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

Cameo CEO Steven Galanis. Photo: Courtesy of Cameo

Cameo to Seek Funding as CEO Eyes Expansion

By Alex Heath · Jan 5, 2021 9:01am PST

Cameo, a service that lets fans pay celebrities to create personalized video messages, plans to raise more venture capital in the coming months and potentially buy smaller tech startups, according to CEO Steven Galanis. The four-year-old startup, last valued at $300 million, also plans to introduce new money-making features such as subscriptions... Cameo, a service that lets fans pay celebrities to create personalized video messages, plans to...

Yubico CEO Stina Ehrensvärd. Photo provided by Yubico

Q&A

How a Google Deal Put a Small Security Company on the Map

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 5, 2021 6:36am PST · 3 comments

A little over a decade ago, Yubico was an obscure security company founded in Sweden, with only five full-time employees. Then Google came along and signed up to use Yubico’s product—a tiny hardware doodad that acts as physical security key when plugged into the USB port on a PC—to protect its employees. That... A little over a decade ago, Yubico was an obscure security company founded in Sweden, with only...

Google workers protesting in a 2018 walkout over how the company handled sexual harassment allegations against a senior executive. Photo by Bloomberg

Alphabet Workers Form Union: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 4, 2021 5:01pm PST · 1 comment

Tech workers of the world unite! That could be the slogan for the new Alphabet Workers Union, which was announced Monday by the union’s leaders in an opinion piece in the New York Times. It’s an update on a famous version of a line from the Communist Manifesto, which, judging by the opinion piece, would be appropriate. In their... Tech workers of the world unite! That could be the slogan for the new Alphabet Workers Union,...

An NFL game over the weekend. The NFL is vital for traditional TV. Photo by AP

Why TV Advertising Won’t Recover What It Lost in 2020

By Tom Dotan · Jan 4, 2021 9:01am PST · 4 comments

An NFL game over the weekend. The NFL is vital for traditional TV. Photo by AP

Predictions 2021

Why TV Advertising Won’t Recover What It Lost in 2020

By Tom Dotan · Jan 4, 2021 9:01am PST · 4 comments

One of the biggest casualties of the pandemic was television advertising, as big marketers shifted money from TV commercials to social media apps like Snap and Facebook. But even assuming the pandemic ends this year with widespread vaccination, I predict TV advertising in 2021 won’t regain all it lost. In fact, the pandemic will end up... One of the biggest casualties of the pandemic was television advertising, as big marketers...

Art by Jesse Howe

The Information’s Tech IPO Lockup Calendar

By Ross Matican · Jan 4, 2021 6:01am PST · 2 comments

The past few months have seen many tech initial public offerings rocket on their opening day and in subsequent weeks. The big question over the next few months will be whether those sterling performances will be maintained after the expiration of lockup restrictions on the sale of shares held by early investors and employees. Those lockups can... The past few months have seen many tech initial public offerings rocket on their opening day and...

A pedestrian near the Times Square area of New York, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 31. Photo: Bloomberg

What Comes After the New Tech Boom

By Laura Mandaro · Jan 2, 2021 7:45am PST

Since March, our reporters have been chronicling how startups and their backers were responding to the pandemic. First there was the wave of layoffs and collapsed deals. Then came the emergency backstops from bond investors and the government. Finally there was the rebound, marked by record startup investments, breathtaking IPO debuts and such a... Since March, our reporters have been chronicling how startups and their backers were responding...

AMD's Lisa Su. Photo by Bloomberg

Our Year-End Tech Oscars: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 31, 2020 4:05pm PST · 4 comments

As 2020 comes to an end, the news scene is quiet today. So it seemed appropriate to call out some of the year’s outstanding performances in leading roles in the tech industry. CEO of the Year: Lisa Su of AMD. After six years in the job, Su has engineered an incredible turnaround at this once-struggling chip company. Its stock is up more... As 2020 comes to an end, the news scene is quiet today. So it seemed appropriate to call out some...

