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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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Recent Editions

Podcast

The Information’s 411 — When God Opens a Streaming Door He Closes a Theatrical Window

By Tom Dotan · Dec 27, 2019 4:30pm PST · 1 comment
Jessica Toonkel makes her prediction about how streaming services will affects the theater and movie industries. Kevin discusses AWS and its relationship with the open-source community. Jessica Toonkel makes her prediction about how streaming services will affects the theater and...
Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Databricks. Photo by Bloomberg
The Big Interview

Databricks Dismisses Open Source Criticism of Amazon

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 27, 2019 7:00am PST · 2 comments
To some advocates of open source—the software created by squads of volunteer developers—Amazon has become a bogeyman because of the way it offers their free programs through its cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services. Ali Ghodsi isn’t one of the Amazon haters. Ghodsi is the CEO of Databricks, a six-year-old startup that... To some advocates of open source—the software created by squads of volunteer...
Toptal CEO Taso Du Val. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Flickr

The Information’s Top 10 Stories of 2019

By The Information Staff · Dec 26, 2019 3:10pm PST
The Information’s top stories of the year include profiles of major tech figures Jony Ive and Andy Jassy, a look at Amazon’s efforts to crack the Hollywood code and a revealing examination into how employees at a growing startup missed out on equity in the business:10. Before Departure, Apple’s Jony Ive Faded From ViewThe... The Information’s top stories of the year include profiles of major tech figures Jony Ive...
Verizon’s 5G wireless signage at the Mobile World Congress Americas event in Los Angeles in October. Photo: Bloomberg
Why the 5G Rollout Will Fall Short of Expectations
By Christopher Stern · Dec 26, 2019 10:01am PST · 7 comments
Verizon’s 5G wireless signage at the Mobile World Congress Americas event in Los Angeles in October. Photo: Bloomberg
2020 Predictions

Why the 5G Rollout Will Fall Short of Expectations

By Christopher Stern · Dec 26, 2019 10:01am PST · 7 comments
After years of escalating hype, the wireless industry is finally rolling out 5G. And next year, with many more 5G-capable phones expected to hit the market, the new technology should become a reality for consumers.Yet despite promises of blazing speeds and coast-to-coast coverage, the leading mobile phone providers are on track to deliver little... After years of escalating hype, the wireless industry is finally rolling out 5G. And next year,...
Apple AirPods at a Walmart story last month. Photo by Bloomberg
Exclusive

Apple AirPod Suppliers Seek Financing to Expand in Vietnam

By Juro Osawa and Wayne Ma · Dec 26, 2019 7:01am PST
The two Chinese manufacturers of Apple’s wireless earbuds are each in talks to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars from banks to expand production in Vietnam, according to a person familiar with the matter. The discussions come as a growing number of electronics manufacturers move some operations out of China as a hedge against trade... The two Chinese manufacturers of Apple’s wireless earbuds are each in talks to borrow...
Cast Members of "Lady and the Tramp." Photo by AP.
2020 Predictions

Why a Major Studio Will Abandon Theaters for Streaming

By Jessica Toonkel · Dec 24, 2019 10:02am PST · 1 comment
For years movie theater chains and film studios have been battling about how long movies need to be shown only in theaters before becoming available elsewhere. I predict 2020 will be the year that a major studio, most likely Disney or AT&T’s WarnerMedia, breaks the mold and debuts some movies on its streaming service before they show... For years movie theater chains and film studios have been battling about how long movies need to...
Grab president Ming Maa. Photo by Bloomberg.
Exclusive

How Grab of Singapore Is Learning Lessons of Uber

By Juro Osawa · Dec 24, 2019 7:02am PST
Grab, the ride-hailing and food-delivery app in Southeast Asia valued at $14 billion, doesn’t want to be compared to Uber. But comparisons are inevitable. Both companies are backed by SoftBank, are unprofitable, and face strong competitors. Grab even acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia operations last year.At the end of 2018, Grab was... Grab, the ride-hailing and food-delivery app in Southeast Asia valued at $14 billion,...
Silicon Valley Bank's Bob Blee. Photo by Silicon Valley Bank. Art by Jesse Howe
Tech Firms and VCs Both Cashed Up, Says Silicon Valley Bank Exec
By Kevin Dugan · Dec 23, 2019 10:01am PST
Silicon Valley Bank's Bob Blee. Photo by Silicon Valley Bank. Art by Jesse Howe
Q&A

Tech Firms and VCs Both Cashed Up, Says Silicon Valley Bank Exec

By Kevin Dugan · Dec 23, 2019 10:01am PST
Tech companies lately have been hoarding cash, at least in part to arm them for potential acquisitions, according to Bob Blee, head of corporate finance at Silicon Valley Bank. At the same time, venture capital firms have plenty of dry powder, which gives them plenty of weaponry for investments.In a wide-ranging interview about the state of... Tech companies lately have been hoarding cash, at least in part to arm them for potential...

