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

WarnerMedia's new CTO Richard Tom and new CEO Jason Kilar in 2015, when the two worked together at Vessel. Photo by AP

Kilar’s Radical Vision for WarnerMedia: Putting Consumers First

By Jessica Toonkel · Jul 1, 2020 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

A few weeks ago, WarnerMedia’s new CEO, Jason Kilar, met with a group of executives developing a version of the company’s HBO Max streaming service that would carry commercials. WarnerMedia plans to make this version cheaper than the $15 a month commercial-free offering that debuted last month.After reviewing the plan, Kilar politely... A few weeks ago, WarnerMedia’s new CEO, Jason Kilar, met with a group of executives...

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. Photo by Bloomberg

Google’s Latest TV Price Hike: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 30, 2020 5:48pm PDT · 3 comments

Two years ago, I ditched my cable television subscription for YouTube TV, an internet bundle of television channels wrapped in the kind of slick interface you would expect from the Google-owned streaming service. The next year, YouTube bumped the price up to $50 a month from $40, which I accepted reluctantly because they added HGTV and some... Two years ago, I ditched my cable television subscription for YouTube TV, an internet bundle of...

TikTok Vulnerable to Fake Followers, Security Firm Warns

By Alex Heath · Jun 30, 2020 10:20am PDT

TikTok has grown into one of the most popular apps in the world while largely avoiding the prevalence of fake accounts that plague its older peers in social media. But it could lose that edge if it doesn’t strengthen its defenses, new research shows. The Chinese-owned video app currently relies on security measures that can be... TikTok has grown into one of the most popular apps in the world while largely avoiding the...

Basecamp's David Heinemeier Hansson. Photo provided by Hansson

The Tech Entrepreneur Who Loves to Troll Silicon Valley

By Zoë Bernard · Jun 30, 2020 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Basecamp's David Heinemeier Hansson. Photo provided by Hansson

The Big Interview

The Tech Entrepreneur Who Loves to Troll Silicon Valley

By Zoë Bernard · Jun 30, 2020 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Earlier this month, David Heinemeier Hansson opened up Twitter and laced into Apple, describing the company as a “gangster” after it threatened to remove a new email app by his company, Basecamp, from the App Store for violating Apple policies. Hansson—who co-founded Basecamp with Jason Fried—has mastered the ability of... Earlier this month, David Heinemeier Hansson opened up Twitter and laced into Apple, describing...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple’s News Loss: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 29, 2020 5:31pm PDT

The value of Apple’s free News app shrank just a little on Monday after the New York Times said it would pull the few articles it made available for the service. More broadly, The Times’ decision suggests why Apple may face headwinds in its efforts to make its giant services business even bigger.The Times didn’t like the fact... The value of Apple’s free News app shrank just a little on Monday after the New York Times...

Katerra CEO Paal Kibsgaard, shown in 2018. Photo: Bloomberg

SoftBank-Backed Katerra Lays Off More Than 400 Employees

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 29, 2020 4:31pm PDT

Construction startup Katerra, which has raised more than $1 billion from SoftBank’s Vision Fund, laid off more than 400 people on Monday, people familiar with the matter said. It is the latest of at least four rounds of cuts at the Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup since last fall.The layoffs amounted to 7% of the staff, a company... Construction startup Katerra, which has raised more than $1 billion from SoftBank’s Vision...

Alex Cole of VMG Partners. Photo: VMG

Tech’s Hidden Diversity Problem: Executive Headhunters

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 29, 2020 10:01am PDT

Executive search firm True often gets the call when hot tech companies seek to fill key jobs. The New Jersey–based outfit has grown as quickly as some of its startup clients, having hired 350 employees across several continents since its founding eight years ago. True resembles its tech industry clients in another way: Just one of the... Executive search firm True often gets the call when hot tech companies seek to fill key jobs. The...

Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. Photo by Snowflake

IPO Contender Snowflake on Pace for $400 Million in 2020 Revenue

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jun 29, 2020 7:01am PDT

Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. Photo by Snowflake

IPO Contender Snowflake on Pace for $400 Million in 2020 Revenue

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jun 29, 2020 7:01am PDT

If Snowflake goes public this year, as many watchers of the subscription software company expect, its soaring revenue will be a big reason why. The Information has learned that the company—which offers a type of cloud database known as a data warehouse—is on track to hit $400 million in revenue in 2020, if current sales trends... If Snowflake goes public this year, as many watchers of the subscription software company expect,...

Here’s an Idea for Advertisers Leaving Facebook—Support News

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 27, 2020 7:45am PDT · 1 comment

The march of digital advertising heavyweights refusing to advertise on Facebook took some major steps forward this week, with Verizon and Unilever joining the boycott. The brands, and many others, want Facebook to do a better job removing hate speech and misinformation. Mark Zuckerberg announced some new measures to do so Friday, but the brands... The march of digital advertising heavyweights refusing to advertise on Facebook took some major...

A Zoox self-driving vehicle last month. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon’s Self-Driving Car Bet: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 26, 2020 5:31pm PDT

Amazon’s decision to spend more than $1 billion buying self-driving car developer Zoox—a story we broke last night—made me wonder: Is Amazon really committing to spend the billions more that are necessary to develop fully automated taxis, as its announcement implied? Amazon’s pockets are deep, but perhaps not that deep.... Amazon’s decision to spend more than $1 billion buying self-driving car developer...

