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

President Trump. Photo by Bloomberg

Where the TikTok Stalemate Will Lead: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 11, 2020 6:01pm PDT

The deadline for ByteDance to reach a deal to sell TikTok or face a U.S. shutdown is fast approaching. While it isn't clear whether time runs out on Sept. 15 or Sept. 20—the administration has used both dates at different times—President Trump has said there will be no extension.Meanwhile, China is taking the position, according... The deadline for ByteDance to reach a deal to sell TikTok or face a U.S. shutdown is fast...

The Information’s 411 — Sanitation Theater

By Tom Dotan · Sep 11, 2020 1:25pm PDT

We speak to some brave souls around the world who ventured back into the movie theater. And Richard Rushfield of The Ankler joins to give his take on how well the movie industry has fared these last two weekends and what it all means for Hollywood. We speak to some brave souls around the world who ventured back into the movie theater. And...

Photo: AP

Co-Living Startup HubHaus Plans to Shut Down

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 11, 2020 11:24am PDT · 1 comment

Executives at HubHaus, a venture capital–backed startup that manages shared homes, are taking steps to shut down the company after struggling to attract tenants and raise venture capital, three people familiar with the matter said. HubHaus has unsuccessfully shopped itself to a potential buyer in recent weeks, and also sought... Executives at HubHaus, a venture capital–backed startup that manages shared homes, are...

Roam Research co-founder Joshua Brown (l), co-founder and CEO Conor White-Sullivan, and Victoria Ledford, head of operations. Photo credit: Roam Research

A $200 Million Seed Valuation for Roam Shows Investor Frenzy for Note-Taking Apps

By Kate Clark · Sep 11, 2020 6:02am PDT · 7 comments

Roam Research co-founder Joshua Brown (l), co-founder and CEO Conor White-Sullivan, and Victoria Ledford, head of operations. Photo credit: Roam Research

A $200 Million Seed Valuation for Roam Shows Investor Frenzy for Note-Taking Apps

By Kate Clark · Sep 11, 2020 6:02am PDT · 7 comments

The shift to remote work has buoyed the valuations of several startups making productivity tools. The latest is Roam Research, which has raised $9 million at a valuation of $200 million, or about 25 times higher than the median valuation for seed rounds. Roam is tapping more than a dozen individuals and firms for the round, including Stripe... The shift to remote work has buoyed the valuations of several startups making productivity tools....

Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin and Amazon CEO. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon’s Space Ambitions, WTF Day Two: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 10, 2020 5:32pm PDT

Not content to have conquered Planet Earth, Amazon is now looking to space. The ecommerce and cloud computing conglomerate has hired a head of space policy, CNBC reported, Peter Marquez, who was space policy head for the National Security Council under the Bush and Obama administrations.This follows, as CNBC pointed out, Amazon Web... Not content to have conquered Planet Earth, Amazon is now looking to space. The ecommerce and...

Valerie Kay, LendingClub’s chief capital officer.

The Information WTF Breakouts: Barriers to Diversity, Remote Work Risks

By The Information Staff · Sep 10, 2020 5:15pm PDT

At The Information’s Women in Media, Technology and Finance summit Thursday, speakers and participants discussed fostering a healthy and honest workplace culture, digging into causes of diversity struggles, and why remote work might lead some employees to lose leverage in their careers. Here are highlights of those conversations.And read... At The Information’s Women in Media, Technology and Finance summit Thursday, speakers and...

Glossier CEO Emily Weiss. Photo by Bloomberg

Excerpts From Day Two of The Information’s WTF 2020 Conference

By The Information Staff · Sep 10, 2020 3:24pm PDT

At The Information’s WTF conference today, speakers included Maria Renz, executive vice president of SoFi; Emily Weiss, Glossier CEO and founder; Maxine Williams, Facebook’s chief diversity officer; and Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal’s head of advertising and partnerships.We also heard from a panel of media executives: Mitra... At The Information’s WTF conference today, speakers included Maria Renz, executive vice...

Françoise Brougher

Response to Pinterest Discrimination Suit Is ‘Overwhelming,’ Former Executive Says

By Zoë Bernard · Sep 10, 2020 2:40pm PDT

Françoise Brougher

Response to Pinterest Discrimination Suit Is ‘Overwhelming,’ Former Executive Says

By Zoë Bernard · Sep 10, 2020 2:40pm PDT

Françoise Brougher spent years climbing to the highest ranks of the tech industry as a low-profile executive at Square and Google. Since August, though, she has become a Silicon Valley celebrity after suing her former employer, Pinterest, for gender discrimination, describing unequal treatment by other leaders at the company in an online... Françoise Brougher spent years climbing to the highest ranks of the tech industry as a...

Heather Podesta of Invariant. Photo by AP

Mergers Expected to Get More Scrutiny if Biden Takes White House

By Christopher Stern · Sep 10, 2020 12:31pm PDT

With less than 60 days to go before the presidential election, two of Washington’s top government relations professionals said they believed a Biden administration would subject media and tech mergers to more intense scrutiny.But even though merger reviews could get tougher, a Biden White House would be less likely to interfere with... With less than 60 days to go before the presidential election, two of Washington’s top...

Emerson Collective's Laurene Powell Jobs. Photo by Bloomberg

Laurene Powell Jobs Slams Trump for Voter Suppression, Endorses Biden

By Paris Martineau · Sep 10, 2020 8:36am PDT

Laurene Powell Jobs had the kind of eventful weekend most people would rather avoid. On Sunday, she awoke to a tweet from President Donald Trump urging his 85 million online followers to harass the billionaire philanthropist because of his displeasure over an article in The Atlantic, the magazine in which she owns a majority stake. For her... Laurene Powell Jobs had the kind of eventful weekend most people would rather avoid. On Sunday,...

