire industry, particularly software developers and... The tech industry got some good news and bad news from the Supreme Court today. The good news was...

An image used to promote Apple’s upcoming WWDC event.

TI Reality Check: An Audio Solution for Zoom Fatigue?

By Mathew Olson · Apr 5, 2021 12:30pm PDT · 2 comments

An image used to promote Apple’s upcoming WWDC event.

TI Reality Check: An Audio Solution for Zoom Fatigue?

By Mathew Olson · Apr 5, 2021 12:30pm PDT · 2 comments

For about a year now, I’ve been participating on and off in a weekly Zoom social gathering. Folks filter in throughout the day, and most of the time is spent in small, manageable breakout groups of four to five people for 20 minutes. Between those periods, we reconvene in the main room, and aural hell breaks loose. It doesn’t need to... For about a year now, I’ve been participating on and off in a weekly Zoom social gathering....

Clockwise from top-left: A parking lot at Citi Field, Photo by chrisswann26/ Flickr; A Kmart sign; photo by JeepersMedia/ Flickr; Amazon trailers parked outside of an Amazon delivery station in Newark, photo by Bloomberg; the former Orange County Register building in Santa Ana, photo by ksablan/ Flickr.

Amazon’s Hunger for Delivery Hubs Hits New Heights

By Paris Martineau · Apr 5, 2021 6:01am PDT · 2 comments

What do stadium parking lots, defunct Kmarts, an old toxic mill site and the former printing plant of California’s Orange County Register have in common? All of them have recently joined Amazon’s vast distribution network as delivery hubs, smaller shipping facilities that function as local post offices for Amazon packages. During the... What do stadium parking lots, defunct Kmarts, an old toxic mill site and the former printing...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks via videoconference at a House hearing last June. Photo by Bloomberg

How Bezos’ Long-Term Vision Has Faltered on PR

By Nick Wingfield · Apr 3, 2021 7:47am PDT

Many years ago, a former executive at Apple told me that the company really only had one public relations person: Steve Jobs. That was, of course, an exaggeration since the company had a sizable PR department, but the statement captured the reality of communications at Apple, which is that Jobs micromanaged any PR that mattered. The subject of... Many years ago, a former executive at Apple told me that the company really only had one public...

Waymo CEO John Krafcik. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Briefing: What Waymo CEO’s Exit Means

By Martin Peers · Apr 2, 2021 5:01pm PDT · 1 comment

We got big news in the self-driving car industry today when John Krafcik, CEO of Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit Waymo, said he was stepping down. Krafcik says he is looking forward to new adventures after a “refresh” period. If he wants to stay in the industry, Krafcik would be an ideal candidate to hook up with one of the... We got big news in the self-driving car industry today when John Krafcik, CEO of Alphabet’s...

Tempo’s at-home fitness setup. Image: Tempo

SoftBank to Invest More Than $100 Million in Fitness Startup Tempo

By Kate Clark and Cory Weinberg · Apr 2, 2021 4:58pm PDT

Tempo’s at-home fitness setup. Image: Tempo

SoftBank to Invest More Than $100 Million in Fitness Startup Tempo

By Kate Clark and Cory Weinberg · Apr 2, 2021 4:58pm PDT

Tempo, a 2-year-old startup trying to challenge Tonal, Mirror and Peloton in the at-home fitness market, is finalizing a more than $100 million investment led by SoftBank, two people familiar with the matter said. The deal shows that even as people return to gyms as the pandemic ebbs, venture capitalists are betting consumers will continue to be... Tempo, a 2-year-old startup trying to challenge Tonal, Mirror and Peloton in the at-home fitness...

Behind the Fintech Frenzy — The Information’s 411

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 2, 2021 11:35am PDT

Why are startups like Stripe, Plaid, Ramp and Fast raising so much money so quickly? Cory talks about the phenomenon with Bain Capital Ventures partner Merritt Hummer and The Information reporters Kate Clark and Berber Jin. Plus, an interview with Henrique Dubugras, co-CEO of Brex, a corporate credit card startup, about the pandemic,... Why are startups like Stripe, Plaid, Ramp and Fast raising so much money so quickly? Cory...

Argo AI CEO Bryan Salesky. Photo by Bloomberg.

Argo AI Planning Public Listing Later This Year

By Berber Jin and Amir Efrati · Apr 2, 2021 11:08am PDT

Self-driving car startup Argo AI is considering going public later this year or early next year, Argo CEO Bryan Salesky told employees at an all-hands meeting, joining a growing list of self-driving firms contemplating a public listing. Argo would be going public at a challenging time for the self-driving car industry. Expectations that cars... Self-driving car startup Argo AI is considering going public later this year or early next year,...

Rise of Food Tech Companies

By The Information Staff · Apr 2, 2021 6:46am PDT

On March 22nd, The Information hosted a Video Summit on the rise of food technology companies and the future of food with the CEOs of Eat Just and Memphis Meats in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Singapore Tourism Board. “The future of food will require us to cultivate this very integrated ecosystem that... On March 22nd, The Information hosted a Video Summit on the rise of food technology companies and...

Ilustration by Jesus Escudero

Can BigCommerce Be More Than a Little Stone in Shopify’s Shoe?

