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

Time for a New Type of Tech CEO?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 24, 2018 9:12am PST · 6 comments

It’s been a tough month for tech’s most powerful CEOs, capping a tough year. For Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk, Evan Spiegel and even Jeff Bezos, 2018 brought intense media attention, crises of investor confidence and a drumbeat of regulatory scrutiny like nothing in recent history.But you know who had a pretty good year?... It’s been a tough month for tech’s most powerful CEOs, capping a tough year. For Mark...

The Information’s 411 — Believing, On a Jet Plane

By Tom Dotan · Nov 23, 2018 1:32pm PST

Cory hosts this week and talks to Tom about Snap and how Evan Spiegel's longterm vision for the company is running up against its near-term realities. Aaron talks about how Apple is thinking about widening distribution for its TV service. Cory hosts this week and talks to Tom about Snap and how Evan Spiegel's longterm vision for...

A Pony.ai car. Photo by AP

China’s Autonomous Driving Startups Join the Billion-Dollar Club

By Yunan Zhang · Nov 23, 2018 7:01am PST

In the race to develop autonomous cars, Silicon Valley companies like Alphabet’s Waymo are far ahead. But a wave of Chinese startups are raising of hundreds of millions of dollars to try to catch up. And these companies, including Pony.ai, Roadstar.ai, WeRide.ai and Momenta, have an edge: Their U.S. competitors may be shut out of the... In the race to develop autonomous cars, Silicon Valley companies like Alphabet’s Waymo are...

An Amazon Web Services event in San Francisco last year. Photo by Bloomberg

AWS to Expand Security Offerings With Threat-Hunting Tool

By Kevin McLaughlin, Sarah Kuranda and Amir Efrati · Nov 21, 2018 3:53pm PST

An Amazon Web Services event in San Francisco last year. Photo by Bloomberg

AWS to Expand Security Offerings With Threat-Hunting Tool

By Kevin McLaughlin, Sarah Kuranda and Amir Efrati · Nov 21, 2018 3:53pm PST

Amazon’s cloud unit is working on two new services to help customers identify security threats, as the company steps up its use of artificial intelligence to protect customers’ applications and data, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter and two people briefed on the cloud unit’s plans. Both of the new... Amazon’s cloud unit is working on two new services to help customers identify security...

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

Crypto Exchanges Face Disclosure Conundrum

By Jon Victor · Nov 21, 2018 1:14pm PST

As tech stocks slide, crypto prices continue their downward march: The price of bitcoin briefly fell as low as $4,100 on Tuesday, a far cry from the $6,500 level it had been trading at just a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Justice Department is investigating whether bitcoin’s rise last year was fueled partly by market manipulation, and the... As tech stocks slide, crypto prices continue their downward march: The price of bitcoin briefly...

Apple's TV streaming box. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Considered New Connected TV ‘Dongle’

By Aaron Tilley and Jessica Toonkel · Nov 21, 2018 12:24pm PST

To get more viewers for its upcoming TV streaming service, Apple has contemplated going downmarket on its TV hardware. The tech giant has had internal discussions about introducing a low-priced streaming “dongle” that people could plug into the back of their TV sets, similar to Amazon’s Fire Stick or Google’s Chromecast,... To get more viewers for its upcoming TV streaming service, Apple has contemplated going...

Image: Shutterstock

Tech’s New Bidding War: Niche Software Firms

By Alfred Lee · Nov 21, 2018 7:02am PST · 2 comments

Bidding wars are breaking out over tech companies that once were easily overlooked: tiny software firms that service entities like hospital pharmacies and sawmills.The companies are growing too slowly in niche markets to be attractive to venture capital. But investors are competing to buy the firms, betting they can boost growth and that... Bidding wars are breaking out over tech companies that once were easily overlooked: tiny software...

Apple's HomePod features the company's Siri virtual assistant. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Acquires AI Device Startup Silk Labs

By Aaron Tilley · Nov 20, 2018 4:30pm PST · 1 comment

Apple's HomePod features the company's Siri virtual assistant. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Acquires AI Device Startup Silk Labs

By Aaron Tilley · Nov 20, 2018 4:30pm PST · 1 comment

Apple has quietly acquired a startup, Silk Labs, that specializes in making artificial intelligence software lightweight enough to fit onto consumer hardware like cameras, another sign of its growing ambitions around AI and smart home devices. The acquisition, which hasn’t been reported before, occurred earlier this year, according to a... Apple has quietly acquired a startup, Silk Labs, that specializes in making artificial...

Ctrip CEO Jane Jie Sun

The Big Interview

Trade War, Slowing Economy Test China’s Biggest Travel Site

By Shai Oster · Nov 20, 2018 7:01am PST

Ctrip.com, China’s biggest travel and hotel booking website, is getting pummeled by investors. After forecasting earlier this month that profits could fall to zero next quarter and warning it couldn’t predict next year because of the slowing pace of economic growth amid a trade war, shares of the New York–listed stock fell 19%.... Ctrip.com, China’s biggest travel and hotel booking website, is getting pummeled by...

