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

The Information’s 411 — Heavy Lyfting

By Tom Dotan · Mar 8, 2019 2:47pm PST · 1 comment

Cory and Amir walk us through Lyft's filing to go public. And they talk about how CEO Logan Green reconciles his idealist visions with the realities of running a taxi business. Cory and Amir walk us through Lyft's filing to go public. And they talk about how CEO Logan...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Photo by Bloomberg

The Political Realities of Warren’s Tech Breakup Plan

By Ashley Gold · Mar 8, 2019 1:09pm PST · 10 comments

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has laid out an aggressive proposal to break up big tech companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook as part of her 2020 presidential campaign platform. Few of the ideas are ever likely to be implemented, but her proposal marks a shift in how presidential candidates are talking about big tech and could influence how the rest... Sen. Elizabeth Warren has laid out an aggressive proposal to break up big tech companies like...

Facebook's campus in Silicon Valley. Photo by Bloomberg

Modest Proposals

A Warning on the Dangers of Ephemeral Messaging

By Sam Lessin · Mar 8, 2019 6:30am PST · 11 comments

Facebook’s decision to move toward end-to-end encryption and “secure data storage” is the right call. It is necessary. With this decision, company executives will be on the right side of history, as I will explain more below. The decision to more deeply embrace ephemerality as part of the future of their “privacy”... Facebook’s decision to move toward end-to-end encryption and “secure data...

HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank. Photo: Bloomberg

Three Reasons Behind Airbnb’s Deal for HotelTonight

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 7, 2019 2:54pm PST · 4 comments

HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank. Photo: Bloomberg

Three Reasons Behind Airbnb’s Deal for HotelTonight

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 7, 2019 2:54pm PST · 4 comments

Airbnb for the past year has talked about its intentions to expand its presence in hotel bookings. On Thursday, the company made it official, acquiring HotelTonight for what two people familiar with the matter said was $440 million. The deal takes Airbnb’s rivalry with Booking.com to a new level, and offers Airbnb a new outlet for growth... Airbnb for the past year has talked about its intentions to expand its presence in hotel...

Marie Kondo. Photo by AP

Tidy Guru Marie Kondo in VC Talks About Expansion

By Zoë Bernard · Mar 7, 2019 1:52pm PST · 1 comment

Marie Kondo, the Japanese tidying guru whose advice on cleaning up has made her a household name, is looking to take the next step. Her company, KonMari, has held early talks with venture firms about potentially raising up to $40 million for new business opportunities, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. A spokesperson for... Marie Kondo, the Japanese tidying guru whose advice on cleaning up has made her a household name,...

Illustration by J. Munn

Facing 5G Threat, Cable Scrambles to Fix Wi-Fi

By Christopher Stern · Mar 7, 2019 9:47am PST

The cable industry’s biggest lobbying group fired a shot across the hood of the auto industry last month. It urged the Federal Communications Commission to strip a large swath of airwaves from auto makers—who are supposed to use them to make car travel safer—and instead use the spectrum to relieve the growing congestion on... The cable industry’s biggest lobbying group fired a shot across the hood of the auto...

Photo illustration by Mike Sullivan. Logan Green photo by Bloomberg. Cityscape and cars image by Shutterstock.

Lyft CEO Juggles Growth Ambitions With Social Ideals

By Cory Weinberg and Amir Efrati · Mar 7, 2019 6:31am PST

As an environmentally minded college student in California, Logan Green led a campaign to raise campus parking rates to discourage driving. Some 15 years later, as CEO of Lyft, Mr. Green has continued to promote the idea of reducing automobile ownership. “It’s time to redesign our cities around people, not cars,” he and Lyft... As an environmentally minded college student in California, Logan Green led a campaign to raise...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg

Reading Between the Lines of Zuckerberg’s Facebook Privacy Manifesto

By Nick Wingfield and Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 6, 2019 3:12pm PST · 10 comments

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg

Reading Between the Lines of Zuckerberg’s Facebook Privacy Manifesto

By Nick Wingfield and Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 6, 2019 3:12pm PST · 10 comments

In a 3,200-word essay on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a plan for the social network to become a “simpler platform that’s focused on privacy first.” It sounded like a momentous shift for the company, which has been pilloried for the past several years over its ravenous appetite for personal data. But is... In a 3,200-word essay on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a plan for the social...

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

Facebook’s Decentralization Dilemma

By Jon Victor · Mar 6, 2019 12:01pm PST · 1 comment

A great irony is emerging in crypto. Two of the world’s largest corporations, Facebook and JPMorgan, are now in the vanguard of adopting a technology that was designed partially to subvert the power of institutions. Just weeks after JPMorgan announced it was launching its own cryptocurrency, the New York Times reported new details about... A great irony is emerging in crypto. Two of the world’s largest corporations, Facebook and...

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

China’s ByteDance Plans Slack Rival Even as Losses Mount

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Mar 6, 2019 10:09am PST

In 2017 ByteDance, owner of such popular apps as newsfeed service Toutiao, made a slim profit. Last year, after the costly launch of its video app TikTok outside of China, the company lost $1.2 billion, The Information has learned. Results of the expansion were mixed: TikTok has become widely used in India but not in the U.S., according to... In 2017 ByteDance, owner of such popular apps as newsfeed service Toutiao, made a slim profit....