By Malique Morris · Apr 2, 2021 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Ilustration by Jesus Escudero

Can BigCommerce Be More Than a Little Stone in Shopify’s Shoe?

By Malique Morris · Apr 2, 2021 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Two years ago, Neil Bruce, head of online for Scottish hardware retailer Toolstop, was unhappy with the Adobe-run e-commerce software service he had been using and wanted to find a new platform to host Toolstop’s website. After searching around, he boiled down the choice to either Shopify of Canada, which has become the go-to site for mom... Two years ago, Neil Bruce, head of online for Scottish hardware retailer Toolstop, was unhappy...

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Briefing: What the Compass IPO Tells Us

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

Compass seems to have found its bearings. The SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage avoided the embarrassment of what Wall Streeters call a “broken IPO”—where the stock price falls below the IPO price on the first day of trading—thanks to its savvy decision to slash the size of the offering yesterday. As a result, Compass... Compass seems to have found its bearings. The SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage avoided the...

Microsoft’s HoloLens-based headset for the military. Image: Microsoft

TI Reality Check: Microsoft’s Augmented Army

By Mathew Olson · Apr 1, 2021 11:00am PDT

Within the augmented reality industry, there is a general assumption that wearable devices won’t catch on with the broader public until designers and engineers manage to pack all the necessary components into compact glasses that don’t cost too much. But those constraints don’t apply to devices with the military in mind, where... Within the augmented reality industry, there is a general assumption that wearable devices...

A ‘Sold’ sign is displayed outside a home under construction at a Lennar development site. Photo by Bloomberg

Largest Homebuilder Emerges as Unlikely Startup Kingmaker

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 1, 2021 9:02am PDT · 1 comment

Back in 2016, executives at homebuilding giant Lennar Corp. sat down with the founders of Doma, which uses technology to speed the underwriting of title insurance. Worried that the startup didn’t have sufficient experience in either real estate or insurance, Lennar decided to pass on investing in the firm. “They said it was a... Back in 2016, executives at homebuilding giant Lennar Corp. sat down with the founders of Doma,...

How Places of the Future are Fueling Jobs of the Future

By The Information Staff · Apr 1, 2021 8:22am PDT

How Places of the Future are Fueling Jobs of the Future

By The Information Staff · Apr 1, 2021 8:22am PDT

On March 16th, The Information hosted a Video Summit on how places of the future are fueling jobs of the future in partnership with Cognizant. From Sacramento to Toronto, Lisbon to virtual space, where we live and work will impact job opportunities over the next decade. “You don't necessarily have to go to Silicon Valley to make things... On March 16th, The Information hosted a Video Summit on how places of the future are fueling jobs...

An image from a distribution center of J&T rival ZTO Express. Photo by AP

Upstart Courier Service Raised More Than $2 Billion to Fight Alibaba-Backed Rivals

By Yunan Zhang, Juro Osawa and Shai Oster · Apr 1, 2021 5:46am PDT

J&T Express, an upstart Southeast Asian logistics and courier service that has expanded aggressively in China, has raised more than $2 billion to fund its fight against rival parcel delivery companies backed by Alibaba, people familiar with the matter said. It’s another example of how control of shipping has emerged as a key link in... J&T Express, an upstart Southeast Asian logistics and courier service that has expanded...

Compass CEO and founder Robert Reffkin. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Briefing: Compass, Deliveroo Show Fundamentals Still Count

By Martin Peers · Mar 31, 2021 5:02pm PDT · 1 comment

When you’re hot, you’re hot, like an electric vehicle startup on Wall Street today. And when you’re not, you’re...Compass or Deliveroo. That’s the takeaway from a day of extremes on the stock market. In London, Deliveroo, the U.K. restaurant meal delivery service, tanked on its public debut, falling 26% below its... When you’re hot, you’re hot, like an electric vehicle startup on Wall Street today....

Magic Leap's headset. Photo by Magic Leap

TI Reality Check: More Moves at Magic Leap, and Goodbye PlayStation Move

By Mathew Olson · Mar 31, 2021 11:02am PDT

Magic Leap’s quest to bulk up its leadership roster after falling on hard times continues: Anuj Gosalia, a veteran of Microsoft, Facebook and Google, is joining as Magic Leap’s Chief Software and Cloud Officer. Gosalia’s team will focus development of Magic Leap’s enterprise software, a new direction for the startup in... Magic Leap’s quest to bulk up its leadership roster after falling on hard times continues:...

Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc. Photo by Bloomberg

Vice Media Is in Advanced Talks to Merge With SPAC Backed by 7GC

By Jessica Toonkel · Mar 31, 2021 8:15am PDT · 2 comments

Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc. Photo by Bloomberg

Vice Media Is in Advanced Talks to Merge With SPAC Backed by 7GC

By Jessica Toonkel · Mar 31, 2021 8:15am PDT · 2 comments

Vice Media is in advanced talks to merge with 7GC & Co Holdings, a special purpose acquisition company led by tech investor Jack Leeney, according to people familiar with the situation, the latest step in the media firm’s hopes of going public via a SPAC merger. Vice had previously talked with other SPACs, including one backed by Group... Vice Media is in advanced talks to merge with 7GC & Co Holdings, a special purpose...