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

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Photo by Bloomberg

How Streaming Math Could Hurt AT&T

By Martin Peers · Sep 9, 2019 2:03pm PDT · 5 comments

Activist investor Elliott Associates, which on Monday said it had bought a stake in AT&T, homed in on the flaws in the telecom giant’s growth strategy of recent years: It spent a total of $163 billion buying DirecTV and Time Warner just as cord-cutting was starting to eat away at the foundations of those companies’ businesses.... Activist investor Elliott Associates, which on Monday said it had bought a stake in AT&T,...

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, shown in June, is leading a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general in investigating Facebook for alleged antitrust issues. Photo: AP

Google, Facebook Face Multiple Risks From New State Probes

By Ashley Gold and Christopher Stern · Sep 9, 2019 9:28am PDT

Google and Facebook are likely to find it much harder to escape antitrust penalties now that more than two dozen state attorneys general have decided to launch their own probes of the tech giants.The states’ involvement ups the ante for Google parent Alphabet and Facebook in multiple ways. The companies, already under investigation for... Google and Facebook are likely to find it much harder to escape antitrust penalties now that more...

An Amazon Go store in Seattle. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Forecast $639M for ‘Go’ Stores by 2020 but Openings Fall Short

By Priya Anand · Sep 9, 2019 7:01am PDT

Shortly after Amazon opened its first Amazon Go mini-mart to the public in Seattle last year, the company privately mapped out its ambitions for building more of the high-tech, cashierless stores. It projected that annual revenue from all Amazon Go stores would balloon from a mere $28 million in 2018 to as much as $639 million... Shortly after Amazon opened its first Amazon Go mini-mart to the public in Seattle last year, the...

What to Watch at Apple’s iPhone Launch

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 7, 2019 7:46am PDT

What to Watch at Apple’s iPhone Launch

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 7, 2019 7:46am PDT

Apple is unveiling its latest iPhones next Tuesday in an annual event that generates no shortage of interest from the tech heads. There’s speculation and reporting pointing to upgraded cameras, improved facial recognition, a new dongle that would compete with Tile and more. The pressure is on for these phones to sell well. iPhone... Apple is unveiling its latest iPhones next Tuesday in an annual event that generates no shortage...

The Information’s 411 — When PushKit Comes to Shove

By Priya Anand · Sep 6, 2019 5:49pm PDT

Aaron explains why developers are upset over Apple's change to an API called PushKit. Beejoli describes the inner workings of Quibi, the shortform video streaming service that plans to launch next year. Aaron explains why developers are upset over Apple's change to an API called PushKit....

David Rhodes. Photo by AP.

Spotify Taps Former CBS Exec to Help Expand News Offering

By Jessica Toonkel · Sep 6, 2019 12:46pm PDT

Spotify has tapped former CBS News President David Rhodes as a consultant to help drive an expansion into news programming, say people familiar with the situation. A news push is part of a broader ramp-up of Spotify’s podcast offerings to diversify the company’s revenue beyond music. Additionally, Spotify is looking to grow its... Spotify has tapped former CBS News President David Rhodes as a consultant to help drive an...

Rover CEO Aaron Easterly. Photo by Rover

The Big Interview

Rover Finds Following With ‘Pet Parents’ With Dog Boarding, Grooming

By Nick Wingfield · Sep 6, 2019 7:01am PDT

This week, I pointed my web browser at a site called Rover.com and embarked on one of my least favorite online shopping experiences: searching for someone to look after my quirky, 10-year-old dog while my family is out of town later this year. Like other online marketplaces, Rover connects supply (people willing to look... This week, I pointed my web browser at a site called Rover.com and embarked on one of my least...

The People With Power at Quibi

By Beejoli Shah · Sep 5, 2019 10:01am PDT

The People With Power at Quibi

By Beejoli Shah · Sep 5, 2019 10:01am PDT

Quibi, the streaming video service launching next year, plans to air approximately 7,000 episodes of programming within its first year—an ambition for output likely surpassed only by Netflix. But unlike Netflix, which speeds production by letting a wide range of executives greenlight new shows, Quibi Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg has to sign... Quibi, the streaming video service launching next year, plans to air approximately 7,000 episodes...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Change Causes Scramble Among Private Messaging App Makers

By Aaron Tilley · Sep 5, 2019 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

A change Apple is making to improve privacy in an upcoming version of its iPhone operating system has alarmed an unlikely group of software makers: developers of privacy-focused encrypted messaging apps. They warn the change, which is already available in public test versions of iOS 13, could end up undermining the privacy goals that prompted it... A change Apple is making to improve privacy in an upcoming version of its iPhone operating system...

Founders Are Maintaining Less Ownership This IPO Season

By Ross Matican · Sep 4, 2019 11:34am PDT · 5 comments

Being a tech founder in 2019 isn’t what it was. Just ask Lyft’s John Zimmer and Logan Green.The two are the most extreme examples of how founders of companies going public this year did so with much smaller equity stakes than was the case for some of the better known tech companies in the past. That’s partly because tech firms... Being a tech founder in 2019 isn’t what it was. Just ask Lyft’s John Zimmer and Logan...

