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

Get smarter about the day’s news in tech, media and finance by following Silicon Valley’s most-read executive newsletter.

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Recent Editions

NBCUniversal Chairman Steve Burke. Photo by Bloomberg

NBCUniversal’s Peacock Will Look More Like Cable Than Like Netflix

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Jan 15, 2020 7:00am PST · 4 comments

On Thursday, Comcast’s NBCUniversal becomes the fourth company in less than a year to unveil a video-streaming service to compete with Netflix. But NBCU is taking a very different approach to its service, Peacock, than the three earlier companies, Disney, Apple and WarnerMedia, did, making it more of a test case for an alternative approach... On Thursday, Comcast’s NBCUniversal becomes the fourth company in less than a year to...

Art by Sam Lessin

Modest Proposals

My Predictions for the Next Decade

By Sam Lessin · Jan 14, 2020 7:01am PST · 9 comments

Right before 2010 began, I made a set of thematic predictions about 2020 and then backed them up with 86 specific claims. Having just reviewed and graded my now decade-old calls, it is time to make a new batch of predictions for 2030. The optimist in me believes that having already done this exercise once as an adult, my hit rate on... Right before 2010 began, I made a set of thematic predictions about 2020 and then backed them up...

Art by Sam Lessin

Modest Proposals

Grading My 2010 Predictions—and What I Learned

By Sam Lessin · Jan 14, 2020 6:45am PST · 1 comment

At the end of December 2009, I published a set of predictions about both my personal life and what the technology industry would look like a decade later—in 2020. I got a lot correct, I’m proud to say, especially about the big picture of social issues resulting from technological change. But I also made some big mistakes in... At the end of December 2009, I published a set of predictions about both my personal life and...

The People With Power at Twitter

By Alex Heath · Jan 13, 2020 7:01am PST · 1 comment

The People With Power at Twitter

By Alex Heath · Jan 13, 2020 7:01am PST · 1 comment

For more than four years, Jack Dorsey has held the CEO role at both Twitter and Square, splitting his time between the two companies, whose headquarters are near each other in downtown San Francisco. For Twitter, the lack of a full-time CEO has meant that senior leaders are effectively running the company by consensus. Having to get top... For more than four years, Jack Dorsey has held the CEO role at both Twitter and Square, splitting...

‘Masageddon’ and the Limits of the SoftBank Playbook

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 11, 2020 7:46am PST · 1 comment

Back in September, when Cory broke the story of the WeWork’s impending layoffs, we wondered: Was this just the beginning? So, this week, when he got a tip that Getaround—the car rental service backed by SoftBank—was planning to cut a quarter of its staff, he whipped up a chart to keep track of the toll. We published that... Back in September, when Cory broke the story of the WeWork’s impending layoffs, we...

The Information’s 411 — Uber Drowning in the Pool

By Priya Anand · Jan 10, 2020 3:57pm PST

Welcome back to The Information's 411. This week, we talked about Amir's exclusive story that outlined Uber's many business problems. As he reported, UberPool loses lots of money. So the company has been working to cut those losses, but when it raises prices, fewer people use Pool. We discuss what that means for Uber's... Welcome back to The Information's 411. This week, we talked about Amir's exclusive ...

David Drummond. Photo by Bloomberg

From the Editor

The Article Google Didn’t Want Us to Write

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 10, 2020 12:20pm PST · 4 comments

A little over two years ago, I was sitting in my office with reporter Reed Albergotti and our managing editor Martin Peers wrestling with how to tell the story about the interoffice romances at Google that were long rumored but never published. Reed had new reporting about Alphabet’s chief legal officer David Drummond’s... A little over two years ago, I was sitting in my office with reporter Reed Albergotti and our...

Quibi CEO Meg Whitman exits the stage at CES 2020. Photo by Bloomberg

Quibi’s Numbers Show High Wire Act

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Jan 10, 2020 10:15am PST · 3 comments

Quibi CEO Meg Whitman exits the stage at CES 2020. Photo by Bloomberg

Quibi’s Numbers Show High Wire Act

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Jan 10, 2020 10:15am PST · 3 comments

If there’s one thing to be said for Quibi, the short-form streaming service coming from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman this spring, it’s that it doesn’t suffer from a lack of ambition. When it launches, it will join a crowded field of streaming services from big media companies, all offering movies and TV shows for a few... If there’s one thing to be said for Quibi, the short-form streaming service coming from...

Erin Egan, chief privacy officer at Facebook, left, listens as Jane Horvath, senior director of global privacy at Apple, speaks during a panel discussion at CES. Photo by Bloomberg.

Subscriber Video Conference

Six Things We Learned at CES

By The Information Staff · Jan 10, 2020 7:02am PST · 3 comments

On Thursday, we hosted a conference call for subscribers with takeaways from the big annual event. You can check out a recording of the video call below. We also published some of the takeaways from our reporter Nick Bastone, including the focus on 5G. Here are six more things that jumped out at us about the event. On Thursday, we hosted a conference call for subscribers with takeaways from the big annual...

The Information's editor in chief Jessica Lessin talking with the New York Times' COO Meredith Levien at an event in New York in 2018. Photo by Karen Obrist

Jobs@TheInformation

Be The Information’s Head of Communications

By The Information Staff · Jan 9, 2020 3:29pm PST · 1 comment

The Information is hiring an executive to be our first head of communications, responsible for amplifying the impact of our journalism and building The Information brand. Over the past six years, we have built a fast-growing and sustainable premium news business off the back of excellent journalism. During a period of turmoil in the... The Information is hiring an executive to be our first head of communications, responsible for...