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy at a company event last year. Photo by Bloomberg

AWS Developing New Services Amid Open-Source Tensions

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 19, 2018 10:53am PST

Companies that manage open-source software have a message for cloud computing providers like Amazon: pay up, share your code or stop using our technology for free. The tension stems from the fact that cloud providers like Amazon Web Services are increasingly relying on open-source software—which is generally available to use free of... Companies that manage open-source software have a message for cloud computing providers like...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Snap’s Spiegel Flies High Above Wall Street Worries

By Tom Dotan · Nov 19, 2018 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Until a few months ago, Snap’s board meetings could be tense affairs. Benchmark partner Mitch Lasky, a Snap director until August, on occasion would challenge CEO Evan Spiegel about the company’s failure to meet Wall Street expectations for user growth and profits. Mr. Spiegel, who spends most board meetings looking at his phone and... Until a few months ago, Snap’s board meetings could be tense affairs. Benchmark partner...

The Trump Effect Is Infecting Tech News

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 18, 2018 11:18am PST · 1 comment

The Trump Effect Is Infecting Tech News

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 18, 2018 11:18am PST · 1 comment

Since President Donald Trump was elected, Trump and tech news have been entwined. The role tech companies played in spreading misinformation during his campaign—and the ensuring regulatory hearings, Presidential tweets and the like—have joined tech companies to the political news cycle in unprecedented ways.So perhaps it is no... Since President Donald Trump was elected, Trump and tech news have been entwined. The role tech...

New Instagram Bug Raises Security Questions

By Sarah Kuranda and Reed Albergotti · Nov 16, 2018 3:32pm PST

Instagram notified some users of a new security flaw that could have inadvertently exposed their passwords to public view, raising questions among security researchers about the effectiveness of Instagram’s security measures.The security flaw was tied, ironically, to a tool Instagram introduced in April to let users see how much of their... Instagram notified some users of a new security flaw that could have inadvertently exposed their...

The Information’s 411 — You’re No Bitcoin Jesus

By Tom Dotan · Nov 16, 2018 2:13pm PST

Jon talks about the drama with Bitcoin Cash and why the SEC is stepping up its investigations of the crypto sector. Aaron explains why Apple's margins on iPhones are going down even as its retail prices are going up. Jon talks about the drama with Bitcoin Cash and why the SEC is stepping up its investigations of...

Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene leaves the stage at a company event earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg

Behind Google Cloud Chief’s Departure, Tensions With Execs

By Kevin McLaughlin and Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 16, 2018 1:39pm PST · 1 comment

Google's cloud computing chief Diane Greene is leaving the company amid growing tensions with other senior Google executives and after the company failed to make meaningful progress in one of its most important new businesses. Although Google has struggled to gain market share from Amazon in the cloud business, Ms. Greene’s departure... Google's cloud computing chief Diane Greene is leaving the company amid growing tensions...

AT&T communications CEO John Donovan. Photo by Bloomberg

AT&T Gears Up for Battle as Program Deals Come Up

By Jessica Toonkel · Nov 16, 2018 7:00am PST

AT&T communications CEO John Donovan. Photo by Bloomberg

AT&T Gears Up for Battle as Program Deals Come Up

By Jessica Toonkel · Nov 16, 2018 7:00am PST

AT&T, fresh off its acquisition of Time Warner, is gearing up for what could be a series of bloody battles with rival media giants, as it seeks to cut programming costs at its DirecTV satellite and streaming video division. The outcome could affect the shape of the TV industry for years to come.Several major media companies, including Fox,... AT&T, fresh off its acquisition of Time Warner, is gearing up for what could be a series of...

What Lyft’s Internal Numbers Show

By Amir Efrati · Nov 15, 2018 7:01am PST · 4 comments

The next few weeks are shaping up to be pivotal for Lyft and how its IPO will be received. A detailed review of the company’s results for the three quarters to Sept. 30, based on confidential data made available to The Information, confirms a steady improvement in key expenses such as marketing and insurance. That is helping lift key... The next few weeks are shaping up to be pivotal for Lyft and how its IPO will be received. A...

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

Bitcoin Cash Drama; App Store Dust-Up

By Jon Victor · Nov 14, 2018 12:05pm PST

Happy Wednesday. Bitcoin Cash, the cryptocurrency network that spun off from Bitcoin last year, plans to upgrade its software this week, but as is the norm in crypto, the proposal to improve Bitcoin Cash has been met with an equal and opposite reaction. Disagreements within the technical community about how many transactions miners should... Happy Wednesday. Bitcoin Cash, the cryptocurrency network that spun off from Bitcoin last year,...

Apple’s iPhone Prices Soar, but Not Profit Margins

By Aaron Tilley · Nov 14, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments

The enormous profits Apple generates from its iPhone business are legendary. Even though they account for less than 20% of all smartphone shipments, iPhones capture 87% of the entire market's profits, according to estimates from Canaccord Genuity.But what’s less understood is that as iPhones have increased in hardware complexity, the... The enormous profits Apple generates from its iPhone business are legendary. Even though they...

Vacation rental startups are snapping up apartment leases in places like Austin, Texas, above. Photo: Bloomberg

Biggest Vacation Home Operator Moving Into City Market

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 13, 2018 11:41am PST

Vacation rental startups are snapping up apartment leases in places like Austin, Texas, above. Photo: Bloomberg

Biggest Vacation Home Operator Moving Into City Market

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 13, 2018 11:41am PST

Vacasa became the largest vacation rental management company in North America this year, operating homes in beach and mountain towns. Now, backed by more than $200 million from tech investors on the road to a potential public offering, Vacasa wants to move into the big city.Vacasa see an opportunity in managing tourist lodgings in city apartment... Vacasa became the largest vacation rental management company in North America this year,...