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

Art by Mike Sullivan

Tech’s High Noon in Washington: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 28, 2020 6:01pm PDT

At high noon tomorrow, Eastern time, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai will appear via videoconference before Congress in a long-awaited showdown with the House of Representatives antitrust subcommittee. If you are planning to watch, make sure you have a... At high noon tomorrow, Eastern time, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg,...

Facebook executive Ime Archibong, who heads a new products group that now includes Facebook's venture capital arm.

Facebook Seeks Insights Into Startups by Investing in VC Funds

By Alex Heath and Kate Clark · Jul 28, 2020 10:52am PDT · 6 comments

Facebook in recent weeks has approached a handful of small venture capital firms to discuss becoming an investor in their funds, according to people familiar with the matter. The VC strategy, which also includes direct investments in startups, aims to give the social network early, valuable insight into a wider swath of companies. To run... Facebook in recent weeks has approached a handful of small venture capital firms to discuss...

Boris Johnson (left) and Dominic Cummings. Photo of Johnson by Andrew Parsons/Flickr; photo of Cummings by Bloomberg

How Silicon Valley Is Rewiring Downing Street’s Brain

By Mark Di Stefano · Jul 28, 2020 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Last month, Boris Johnson, the U.K.’s prime minister, delivered a speech in the industrial town of Dudley about his plan to lead the country out of the pandemic with large-scale investment projects. The most noteworthy feature of the speech was his mantra-like repetition of “build,” a word that appeared no fewer than 32 times... Last month, Boris Johnson, the U.K.’s prime minister, delivered a speech in the industrial...

Photo: AP

Alphabet’s Remote Work Extension: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 27, 2020 5:31pm PDT

Photo: AP

Alphabet’s Remote Work Extension: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 27, 2020 5:31pm PDT

There has been a lot written about how the pandemic affects businesses very differently. One subject that maybe hasn’t received as much attention as it should: how businesses cope with the long-term impact of remote work on productivity and employees’ mental health.Google’s decision to delay a return to work for its employees... There has been a lot written about how the pandemic affects businesses very differently. One...

Art by Mike Sullivan

GoPuff’s Growth Challenge: Grappling With Resident Complaints About Traffic

By Anissa Gardizy · Jul 27, 2020 10:00am PDT

Driving around the Philadelphia neighborhood of Callowhill used to be a breeze—until goPuff came to town. Delivery cars now clog the streets around goPuff’s Callowhill distribution center, waiting to pick up their loads of Bud Light, Ben & Jerry’s and Cheetos—all for delivery to their customers who are mostly in their... Driving around the Philadelphia neighborhood of Callowhill used to be a breeze—until goPuff...

A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer patrols on a motorbike past on April 1, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg.

Venture Firms Count Police Funds Among Their Investing Partners

By Kate Clark · Jul 27, 2020 7:00am PDT

For decades, venture capital and private equity firms have tapped public employee unions as a major source of funding for their investments in startups. Among those investors are the pension funds affiliated with police unions.Dozens of venture firms, including NEA, Spark Capital and IVP, count police pension funds as limited partners, according... For decades, venture capital and private equity firms have tapped public employee unions as a...

ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

The Bad Luck of Zhang Yiming (and Why You Should Care)

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 25, 2020 7:46am PDT · 5 comments

I first met Zhang Yiming, the founder of Bytedance, six years ago at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park. The Information and GeekPark, a Chinese tech incubator, were hosting an event for entrepreneurs from the U.S. and China. Zhang, who was then little-known, had founded a Chinese news app called Toutiao which uses AI to recommend... I first met Zhang Yiming, the founder of Bytedance, six years ago at Facebook’s...

The New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg

Tech’s Big Earnings Week: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 24, 2020 5:30pm PDT

The New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg

Tech’s Big Earnings Week: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 24, 2020 5:30pm PDT

Our plans to spend Monday glued to our screen watching big tech CEOs getting grilled by various congresspeople are out the window, likely delayed for at least a week. But next week will be an important one for big tech nonetheless, as all four of the major companies—Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook—are reporting earnings.We go... Our plans to spend Monday glued to our screen watching big tech CEOs getting grilled by various...

The Information’s 411 — I’m a Celebrity…Get Me on Here!

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 24, 2020 10:44am PDT

Cory Weinberg interviews Steven Galanis, the CEO of Cameo, a fast-growing startup that allows major and minor celebrities to send messages to fans. Steven discusses Cameo's growth story, why this is a "new golden age" of consumer apps, and why Apple's app-store monopoly should get government scrutiny. Cory Weinberg interviews Steven Galanis, the CEO of Cameo, a fast-growing startup that allows...

A scene from "Stranger Things." Photo courtesy of Netflix

Disney+’s ‘Stranger Things’ Debate: How to Grow Up

By Tom Dotan · Jul 24, 2020 7:01am PDT

Netflix’s ’80s-inspired horror series “Stranger Things” has been one of the streaming service’s biggest hits in the past couple of years, so much so that a fourth season is in the works. That has caught the attention of Disney executives, who have lately told Hollywood producers they’d like their own version... Netflix’s ’80s-inspired horror series “Stranger Things” has been one of...

China Renaissance CEO Fan Bao. Photo by Bloomberg.