The Information’s 411 — Facebook v Speech

By Tom Dotan · Jun 26, 2020 3:32pm PDT

Alex joins to talk about how Facebook went from hero to heel as America careened from the coronavirus pandemic to the Black Lives Matter protests. Then Chris Stern discusses the state of the antitrust investigations pending against big tech companies and the behind-the-scenes role Pierre Omidyar is playing in advancing the cases.Guests include... Alex joins to talk about how Facebook went from hero to heel as America careened from the...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Humor Has a Place at Work, Even During a Pandemic

By Candace Jackson · Jun 26, 2020 10:45am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Mike Sullivan

Humor Has a Place at Work, Even During a Pandemic

By Candace Jackson · Jun 26, 2020 10:45am PDT · 1 comment

Recently, I gave a toast at a friend’s birthday party. I’d prepared a brief speech and peppered it with touching memories and hilarious anecdotes from our decadeslong friendship. The response? Total silence. As far as I could tell, I had bombed. Because it’s 2020, the “party” was on Zoom. Although there were dozens... Recently, I gave a toast at a friend’s birthday party. I’d prepared a brief speech...

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai in January. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Staff Push CEO Sundar Pichai to Detail Remote Work Plans

By Nick Bastone and Alex Heath · Jun 26, 2020 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Google’s all-hands meeting on Thursday was supposed to focus on updates to its Google Photos product and its work to promote racial equity. Among the questions staff most wanted senior executives to answer, however, were those concerning the company’s future work-from-home policy. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees the... Google’s all-hands meeting on Thursday was supposed to focus on updates to its Google...

Zoox CEO Aicha Evans. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon to Pay More Than $1 Billion for Self-Driving Car Developer Zoox

By Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2020 8:31pm PDT · 1 comment

Amazon has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to buy Zoox, an early developer of autonomous vehicles, marking the entrance of one of the world’s most deep-pocketed companies in the long race to develop driverless cars, according to people with knowledge of the deal. The deal, which could be announced as early as Friday, would give... Amazon has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to buy Zoox, an early developer of autonomous...

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google's parent Alphabet. Photo by Bloomberg

Google’s Concession to News Publishers: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 25, 2020 5:08pm PDT

News executives around the world are almost certainly feeling triumphant, thanks to news that Google has agreed to pay some publishers overseas for news content. It marks a significant step in publishers’ long effort to get tech giants to pay for their content. Facebook has already begun to pay publishers a little for stories that appear... News executives around the world are almost certainly feeling triumphant, thanks to news that...

A recent image of a Waymo Via, a self-driving truck protoype. Photo by Waymo

Aurora’s Trucking Bet Shows Industry Shift From Robotaxis

By Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2020 11:54am PDT · 4 comments

A recent image of a Waymo Via, a self-driving truck protoype. Photo by Waymo

Autonomous Vehicles Summit

Aurora’s Trucking Bet Shows Industry Shift From Robotaxis

By Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2020 11:54am PDT · 4 comments

Most of the investment capital going into the autonomous vehicle sector has focused on cars. But now automated trucks and delivery vehicles are becoming more appealing amid difficulties in making cars safe enough for the public, according to several speakers at The Information’s fourth annual Autonomous Vehicles Summit. Underscoring the... Most of the investment capital going into the autonomous vehicle sector has focused on cars. But...

Unicorn Deals Drive Valuations to Record Highs

By Kate Clark · Jun 25, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

When coronavirus fears sent stocks tumbling this spring, venture capitalists expected startup valuations to follow. Instead, late-stage valuations for U.S. startups have risen in the first half of 2020 as the stock market, shaking off fears of a pandemic-caused recession, rebounded.The median valuation for Series C or later-stage... When coronavirus fears sent stocks tumbling this spring, venture capitalists expected startup...

A restaurant in New York that reopened this week. Photo by AP

Reopening: One Step Forward, Two Back: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jun 24, 2020 5:17pm PDT · 1 comment

The rapid pace of reopening across parts of America, leading to spikes in Covid-19 infection rates, suggests we’re taking two steps back for every step forward. On the job front, in the tech industry, the picture is also mixed. The pandemic is still causing layoffs—Sonos, for instance, said this week it will cut 12% of its global... The rapid pace of reopening across parts of America, leading to spikes in Covid-19 infection...

Bill Nye, host of a show made by Stitcher. Photo by AP

Scripps Exploring Sale of Podcast Service Stitcher

By Tom Dotan · Jun 24, 2020 10:25am PDT · 2 comments

TV broadcaster E.W. Scripps Co. is shopping podcasting service Stitcher around, according to people familiar with the matter, in an apparent effort to cash in on a surge of interest in the podcasting industry from companies such as Spotify and satellite radio giant Sirius XM.Stitcher is one of the biggest podcast apps not owned by the two giants... TV broadcaster E.W. Scripps Co. is shopping podcasting service Stitcher around, according to...

Mukesh Amabani and Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan

How India’s Jio Won Facebook’s Heart

By Wayne Ma and Juro Osawa · Jun 24, 2020 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

Mukesh Amabani and Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan

How India’s Jio Won Facebook’s Heart

By Wayne Ma and Juro Osawa · Jun 24, 2020 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

Four years ago, India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, set out to remake India’s mobile industry by launching a cellular phone service with rock-bottom prices that made it affordable for India’s rural poor. After Reliance Industries, his business empire spanning oil, retail and other sectors, invested $30 billion to build the... Four years ago, India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, set out to remake India’s mobile...