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

Protesters in San Francisco over the weekend. Photo by AP

The Limits of Tech Employee Activism: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 1, 2020 5:55pm PDT

When the Covid-19 layoffs began a couple of months ago, I wondered whether this would dampen the employee activism we had seen at big tech companies in recent years. On Monday, I got my answer—no.That’s one conclusion from the virtual walkout of Facebook employees protesting the company’s hands-off policy toward Trump’s... When the Covid-19 layoffs began a couple of months ago, I wondered whether this would dampen the...

Modest Proposals

The Over-Under on New Voice-Chat App Clubhouse

By Sam Lessin · Jun 1, 2020 10:01am PDT · 6 comments

The new voice-chat app Clubhouse recently made waves by raising its first institutional round of financing, which reportedly valued the company at more than $100 million. Many considered this number shocking given that the app is still in private beta and is used mostly by a handful of Silicon Valley insiders. It also lacks any obvious immediate... The new voice-chat app Clubhouse recently made waves by raising its first institutional round of...

Tech Workers Could Face Steep Pay Cuts for Leaving Bay Area

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 1, 2020 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

Last year, Michael Snow joined GitLab, an open-source collaboration software firm that has long allowed its employees to work remotely from anywhere they want. After several months of working while traveling the world, Snow eventually settled in San Francisco. The decision surprises people, who ask Snow why he didn’t choose a much cheaper... Last year, Michael Snow joined GitLab, an open-source collaboration software firm that has long...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel in San Francisco on Oct. 4, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg

Snap CEO Spiegel Calls for Reparations Commission, Taxes to Address Racial Injustice

By Alex Heath · May 31, 2020 11:26pm PDT · 7 comments

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel in San Francisco on Oct. 4, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg

Snap CEO Spiegel Calls for Reparations Commission, Taxes to Address Racial Injustice

By Alex Heath · May 31, 2020 11:26pm PDT · 7 comments

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel called for the creation of an American commission to address racial injustice and comprehensive tax reform, saying in a lengthy note to employees that he was “heartbroken and enraged” by racism in America.“Economic inequality in America has reached levels unseen for nearly a century, people of color cannot... Snap CEO Evan Spiegel called for the creation of an American commission to address racial...

The End of the ‘Neutral’ Tech Platform

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 30, 2020 7:46am PDT · 2 comments

This week’s war between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and President Donald Trump over Twitter fact checking and labeling his tweets set off a bomb in Washington over tech regulation. It raised fascinating questions about the power of technology platforms over speech and was, as a technology journalist, quite fun to watch.It also should put an... This week’s war between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and President Donald Trump over Twitter...

China's Xi Jinping. Photo by AP.

Big Shifts for Tech on the Horizon: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · May 29, 2020 5:17pm PDT

The torrent of news this week was remarkable for a few reasons. For one, a lot that happened had nothing to do with the Covid-19 pandemic. And it was striking that two of the week’s biggest stories—the Trump fight with social media and China’s curtailing of Hong Kong’s autonomy—underlined potential major shifts for... The torrent of news this week was remarkable for a few reasons. For one, a lot that happened had...

The Information’s 411 — Job Mirages

By Tom Dotan · May 29, 2020 4:15pm PDT

Zoe and Cory join to discuss how the pandemic has hit the job market in tech. Zoe talks about the phenomenon of job postings that turn out not to be real. And Cory gives some historical context around how the current job losses in tech compare to previous recessions. Zoe and Cory join to discuss how the pandemic has hit the job market in tech. Zoe talks about the...

Chinese president Xi Jinping. Photo by Bloomberg

What China’s Tighter Control of Hong Kong Means for Tech

By Shai Oster, Wayne Ma and Yunan Zhang · May 29, 2020 9:45am PDT · 4 comments

Chinese president Xi Jinping. Photo by Bloomberg

What China’s Tighter Control of Hong Kong Means for Tech

By Shai Oster, Wayne Ma and Yunan Zhang · May 29, 2020 9:45am PDT · 4 comments

China’s move to curtail Hong Kong’s autonomy threatens Hong Kong’s status as a business hub—and could have major implications for the tech industry, particularly the cryptocurrency sector, cloud services and tech financing.At the extreme, venture capitalists and tech companies could shift their operations and regional... China’s move to curtail Hong Kong’s autonomy threatens Hong Kong’s status as a...

Mike Sullivan

It’s a Stressful Time. Here’s How to Stay Focused at Work

By Emily Dreyfuss · May 29, 2020 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

It is hard to concentrate in the middle of a pandemic. Even for people fortunate enough to be employed and working in a safe environment, distractions—painful, ceaseless—are everywhere. “It’s just harder to do anything when you’re stressed out, worrying the world's going to end,” said Jaime Teevan,... It is hard to concentrate in the middle of a pandemic. Even for people fortunate enough to be...

Twitter's Jack Dorsey, President Trump and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Bloomberg

A New Front in Tech v. Trump Fight: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · May 28, 2020 6:08pm PDT

President Trump’s executive order governing social media sent us reeling, trying to think through the implications for the big tech platforms. While lots of people think a legal challenge from the industry is inevitable—and very likely to succeed—that’s not the end of the matter. If tech responds too aggressively, it... President Trump’s executive order governing social media sent us reeling, trying to think...

President Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday before signing the executive order on social media. Photo: AP

Answers to Six Big Questions About Trump’s Social Media Order

By Christopher Stern, Alex Heath and Nick Bastone · May 28, 2020 3:37pm PDT · 15 comments

President Trump launched a new front in his long-running battle against the large tech platforms this week. On Thursday, he issued an executive order challenging a legal protection that has played a key role in the ability of companies such as Facebook and YouTube to grow into global digital platforms with billions of users. That protection,... President Trump launched a new front in his long-running battle against the large tech platforms...