China Tech Summit

China Tech Headed for Record Year for IPOs Despite Pandemic

By Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Jul 24, 2020 4:34am PDT

The head of China Renaissance Group, one of China’s most influential investment banking and private equity firms, said he expects 2020 to be a record-breaking year for Chinese tech initial public offerings. “Right now the IPO market is sizzling hot,” said China Renaissance CEO Fan Bao, at The Information’s video summit on... The head of China Renaissance Group, one of China’s most influential investment banking and...

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg

Twitter’s Subscription Hope: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 23, 2020 5:31pm PDT

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg

Twitter’s Subscription Hope: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 23, 2020 5:31pm PDT

Twitter very successfully changed the subject on Thursday. Most of the discussion of its second quarter earnings results could have focused on the 19% drop in revenue the company reported, which was a marked contrast with Snap’s 17% growth for the same period.Instead, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey confirmed that the company was considering... Twitter very successfully changed the subject on Thursday. Most of the discussion of its second...

A Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Note Edge smartphone running the Android mobile operating system. Photo by Bloomberg.

Internal Google Program Taps Data on Rival Android Apps

By Alex Heath, Nick Bastone and Amir Efrati · Jul 23, 2020 3:49pm PDT · 2 comments

When YouTube was planning the rollout of its rival to TikTok in India earlier this month, employees turned to a valuable source of market research: how people in the country were using TikTok and its competitors on Android, the mobile operating system controlled by YouTube parent company Google.The research was part of an unreported Google... When YouTube was planning the rollout of its rival to TikTok in India earlier this month,...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg

Tim Cook’s Appearance Before Congress Shows How Apple’s Luck in Washington Turned

By Christopher Stern · Jul 23, 2020 7:19am PDT

Two weeks after the leaders of several big tech companies agreed to testify before a Congressional hearing on competition, one CEO—Apple's Tim Cook—was still resisting. There was a simple reason for his holdout. According to people familiar with his thinking, Cook was firm in his belief that Apple didn't belong... Two weeks after the leaders of several big tech companies agreed to testify before a...

Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield. Photo by Bloomberg

Slack Ends Microsoft’s Exceptionalism: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 22, 2020 5:46pm PDT

Slack has brought to an end Microsoft’s exceptionalism amid big tech’s current antitrust moment. The business messaging company lodged a European Union complaint against its much bigger rival on Wednesday, pulling it into the broad antitrust war being waged even more aggressively by the European regulators than by the U.S. agencies.... Slack has brought to an end Microsoft’s exceptionalism amid big tech’s current...

New York Times Co's new CEO, Meredith Levien. Photo by Bloomberg

Meredith Levien Wants the NYT to be a World Class Tech Company

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 22, 2020 2:13pm PDT · 6 comments

New York Times Co's new CEO, Meredith Levien. Photo by Bloomberg

Q&A

Meredith Levien Wants the NYT to be a World Class Tech Company

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 22, 2020 2:13pm PDT · 6 comments

Imagine a New York Times where you get your music and play digital games, along with your news. That vision is a big part of what Meredith Kopit Levien, announced as the company’s new CEO Wednesday, sees as the future of the company. Even as the publication is embroiled in controversies around ideology in its coverage—and... Imagine a New York Times where you get your music and play digital games, along with your news....

TuSimple self-driving truck. Photo courtesy of TuSimple

The Biggest Self-Driving Truck Startup Stumbles in Hitting High Goals

By Amir Efrati and Yunan Zhang · Jul 22, 2020 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

In just five years, TuSimple has become the biggest and most visible developer of self-driving trucks, raising more cash and putting more robotic big rigs on the road than any rival. High-profile customers including UPS have contracted to let TuSimple haul their cargo on the highway. Executives have forecast heady revenue and predicted that... In just five years, TuSimple has become the biggest and most visible developer of self-driving...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Bloomberg

Snap Shows the Way: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 21, 2020 5:47pm PDT

We’re finally starting to get a real sense of the impact that the coronavirus has had on tech. And it’s clear the results will be all over the map.Snap’s results on Tuesday, for instance, showed decent growth in its business, with revenue up 17%. That is admittedly a comedown for Snap, which in the first quarter had posted 44%... We’re finally starting to get a real sense of the impact that the coronavirus has had on...

ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

ByteDance Investors Discuss TikTok Purchase

By Juro Osawa and Tom Dotan · Jul 21, 2020 1:53pm PDT · 2 comments

A small group of ByteDance’s U.S. investors is discussing with the company’s top management the possibility of joining forces to buy a majority stake in TikTok, said people familiar with the situation, as it grows more difficult for the Chinese-owned company to keep control of the fast-growing video app. The talks appear to be... A small group of ByteDance’s U.S. investors is discussing with the company’s top...

Covid Slowed Startup Recruiting, but Not for Long

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 21, 2020 10:19am PDT

Covid Slowed Startup Recruiting, but Not for Long

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 21, 2020 10:19am PDT

As the coronavirus outbreak took hold in the U.S. early this spring, prompting layoffs at startups across Silicon Valley, engineers and product designers at big tech companies appeared to lose interest in making the leap to smaller firms. The presumed job security offered by Apple, Facebook, Amazon suddenly seemed more appealing, new data... As the coronavirus outbreak took hold in the U.S. early this spring, prompting layoffs at...