VMware COO Sanjay Poonen. Photo by VMware

Q&A

VMware’s Sanjay Poonen Discusses Company’s Subscription Software Shift

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 10, 2020 6:02am PDT

When Sanjay Poonen joined VMware in 2013, the company was scrambling to adapt its traditional software business to a new world in which businesses were increasingly running software inside cloud data centers operated by Amazon, Microsoft and others. That shift could have been bad news for VMware, which is the dominant provider of software... When Sanjay Poonen joined VMware in 2013, the company was scrambling to adapt its traditional...

Sarah Bond, Head of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development, at an Xbox briefing last year. Photo by AP

Microsoft’s Game Plan, Day One of WTF: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 9, 2020 5:32pm PDT

Sarah Bond, Head of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development, at an Xbox briefing last year. Photo by AP

Microsoft’s Game Plan, Day One of WTF: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 9, 2020 5:32pm PDT

Microsoft on Wednesday revealed prices for its new Xbox game consoles going on sale in November. What was interesting, though, was a new plan in which gamers can get the consoles with no money down. Instead, in a model borrowed from the cellphone industry, they will pay over two years—getting both the console and access to... Microsoft on Wednesday revealed prices for its new Xbox game consoles going on sale in November....

Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz. Photo by Bloomberg.

Excerpts From Day One of The Information’s WTF Conference

By The Information Staff · Sep 9, 2020 3:15pm PDT

At The Information’s WTF conference today, speakers included Endeavor’s chief human resources officer, Kerry Chandler; Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz; J.Crew’s former president, Jenna Lyons; SoftBank Vision Fund partner Kirthiga Reddy; and “The Biggest Bluff” author Maria Konnikova. Here’s a rundown of what they... At The Information’s WTF conference today, speakers included Endeavor’s chief human...

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Remote IPO Roadshows Are Here to Stay, Says Nasdaq’s Friedman

By Ross Matican · Sep 9, 2020 1:03pm PDT

One twist the coronavirus pandemic has brought to capital market activity is the emergence of remote initial public offerings, said Adena Friedman, chief executive of Nasdaq. Gone, for now, at least, are the two-week-long in-person road shows that have traditionally accompanied IPOs. Virtual road shows, Friedman said, can be carried out in... One twist the coronavirus pandemic has brought to capital market activity is the emergence of...

Heidi Zak, co-CEO of ThirdLove. Photo: Courtesy of ThirdLove

ThirdLove Should Be Close to Profitable This Year, Says CEO Zak

By Kate Clark and Jessica Toonkel · Sep 9, 2020 11:48am PDT

ThirdLove, an online bra retailer that had been growing quickly before the pandemic, should be close to profitable this year, said its CEO, Heidi Zak. Her forecast follows a difficult period when shoppers, stuck at home to avoid coronavirus contagion, scaled back on clothing purchases even if they could buy them online. In March, “we... ThirdLove, an online bra retailer that had been growing quickly before the pandemic, should be...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Sandberg Says TikTok Ban ‘Very Unusual’ in Business History

By Alex Heath · Sep 9, 2020 9:20am PDT

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Sandberg Says TikTok Ban ‘Very Unusual’ in Business History

By Alex Heath · Sep 9, 2020 9:20am PDT

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg says the White House’s order to ban TikTok was “very unusual in the history of business” and wasn’t something Facebook had called for.Sandberg’s comments, made during an interview at The Information’s Women in Tech, Media and Finance conference, come as... Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg says the White House’s order to ban TikTok...

Chromebooks Gain Share of Education Market Despite Shortages

By Laura Mandaro · Sep 9, 2020 6:01am PDT · 1 comment

When many children attend classes this fall, they’re likely to do so by opening a laptop at home rather than sitting down in a classroom. That shift has caused a spike in demand for PCs—and particularly for Chromebooks, the low-cost laptops that use Google’s Chrome operating system and apps. Demand from schools and parents... When many children attend classes this fall, they’re likely to do so by opening a laptop at...

Apple CEO Tim Cook appearing by videoconference before the House Judiciary Committee in July. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple’s Epic Response: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 8, 2020 5:31pm PDT

The legal fight between Apple and Epic Games chugged onward Tuesday, as Apple countersued the developer of “Fortnite” and asked a judge for financial damages. While Apple’s countersuit didn’t contain any big surprises, it did include what might be Apple’s clearest defense yet against anyone who argues it is behaving... The legal fight between Apple and Epic Games chugged onward Tuesday, as Apple countersued the...

Video: Best and Worst Business Advice from The Information WTF Speakers

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 8, 2020 12:29pm PDT · 1 comment

The Information’s second annual WTF conference kicks off Wednesday, featuring interviews with Laurene Powell Jobs, Emily Weiss, Sheryl Sandberg and dozens of other female business leaders. Ahead of the event, we are releasing this video, one of several to be shown at the conference, featuring advice from our speakers. To watch it,... The Information’s second annual WTF conference kicks off Wednesday, featuring interviews...

Headcount Tracker: Despite Deep Cuts at Tech Firms, Many Keep Hiring

By Nick Wingfield · Sep 8, 2020 6:02am PDT · 1 comment

Headcount Tracker: Despite Deep Cuts at Tech Firms, Many Keep Hiring

By Nick Wingfield · Sep 8, 2020 6:02am PDT · 1 comment

There has been plenty of grim news about jobs in the technology industry over the past few months, from headline-grabbing staff cutbacks at startups to an overall employment dip in the sector. But an analysis by The Information of two dozen publicly traded tech companies shows that many companies have actually expanded their workforces since the... There has been plenty of grim news about jobs in the technology industry over the past few...