Netflix’s Price Increase History Shows Service’s Resilience

By Beejoli Shah and Martin Peers · Mar 6, 2019 6:32am PST · 3 comments

Netflix has raised the price of its most popular streaming plan by 63% in the past eight years without suffering any meaningful pushback from subscribers. In fact, an analysis by The Information of its quarterly results shows growth has temporarily spiked after two of the price increases—the opposite of what would be expected.That suggests... Netflix has raised the price of its most popular streaming plan by 63% in the past eight years...

Lime scooters in South Bend, Ind. Photo: AP

Two Top Policy Executives Departing Lime

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 5, 2019 3:51pm PST

Lime scooters in South Bend, Ind. Photo: AP

Two Top Policy Executives Departing Lime

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 5, 2019 3:51pm PST

The two top executives leading policy and government relations at scooter startup Lime are leaving, less than a year after they joined. The departures add to the turnover at the fast-growing company as it faces mounting safety problems and a need to win approval to expand into new cities.The two executives were big hires for two-year-old Lime... The two top executives leading policy and government relations at scooter startup Lime are...

Jobs@TheInformation

Join The Information as Our Director of Growth

By The Information Staff · Mar 5, 2019 2:47pm PST

As The Information's Director of Growth, you will help shape the future of our business and play a key role in our entrepreneurial, fast-growing company. We are looking for a performance-oriented leader who will expand upon several well-functioning growth channels and find new ones to achieve next-level growth at this pivotal time for... As The Information's Director of Growth, you will help shape the future of our business...

Blackberry CEO John Chen. Photo by Bloomberg

The Big Interview

BlackBerry Not Becoming a ‘Patent Troll,’ Says CEO

By Sarah Kuranda · Mar 5, 2019 10:01am PST · 1 comment

BlackBerry, which became a household name in the early 2000s for its ubiquituous email devices, is one of the more infamous examples of a pioneer left behind by technological change. Its slide was so pronounced that, as CEO John Chen said in an interview, “Five years ago, you would have thought the company was dead and bankrupt.”... BlackBerry, which became a household name in the early 2000s for its ubiquituous email devices,...

Apple's Eddy Cue, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Apple CEO Tim Cook at Sun Valley in Idaho. Photo by Bloomberg.

Disney Weighs Distribution Deals for Streaming Service

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Mar 5, 2019 6:31am PST · 1 comment

As Disney nears an April public unveiling of its Disney+ streaming services for Wall Street analysts, some key questions—including whether to distribute through U.S. cable operators or companies like Apple—are still being hammered out.One worry is whether the service will work well from a technical perspective. With that in mind,... As Disney nears an April public unveiling of its Disney+ streaming services for Wall Street...

Parker Conrad. Photo by Bloomberg

Kleiner Perkins Expected to Lead Investment in Rippling

By Zoë Bernard · Mar 4, 2019 3:29pm PST

Parker Conrad. Photo by Bloomberg

Kleiner Perkins Expected to Lead Investment in Rippling

By Zoë Bernard · Mar 4, 2019 3:29pm PST

Venture capitalists pressured Parker Conrad to step down from his health insurance startup, Zenefits, after the company was found to have skirted insurance regulations. Now, three years later, Mr. Conrad is going back to them for funding for his new company, Rippling. The Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner Perkins is expected to be the... Venture capitalists pressured Parker Conrad to step down from his health insurance startup,...

The Big Interview

The Big Interview: Mozilla Plans New Products to Capitalize on Tech Stumbles

By Sarah Kuranda · Mar 4, 2019 10:01am PST · 3 comments

Under Chief Executive Chris Beard, Mozilla Corporation has fashioned itself as the anti-Facebook browser company, publicly defending individual privacy rights as technology companies struggle with data scandals. But while the strategy has lifted Mozilla’s profile, it hasn’t significantly boosted revenue or helped the firm reclaim... Under Chief Executive Chris Beard, Mozilla Corporation has fashioned itself as the anti-Facebook...

Photo by Bloomberg

10 Questions Lyft Investors Should Ask

By Amir Efrati · Mar 4, 2019 6:31am PST · 12 comments

As Lyft sets the stage to go public, a major question hanging over the company is how it will fare under constant pressure from its bigger rival Uber. Beyond that, there are many unknowns surrounding the costs of recruiting drivers, its efforts in autonomous vehicles and the future of its electric scooter and bike businesses.The company’s... As Lyft sets the stage to go public, a major question hanging over the company is how it will...

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire. Photo by Bloomberg

Crypto Startup Circle Seeking $250 Million in New Funding

By Jon Victor · Mar 2, 2019 9:58am PST

Circle, one of the biggest cryptocurrency startups in the U.S., is seeking to raise about $250 million in a combination of equity and debt, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans. If it succeeds, Circle would be the latest in a series of cryptocurrency firms to raise money as they grapple with the impact of the crash in the... Circle, one of the biggest cryptocurrency startups in the U.S., is seeking to raise about $250...

Google's Silicon Valley campus. Photo by Bloomberg.

What’s Future of Internet?

By Tom Dotan · Mar 2, 2019 9:51am PST

Google's Silicon Valley campus. Photo by Bloomberg.

What’s Future of Internet?

By Tom Dotan · Mar 2, 2019 9:51am PST

What is the future of the internet?Should it be open or closed? Free-ranging content or curated? These questions, which go to the very heart of the internet and tech business models, creep into the zeitgeist whenever there’s a scandal involving a major internet company. What is the future of the internet?Should it be open or closed? Free-ranging content or curated?...