A WeWork office in London in 2017. Photo: Bloomberg

Can WeWork Make Money? Marketing Costs Are One Obstacle

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 4, 2019 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

As WeWork’s losses have climbed, potential investors have scoured for signs that the company has a pathway to profitability. A key piece of that puzzle: Can WeWork reduce how much it spends to open each new office location? The company has tried to highlight signs that it is making progress on that front. “Net capex per... As WeWork’s losses have climbed, potential investors have scoured for signs that the...

Max Beauchemin, a Preset founder. Photo by Preset

New Open Source Startups Emerge After Acquisition, IPO Flurry

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Sep 3, 2019 10:01am PDT

Max Beauchemin, a Preset founder. Photo by Preset

New Open Source Startups Emerge After Acquisition, IPO Flurry

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Sep 3, 2019 10:01am PDT

After a flurry of mega-acquisitions and initial public offerings of open source companies, a new batch of entrepreneurs are trying their hands at startups based on free software projects.Former engineers from Uber and Airbnb who created tools that the companies later released as open source software—known as M3 and Apache Superset,... After a flurry of mega-acquisitions and initial public offerings of open source companies, a new...

Art by Josh Brill

Huawei Was Prepared for Anything—Except Losing Google

By Juro Osawa · Sep 3, 2019 7:01am PDT · 9 comments

Over the years, people inside Huawei at times worried the Chinese technology powerhouse, now the world’s second largest smartphone company, was too dependent on some U.S. technologies. To reduce its reliance on American-made chips inside its phones, for example, Huawei switched to alternatives that it made in-house. But when it came... Over the years, people inside Huawei at times worried the Chinese technology powerhouse, now the...

The News Disruption We Should All Fear

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 31, 2019 7:45am PDT · 2 comments

Every fall, as I prepare for our annual Media Bootcamp—where media leaders pick each other’s brains and trade strategies—I sit back and reflect on the big changes I see coming to the news business in the months ahead. For the past three years, the biggest problem and its solution have been painfully obvious. As internet... Every fall, as I prepare for our annual Media Bootcamp—where media leaders pick each...

WeWork Without HR

By Priya Anand · Aug 30, 2019 1:00pm PDT

Cory explains the turnover and turmoil in WeWork's human resources department. Matt Drange discusses the University of California, Berkeley's relationship with Huawei. Cory explains the turnover and turmoil in WeWork's human resources department. Matt Drange...

Actors from Starz's drama "Power" at a recent screening. Photo by AP

Comcast Plans to Drop Starz in Latest Sign of TV Upheaval

By Jessica Toonkel · Aug 30, 2019 10:29am PDT

Actors from Starz's drama "Power" at a recent screening. Photo by AP

Comcast Plans to Drop Starz in Latest Sign of TV Upheaval

By Jessica Toonkel · Aug 30, 2019 10:29am PDT

As streaming services grow, cable services are getting pickier about the TV channels they’re willing to carry.In the latest sign of that trend, cable giant Comcast has told Lionsgate that it plans to drop Lionsgate’s premium channels Starz and Starz Encore from its main bundle of channels at the end of the year, according to people... As streaming services grow, cable services are getting pickier about the TV channels...

Flexe CEO Karl Siebrecht and CTO David Glick. Photos by Flexe

The Big Interview

In an Amazon Age, Startup Finds Following With On-Demand Warehouses

By Priya Anand · Aug 30, 2019 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Amazon has turned the business of handling basic e-commerce chores for independent merchants—including storing their merchandise in Amazon warehouses and packaging them into customer orders—into a goldmine. But not every merchant wants to rely on Amazon to provide these services—and a growing array of companies are emerging as... Amazon has turned the business of handling basic e-commerce chores for independent...

Sather Tower, on the UC Berkeley campus. Photo by AP.

Huawei Boosted Research Spending at Berkeley Before Sanctions, Documents Show

By Matt Drange · Aug 29, 2019 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

Huawei sharply increased its spending on research projects at the University of California, Berkeley last year and this year, immediately before the university cut ties with the Chinese telecom manufacturer amid U.S. government sanctions, according to documents obtained by The Information.The documents show that Berkeley accepted nearly $1.5... Huawei sharply increased its spending on research projects at the University of California,...

Crypto Newsletter

What I Learned Covering Crypto

By Jon Victor · Aug 28, 2019 12:05pm PDT · 2 comments

This will be my last edition of the crypto newsletter. I'm leaving The Information to take some time off and then go back to school. It has been a joy to dig into these topics each week—and even better to hear from you along the way. The newsletter will be back soon after a short hiatus. To cap off my time covering crypto,... This will be my last edition of the crypto newsletter. I'm leaving The Information to take...

Join The Information as Our Fintech/Crypto Reporter

By The Information Staff · Aug 28, 2019 11:01am PDT

Jobs@TheInformation

Join The Information as Our Fintech/Crypto Reporter

By The Information Staff · Aug 28, 2019 11:01am PDT

The Information is looking for an enterprising reporter to cover blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and fintech. The crypto and blockchain industry has evolved from a niche sector to one that permeates business and consumer life, potentially changing everything from the way financial transactions are conducted to how products are traced to... The Information is looking for an enterprising reporter to cover blockchain technology,...