Where Slack Outspends Bigger Firms

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 9, 2020 10:01am PST · 4 comments

When it comes to tech companies arming themselves against competition, Slack may be hard to beat. At least, that is, when it comes to spending on research and development, the route to new product development. Slack spent the equivalent of 38% of its revenue on R&D in its first three quarters of last year, a percentage that was... When it comes to tech companies arming themselves against competition, Slack may be hard to beat....

Hyun-Suk Kim, president and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics, speaking at CES this week. Photo by Bloomberg

At CES, a Focus on the Next Big Thing

By Nick Bastone · Jan 9, 2020 7:01am PST

Hyun-Suk Kim, president and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics, speaking at CES this week. Photo by Bloomberg

At CES, a Focus on the Next Big Thing

By Nick Bastone · Jan 9, 2020 7:01am PST

LAS VEGAS—Predicting which technologies at CES—the giant consumer electronics show taking place here this week—will become part of our lives and when is always a crapshoot. Personal robots, 3D television sets and a long list of operating systems and devices that debuted at the show in past years all ended up flopping. If... LAS VEGAS—Predicting which technologies at CES—the giant consumer electronics show...

Huawei's headquarters in Germany. Photo by AP.

Huawei in Talks With Banks to Raise $2 Billion

By Juro Osawa · Jan 8, 2020 2:14pm PST · 1 comment

Huawei is in talks with several international banks as part of an effort to raise about $2 billion through loans and bond sales outside China, people familiar with the matter said. The fundraising is partly aimed at showing that the Chinese company can still get international banks on board for its future financing plans, despite U.S. sanctions.... Huawei is in talks with several international banks as part of an effort to raise about $2...

Subscriber Survey

Elon Musk Is Tech Founder of the Decade, Subscribers Say

By Chris Noble · Jan 8, 2020 11:21am PST · 2 comments

Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk edged out Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos as the most important tech company founder of the last decade, according to our most recent subscriber survey.Musk garnered almost entirely positive comments from subscribers, who lauded him for transforming the auto industry, pushing... Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk edged out Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and...

Twitch headquarters in San Francisco. Photo by Shutterstock

How Big Is Amazon’s Twitch? Revenues Reveal Ad Struggles

By Priya Anand · Jan 8, 2020 7:01am PST · 1 comment

After Amazon paid nearly $1 billion to acquire the streaming video service Twitch more than five years ago, it looked like the company had a shot at turning it into the next YouTube. That view got a boost when Twitch began pushing beyond its main audience of gamers into cooking and craft videos. So far, though, Twitch is falling short... After Amazon paid nearly $1 billion to acquire the streaming video service Twitch more than five...

Getaround to Lay Off About One-Fourth of Staff

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 7, 2020 11:11am PST · 2 comments

Getaround to Lay Off About One-Fourth of Staff

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 7, 2020 11:11am PST · 2 comments

Car-rental startup Getaround plans to lay off roughly 150 employees, or about a quarter of its staff, in a bid to reduce rising costs, people familiar with the matter said. Getaround’s chief executive told The Information that the cuts mostly will involve employees handling day-to-day interactions between car owners and renters.Getaround... Car-rental startup Getaround plans to lay off roughly 150 employees, or about a quarter of its...

WeWork's former CEO Adam Neumann. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Tech ‘Run Rates’ Should Raise Eyebrows

By Nick Wingfield · Jan 7, 2020 7:01am PST · 8 comments

When We Co.—the parent of WeWork—filed to go public last fall, its financial disclosures showed the company had “run rate revenue” of $2.4 billion as of Dec. 31 2018. But in a different spot in the IPO filing, WeWork reported its actual 2018 revenue as $1.8 billion—25% lower. Run rate revenue has joined a host... When We Co.—the parent of WeWork—filed to go public last fall, its financial...

Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports; Simon Denyer, CEO of DAZN; Alex Mather, CEO of The Athletic. Photos by Bloomberg and The Information.

Why 2020 Could Bring a Merger Wave to Online Sports

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Jan 6, 2020 10:30am PST

This year is shaping up to be a big year for digital sports media companies such as The Athletic, Barstool Sports and Action Network. New business opportunities are emerging from the growth of legalized sports betting. The Athletic is expanding into the U.K. Several others, including Overtime and FuboTV, are raising money. Last month, daily... This year is shaping up to be a big year for digital sports media companies such as The Athletic,...

Art by Danielle Davis

Uber CEO Khosrowshahi Struggles to Find Formula for Success

By Amir Efrati · Jan 6, 2020 7:02am PST · 3 comments

As 2020 begins, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi faces what is shaping up to be a year of reckoning. Uber’s market capitalization has dropped $29 billion since it went public in May. It likely lost five to six times as much money in 2019 as it forecast in presentations to banks two years ago. And it has lost ground in its ride-hailing, scooter... As 2020 begins, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi faces what is shaping up to be a year of reckoning....

Art by Danielle Davis

What to Watch and Listen to in 2020

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 4, 2020 7:45am PST

Art by Danielle Davis

What to Watch and Listen to in 2020

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 4, 2020 7:45am PST

As any The Information reader knows, it is the golden age of digital television and, increasingly audio. But even when you are cruising through content at 1.5x speed, time is limited and you can’t watch it all. To help, our team compiled a list of shows and podcasts you shouldn’t miss. Some have gotten a lot of publicity. Many... As any The Information reader knows, it is the golden age of digital television and, increasingly...