A Waymo employee looks under the hood of a Waymo driverless vehicle (l); Facebook employees at a data center in Nebraska. Credit: Waymo, Facebook. Illustration: Mike Sullivan

Who’s Really Hiring in Tech Right Now

By Kate Clark, Amir Efrati, Alex Heath and Kevin McLaughlin · May 28, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

A Waymo employee looks under the hood of a Waymo driverless vehicle (l); Facebook employees at a data center in Nebraska. Credit: Waymo, Facebook. Illustration: Mike Sullivan

Who’s Really Hiring in Tech Right Now

By Kate Clark, Amir Efrati, Alex Heath and Kevin McLaughlin · May 28, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Tech workers are facing a job market that seemed unthinkable six months ago. They’re getting fired over Zoom, whipsawed by phantom job listings and finding that aggressive recruiters have suddenly gone quiet.Yet certain tech companies are scouting for and hiring employees. These include large companies like Facebook and Amazon, midsize... Tech workers are facing a job market that seemed unthinkable six months ago. They’re...

Short video app Kuaishou is launching in North America. Photo by the Associated Press

Chinese Rival Launches U.S. App to Challenge TikTok

By Yunan Zhang · May 28, 2020 1:49am PDT

Kuaishou, the $30 billion startup that is the second-largest social video app in China, is launching an attack in the U.S. against TikTok.Started in early May, Zynn is an app that allows users to upload, edit and share short videos. In a twist, it is paying users to watch content and recruit other users, a model that’s proving popular amid... Kuaishou, the $30 billion startup that is the second-largest social video app in China, is...

Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc., speaks in San Francisco in October. Photo by Bloomberg

Snap Plans Expanded Developer Platform That Echoes WeChat

By Alex Heath · May 27, 2020 7:44pm PDT · 2 comments

Snap is planning to let other companies build pared-down versions of their mobile apps within Snapchat, according to two people familiar with the plans, mimicking the approach of popular Chinese social app WeChat.The change is a notable shift in strategy for Snap, which has kept its flagship app largely walled off from outside developers. While... Snap is planning to let other companies build pared-down versions of their mobile apps within...

President Trump. Photo by Bloomberg

Latest Shots in Social Media’s Battlefield: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · May 27, 2020 6:28pm PDT

It’s probably a sign of how jaded we all are by President Trump’s Twitter activity that his threat to “strongly regulate” or close down social media platforms over what he sees as their anti-conservative bias sparked only a muted reaction on Wall Street and in the wider world. In fact, both Facebook and Twitter held their... It’s probably a sign of how jaded we all are by President Trump’s Twitter activity...

Ted Tobiason, Rupal Shah Hollenbeck, Sebastian Gunningham, Marc Levoy, Lauren Dolgen. Tobiason photo: Lime; Hollenbeck photo: Neythri.org; Levoy photo: Florian Kainz

On the Market: Veterans of WeWork, Google, Viacom

By The Information Staff · May 27, 2020 11:37am PDT

Ted Tobiason, Rupal Shah Hollenbeck, Sebastian Gunningham, Marc Levoy, Lauren Dolgen. Tobiason photo: Lime; Hollenbeck photo: Neythri.org; Levoy photo: Florian Kainz

On the Market: Veterans of WeWork, Google, Viacom

By The Information Staff · May 27, 2020 11:37am PDT

Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended normal operations for many businesses, some high-profile tech companies, including Lime and WeWork, had been under strain. Top executives from both firms, as well as key figures at Google, Oracle and Viacom, left the companies and are considering their next moves. In The Information’s... Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended normal operations for many businesses, some...

Alex Fenstermacher. Photo provided by Alex Fenstermacher

Tech Workers Stung by Job Listings That Aren’t Real

By Zoë Bernard · May 27, 2020 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

As companies scramble to cut costs through layoffs and furloughs, many freshly unemployed workers in tech and media are flocking to online job listings with a new sense of urgency. That is leading to a frustrating realization: Many employers aren’t actually hiring for the open positions they’re advertising. David Valento, a... As companies scramble to cut costs through layoffs and furloughs, many freshly unemployed workers...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photos by Bloomberg

Digital Ad Giants’ Diverging Stocks: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · May 26, 2020 5:19pm PDT

What does Mark Zuckerberg have that Sundar Pichai doesn’t? That’s what I wondered when I looked this morning at how big tech stocks had performed in the past week. While Facebook, which is as exposed to advertising as Alphabet, has soared in the past week, Alphabet has...not.For the first two months of the pandemic crisis, the two... What does Mark Zuckerberg have that Sundar Pichai doesn’t? That’s what I wondered...

Announcing News Summer School

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 26, 2020 12:49pm PDT · 3 comments

Join leaders from across the news business for a free, four-week bootcamp to help you build a career in journalism during these unprecedented times.As many internships have gone remote or been rescheduled, we’re offering eight hour-long evening “classes” over the month of July, free of charge and open to anyone interested in... Join leaders from across the news business for a free, four-week bootcamp to help you build a...

Where Are Most Tech Layoffs? Not Silicon Valley

By Cory Weinberg · May 26, 2020 11:02am PDT

Where Are Most Tech Layoffs? Not Silicon Valley

By Cory Weinberg · May 26, 2020 11:02am PDT

Some of San Francisco’s most well-known tech firms have cut deep into their staffs in recent months. But much of the pain is being felt outside the Bay Area. An analysis of public filings from 20 tech firms based in the region, including Uber, Lyft and Airbnb, show that three-quarters of employees laid off worked outside the region,... Some of San Francisco’s most well-known tech firms have cut deep into their staffs in...