Top, l-r: Bela Bajaria, Ann Sarnoff, Jason Kilar, Jony Ive, Chris Cox, Greg Greeley. Bottom, l-r: Keith Block, Cindy Holland, Peggy Johnson, Jeff Wilke, Rony Abovitz, Ginni Rometty, Kevin Mayer.

Who’s In and Who’s Out: The Biggest Tech Executive Moves of 2020

By The Information Staff · Dec 31, 2020 10:23am PST

Top, l-r: Bela Bajaria, Ann Sarnoff, Jason Kilar, Jony Ive, Chris Cox, Greg Greeley. Bottom, l-r: Keith Block, Cindy Holland, Peggy Johnson, Jeff Wilke, Rony Abovitz, Ginni Rometty, Kevin Mayer.

Who’s In and Who’s Out: The Biggest Tech Executive Moves of 2020

By The Information Staff · Dec 31, 2020 10:23am PST

News events were so dramatic this year that they frequently overshadowed tales of corporate intrigue and C-suite coups. But they happened just the same, setting up a new generation of leaders to make their mark in the new year—and creating a pool of departing executives to find their next gig. Some were marquee appointments, such as... News events were so dramatic this year that they frequently overshadowed tales of corporate...

Workers at a Pegatron Corp. factory in Shanghai, China in 2016. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Took Three Years to Cut Ties With Supplier That Used Underage Labor

By Wayne Ma · Dec 31, 2020 6:01am PST · 2 comments

Seven years ago, Apple made a staggering discovery: Among the employees at a factory in China that made most of the computer ports used in its MacBooks were two 15-year-olds. Apple told the manufacturer, Suyin Electronics, that it wouldn’t get any new business until it improved employee screening to ensure no more people under 16 years of... Seven years ago, Apple made a staggering discovery: Among the employees at a factory in China...

Wondery's app on a phone. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon’s Puzzling Podcasting Bet: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2020 4:32pm PST · 3 comments

Amazon confirmed Wednesday it had agreed to buy podcast creator Wondery, known for podcast series such as “Business Wars.” There is nothing particularly remarkable about this deal, which underlies the question it raises—why is Amazon buying this firm? Amazon’s explanation is that it will help expand its Music offering... Amazon confirmed Wednesday it had agreed to buy podcast creator Wondery, known for podcast series...

Jesse Howe

Laid-Off Workers, Foiled Crypto Plans: Updates on Some of Our Biggest Stories

By The Information Staff · Dec 30, 2020 10:33am PST

The nature of news reporting means we often write about situations where the outcome is far from certain. That certainly was the case this year, when the Covid-19 pandemic made developments in fast-changing industries like media and tech even harder to predict. So at The Information we decided to check back in on a few of the people, companies... The nature of news reporting means we often write about situations where the outcome is far from...

Photos: Bloomberg. Art illustration by Jesse Howe.

How Silicon Valley Turned a Doomsday Scenario Into the Hottest Year for Deals

By Kate Clark · Dec 30, 2020 6:01am PST · 1 comment

Photos: Bloomberg. Art illustration by Jesse Howe.

How Silicon Valley Turned a Doomsday Scenario Into the Hottest Year for Deals

By Kate Clark · Dec 30, 2020 6:01am PST · 1 comment

In June, Rahul Vohra was cooped up in his San Francisco apartment, finding it difficult to concentrate on work as he recovered from Covid-19. After U.S. infections spiked in early March, Vohra had begun preparing for a recession lasting at least two years, stopping most hiring at his email subscription startup, Superhuman, and advising other... In June, Rahul Vohra was cooped up in his San Francisco apartment, finding it difficult to...

Daniel Loeb. Photo by Bloomberg

Activist Targets Intel: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 29, 2020 5:31pm PST

Activist investor Daniel Loeb has targeted Intel for his next pressure campaign, reportedly urging the chipmaker to consider separating its chip manufacturing operations from its chip design. That would be an enormous step if Intel were to take it—Intel’s roots in fabricating its own chips has long set it apart from smaller rivals... Activist investor Daniel Loeb has targeted Intel for his next pressure campaign, reportedly...

