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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Matt Garratt of Salesforce Ventures. Photo courtesy of Salesforce

Salesforce Reaps Big Gains From Investments in Tech Companies

By Ross Matican · Dec 24, 2020 9:02am PST · 3 comments

Matt Garratt of Salesforce Ventures. Photo courtesy of Salesforce

Salesforce Reaps Big Gains From Investments in Tech Companies

By Ross Matican · Dec 24, 2020 9:02am PST · 3 comments

Snowflake’s first few months on the stock market were a major win for the company and its investors. Among those who scored big was Salesforce, whose $400 million total investment in the business software maker is now worth four times as much. The Snowflake investment was the latest in a string of hugely profitable deals by the cloud... Snowflake’s first few months on the stock market were a major win for the company and its...

Images by Shutterstock, Bloomberg. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Apple Should Win Its Intensifying Battle With Facebook

By Dave Edwards · Dec 24, 2020 6:00am PST · 21 comments

Facebook says Apple will change the internet as we know it. Good! The brewing battle over the soul of Silicon Valley has finally hit a breaking point. Apple, which sees individuals as its customers, is advancing iOS users’ privacy with the choice to opt in to ad tracking. Facebook, which sees individuals as its raw material, is fighting... Facebook says Apple will change the internet as we know it. Good! The brewing battle over the...

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Will the Zoom Boom Last?: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By The Information Staff · Dec 23, 2020 5:32pm PST

We broke the news today that Zoom Video Communications is starting to map out a post-pandemic future, one where society is no longer constantly tethered to videoconferencing to connect with colleagues, friends and family. Under consideration, Kevin reports, are email and calendar services that could compete with giants Microsoft and Google. Yet... We broke the news today that Zoom Video Communications is starting to map out a post-pandemic...

Starburst CEO Justin Borgman. Photo courtesy of Starburst.

Investors Pay High Price for Starburst Data at $1.6 Billion Valuation

By Kate Clark · Dec 23, 2020 12:28pm PST

Enterprise software startup Starburst Data is raising a Series C financing at a post-money valuation of up to $1.6 billion, tripling the value of its private stock from six months ago despite relatively small revenue, according to an updated company charter. Andreessen Horowitz had been in the running to lead the round, two people familiar with... Enterprise software startup Starburst Data is raising a Series C financing at a post-money...

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, center, at a conference last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Buoyed by Video Success, Zoom Explores Email, Calendar Services

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 23, 2020 6:01am PST · 4 comments

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, center, at a conference last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Buoyed by Video Success, Zoom Explores Email, Calendar Services

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 23, 2020 6:01am PST · 4 comments

Zoom Video Communications has had an astonishing rise in 2020, emerging as the go-to service for work meetings and family get-togethers during the pandemic. Now the company is considering whether it could replicate its success in video in an even more competitive market: corporate email. The company has begun developing a web email service and... Zoom Video Communications has had an astonishing rise in 2020, emerging as the go-to service for...