Up or Out in 2019: Big Executive Moves in Tech

By The Information Staff · Dec 23, 2019 7:01am PST
Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Facebook all saw major executive departures this year, including the departures of Jony Ive, Larry Page, and Chris Cox, remaking the companies’ upper ranks. That created a lot of new opportunities for rising stars. Bret Taylor, Fidji Simo, and Thomas Kurian each moved up the ladder.Below, we profile six senior... Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Facebook all saw major executive departures this year, including the...
Thomas Middleditch, who plays the Richard Hendricks character in 'Silicon Valley.' Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

Dystopian Silicon Valley and the Wisdom of Richard Hendricks

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 21, 2019 7:47am PST
With less than two weeks left in the decade, publications have started firing off think pieces about the last ten years in technology. And, my, they have been depressing.The New York Times declared the 2010s the decade tech “lost its way.” The Atlantic lamented about all the “promises unfulfilled.” BuzzFeed... With less than two weeks left in the decade, publications have started firing off think pieces...
Podcast

The Information’s 411 — Boz and Effect

By Tom Dotan · Dec 20, 2019 2:49pm PST · 1 comment
Alex dives into Facebook's massive hardware plans in AR and VR and the executive, Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, who's heading the endeavor. Nick and Kevin talk about Google Cloud and the long-shot effort to beat Amazon and Microsoft. Alex dives into Facebook's massive hardware plans in AR and VR and the executive, Andrew...
Didi president Jean Liu. Photo by Bloomberg
Didi Chuxing Aims to Jumpstart Growth After a Rough 2019
By Yunan Zhang · Dec 20, 2019 7:01am PST
Didi president Jean Liu. Photo by Bloomberg
Exclusive

Didi Chuxing Aims to Jumpstart Growth After a Rough 2019

By Yunan Zhang · Dec 20, 2019 7:01am PST
The bloody wars in the global ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses, which have unnerved investors in the U.S. so much this year, will open on a new front in 2020. Didi Chuxing is expanding its ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses in Latin America, ramping up the competitive threat for Uber in the region. Didi’s international... The bloody wars in the global ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses, which have unnerved...
Illustration by Laurent Bazart (@laurentbazart)
Exclusive

To Control Its Destiny, Facebook Bets Big on Hardware

By Alex Heath · Dec 19, 2019 7:01am PST · 3 comments
In Burlingame, California, a small city about 15 miles north of Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters, a monument to the social media giant’s future ambitions is taking shape. Construction is underway on a 770,000-square-foot new campus, with the capacity for about 4,000 employees, that will be devoted entirely to a burgeoning... In Burlingame, California, a small city about 15 miles north of Facebook’s Silicon Valley...

The Information Team’s Favorite Tech Stories

By The Information Staff · Dec 18, 2019 12:06pm PST
It’s been a remarkably busy year in tech, and as our team reflects on the year, we rounded up some of our favorite stories, which you may have missed. We hope you enjoy them and find some valuable lessons as you prepare for the year ahead. It’s been a remarkably busy year in tech, and as our team reflects on the year, we rounded...

Tech IPOs in 2020: Five Things to Watch

By Carleton English · Dec 18, 2019 7:00am PST · 1 comment
This was not quite the banner year for tech initial public offerings  that private investors had hoped for. All told, 49 tech companies went public in 2019, raising $25.7 billion. That compared with 54 IPOs raising a total of $20.8 billion last year, according to Dealogic. But while the overall amount raised was higher, several high-profile... This was not quite the banner year for tech initial public offerings  that private investors...
Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg
Why Salesforce’s Benioff Will Step Down as Co-CEO in 2020
By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 17, 2019 10:01am PST · 2 comments
Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg
2020 Predictions

Why Salesforce’s Benioff Will Step Down as Co-CEO in 2020

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 17, 2019 10:01am PST · 2 comments
Marc Benioff, founder and co-CEO of Salesforce, loves tackling big challenges. In starting the company, he set out to prove that selling software as a subscription service rather than as a one-off purchase could become the predominant way that large companies buy it. He succeeded: Salesforce now has a market capitalization of $143 billion. ... Marc Benioff, founder and co-CEO of Salesforce, loves tackling big challenges. In starting the...
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian at a company event in April. Photo by Bloomberg
Exclusive

Google Brass Set 2023 as Deadline to Beat Amazon, Microsoft in Cloud

By Nick Bastone, Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Dec 17, 2019 7:01am PST · 2 comments
The clock is ticking for Google Cloud.The Google unit, which sells computing services to big companies, is under pressure from top management to pass Amazon or Microsoft—currently first and second, respectively, in cloud market share—or risk losing funding. While the company has invested heavily in the business since last year,... The clock is ticking for Google Cloud.The Google unit, which sells computing services to big...
Art by Sam Lessin
Modest Proposals

In Defense of Deep Fakes

By Sam Lessin · Dec 16, 2019 10:00am PST · 5 comments
Nearly everyone in the technology community is worried about the near-term prospect of deep fakes destroying our trust in the media and our collective sense of reality.That is understandable. When it becomes as easy to generate convincing fake media as it is to record reality, our ability to trust by default what we see and hear in the real... Nearly everyone in the technology community is worried about the near-term prospect of deep fakes...
Illustration by Grant Kratzer
Exclusive

Amazon Learns a New Skill: Making Money From Alexa

By Priya Anand and Amir Efrati · Dec 16, 2019 7:00am PST
For most of Alexa’s five years in existence, Amazon has focused on making its voice assistant as ubiquitous as possible, putting it in everything from microwaves to wearable rings to its growing family of Echo devices. Now Amazon has a new focus for Alexa: making money from it. The company is exploring how it can profit from premium... For most of Alexa’s five years in existence, Amazon has focused on making its voice...
Join The Information as Our Growth Analyst
By The Information Staff · Dec 14, 2019 12:43pm PST
Jobs@TheInformation

Join The Information as Our Growth Analyst

By The Information Staff · Dec 14, 2019 12:43pm PST
The Information is a San Francisco-based subscription publication known for original, in-depth reporting about the technology industry. We’re the go-to daily read for the most important people in technology and business and are building a one-of-a-kind community of subscribers. More than 20% of our subscriber community is a founder or CEO,... The Information is a San Francisco-based subscription publication known for original, in-depth...