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

Photo by Bloomberg

Trump Threat of Ban Puts TikTok-Microsoft Talks on Hold

By Jessica E. Lessin and Alex Heath · Aug 1, 2020 1:16pm PDT · 1 comment

President Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban Chinese-owned TikTok has halted a potential acquisition of the popular app by Microsoft, with both companies waiting for more information from the U.S. government, according to several people involved in the talks. Late Friday, the companies were in advanced stages of negotiating a... President Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban Chinese-owned TikTok has halted a...

The Information’s 411 — Cyberpunk Barons

By Tom Dotan · Jul 31, 2020 5:53pm PDT

It was a big week for tech and politics as the four leaders of the major U.S. tech companies testified in front of the House Antitrust subcommittee. We spoke to Alex Heath and Chris Stern about which CEOs weathered the questions from lawmakers best and where the antitrust investigations go from here. Then Cory speaks to Anissa Gardizy about... It was a big week for tech and politics as the four leaders of the major U.S. tech companies...

Microsoft Talks to TikTok: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 31, 2020 5:16pm PDT

News that Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok raises all sorts of fascinating questions. Microsoft in recent years has been much more focused on selling to business customers than individuals; TikTok would take them in the opposite direction. The closest fit within Microsoft’s business would be its Xbox gaming division, although it... News that Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok raises all sorts of fascinating questions....

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

Microsoft’s Talks to Buy TikTok Follow Headwinds for Investor Plan

By Jessica E. Lessin and Ross Matican · Jul 31, 2020 1:06pm PDT · 4 comments

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

Microsoft’s Talks to Buy TikTok Follow Headwinds for Investor Plan

By Jessica E. Lessin and Ross Matican · Jul 31, 2020 1:06pm PDT · 4 comments

Microsoft is in serious talks to acquire TikTok, the hugely popular Chinese-owned video app, The Information has confirmed, after separate talks for a U.S. investor group to buy the app ran into headwinds on both political and business grounds.Senior ByteDance executives see Microsoft as more able to afford Tiktok, which could be worth $30... Microsoft is in serious talks to acquire TikTok, the hugely popular Chinese-owned video app, The...

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo: Bloomberg

Airbnb’s New Strategy: Living Without Google

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 31, 2020 7:08am PDT · 1 comment

Employees who worked on Airbnb’s marketing team in recent years have sometimes pondered a tantalizing question: What would happen to the company’s growth if it stopped spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on ads that appear high up in Google search results? The pandemic may have given Airbnb the opportunity to test... Employees who worked on Airbnb’s marketing team in recent years have sometimes pondered a...

Amazon.com Inc. packages sit stacked on the sidewalk in New York, U.S., on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg.

Amazon’s Big Quarter: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 30, 2020 6:53pm PDT

Any attempts by Jeff Bezos in yesterday’s antitrust hearing to cast Amazon as a minor player in the global retail market quickly got overshadowed by Amazon’s superlative-laden second-quarter results. Sales surged 40% to $89 billion, net income doubled to $5.2 billion and the number of its employees hit one million, it told... Any attempts by Jeff Bezos in yesterday’s antitrust hearing to cast Amazon as a minor...

A person walks into a building at the Google campus in Mountain View, California, on Monday, July 27, 2020. Photo by Bloomberg

Google’s Plan to Resume Reviews Rankles Employees With Children

By Cory Weinberg and Nick Bastone · Jul 30, 2020 12:27pm PDT · 1 comment

Life won’t start looking normal for most Google employees before next July, the earliest the company expects its workforce to be able to return to its offices. Yet Google is resuming some suspended business functions, including a high-stakes review cycle that has made at least one group of employees—parents—particularly... Life won’t start looking normal for most Google employees before next July, the earliest...

An employee assists a customer with televisions at a Walmart. Photo by Bloomberg

Walmart’s Rivalry With Amazon Becomes Hot-Button Issue for TV Maker

By Jessica Toonkel · Jul 30, 2020 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

An employee assists a customer with televisions at a Walmart. Photo by Bloomberg

Walmart’s Rivalry With Amazon Becomes Hot-Button Issue for TV Maker

By Jessica Toonkel · Jul 30, 2020 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Walmart is fighting Amazon on a growing number of fronts. The latest: TV remote controls.Walmart has asked the manufacturer of one of its biggest-selling smart TVs, Vizio, to remove the Amazon Prime Video button on remote controls for its sets. The buttons make it easy for Vizio owners to turn on Amazon’s Prime Video service, a major... Walmart is fighting Amazon on a growing number of fronts. The latest: TV remote controls.Walmart...

Scoring the Tech CEOs: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jul 29, 2020 6:51pm PDT · 2 comments

Members of Congress scored some direct hits against big tech CEOs at Wednesday’s antitrust hearing, in an intense series of exchanges lasting more than five hours. From the opening gavel, the lawmakers asked pointed questions and showed little patience for the CEOs’ attempts to provide long responses that didn’t directly answer... Members of Congress scored some direct hits against big tech CEOs at Wednesday’s antitrust...

Clockwise from top left: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Apple CEO Tim Cook; and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos appeared before the House antitrust subcommittee Wednesday. Image: House Committee on the Judiciary

Real-Time Analysis: Tech CEOs Face Congress

By The Information Staff · Jul 29, 2020 10:36am PDT · 1 comment

Congressional lawmakers challenged the business practices of America’s tech giants Wednesday, as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos faced accusations during a House antitrust subcommittee hearing that they stifle competition and abuse their market power. The... Congressional lawmakers challenged the business practices of America’s tech giants...

Photo by Bloomberg

Breaking Off TikTok Will Be Hard to Do

By Juro Osawa, Yunan Zhang and Amir Efrati · Jul 29, 2020 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

Under pressure from the Trump administration, ByteDance is considering selling control of its blockbuster social video app, TikTok. But carving TikTok out of ByteDance would mean cutting off the app’s access to a wide range of technology, powering everything from personalized recommendations to advertising to content moderation. And... Under pressure from the Trump administration, ByteDance is considering selling control of its...

Art by Mike Sullivan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...