Jesse Howe

The Information’s Techodus List

By The Information Staff · Dec 29, 2020 11:31am PST · 26 comments

The exodus of prominent technology figures from the Bay Area is gathering steam. With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing a shift to remote work, some executives have seized the moment to move elsewhere in California in search of a different lifestyle, or an escape from the region’s charged politics. Others, often citing high taxes, are leaving... The exodus of prominent technology figures from the Bay Area is gathering steam. With the...

Art by Jesse Howe

The People With Power at Alphabet’s Other Bets

By Amir Efrati and Nick Bastone · Dec 29, 2020 6:01am PST · 9 comments

The sudden retirement last year of Alphabet’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, raised the prospect that newly promoted Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai would curtail business efforts external to the Google cash cow. He’s shown no sign of taking that direction so far, and budgets for many of the “Other Bets,”... The sudden retirement last year of Alphabet’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey...

Gal Gadot, star of Wonder Woman 1984, at an event in Brazil publicizing the film last year. Photo by AP.

What ‘Wonder Woman’ Says About Streaming: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 28, 2020 5:30pm PST

Gal Gadot, star of Wonder Woman 1984, at an event in Brazil publicizing the film last year. Photo by AP.

What ‘Wonder Woman’ Says About Streaming: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 28, 2020 5:30pm PST

The surprisingly strong weekend box office figures for “Wonder Woman 1984” should calm the Hollywood hysteria about WarnerMedia’s decision to release all of its film slate for next year both in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service. Hollywood types freaked out that it was the end of the studio’s commitment to... The surprisingly strong weekend box office figures for “Wonder Woman 1984” should...

Collage by Jesse Howe. Photos by Bloomberg and Getty

The Information’s Staff Picks Our Favorite Stories of 2020

By The Information Staff · Dec 28, 2020 9:01am PST

Like many others, most of us here at The Information would rather forget a lot of 2020. But something our staff had fun thinking about as the final days expired in this annus horribilis was this list of the most memorable stories we published during the year. Here are our staff’s picks for their favorite stories we published this year,... Like many others, most of us here at The Information would rather forget a lot of 2020. But...

Chart by Jesse Howe

Poshmark, Wish Marketing Splurges Could Make Profits Elusive

By Paris Martineau · Dec 28, 2020 6:01am PST · 2 comments

Poshmark and Wish, the latest e-commerce companies to stage initial public offerings, spend far more aggressively on marketing than many of their peers, according to an analysis by The Information. And while their marketing costs as a percentage of revenue have gone down over the past year, those costs could go right back up as post-pandemic... Poshmark and Wish, the latest e-commerce companies to stage initial public offerings, spend far...

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma last year. Photo: Bloomberg

Antitrust Alignment: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By The Information Staff · Dec 24, 2020 5:55pm PST

Government officials in the U.S. and China seem to be at odds over everything these days, but there is now an area where they appear to be on the same page: reining in Big Tech. On Thursday, Chinese regulators took the rare step of announcing an investigation of the country’s most valuable company, Alibaba, over allegations that it used... Government officials in the U.S. and China seem to be at odds over everything these days, but...

The Information’s 411 — Closing the Racial Equity Gap

By Tom Dotan · Dec 24, 2020 2:41pm PST

The Information’s 411 — Closing the Racial Equity Gap

By Tom Dotan · Dec 24, 2020 2:41pm PST

Our year-end episode features an interview with musical artist Pharrell Williams and non-profit adviser Willa Seldon, who talked about their experiences as Black entrepreneurs. They also shared their views on what most investors and executives who aren't racial or ethnic minorities don't understand about the headwinds that minorities... Our year-end episode features an interview with musical artist Pharrell Williams and non-profit...