The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Google's John Giannandrea. Photo: Bloomberg

Google’s Giannandrea Steps Aside in AI Leadership Shuffle

By Kevin McLaughlin · Apr 2, 2018 2:16pm PDT · 1 comment

John Giannandrea, senior vice president of engineering at Google and one of the company’s leading public voices on artificial intelligence issues, is stepping down from his position as head of the search and AI units, according to a person with knowledge of the change. A Google spokeswoman confirmed the move in an email. The move comes two... John Giannandrea, senior vice president of engineering at Google and one of the company’s...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: AP

Tesla’s Musk Takes Charge of Model 3 Production as Problems Persist

By Amir Efrati · Apr 2, 2018 12:51pm PDT · 2 comments

Tesla’s struggles to manufacture its flagship Model 3 electric sedan reached a boiling point last week, prompting CEO Elon Musk to take direct control of the division producing the vehicles, according to two people briefed on the matter.The move came after Tesla failed to hit its goal of making about 500 Model 3 sedans per day, or 2,500... Tesla’s struggles to manufacture its flagship Model 3 electric sedan reached a boiling...

Spotify headquarters in Stockholm. Photo: AP

Anticipating Strong Public Debut, Spotify Shareholders Sit Tight

By Alfred Lee · Apr 2, 2018 7:01am PDT

Spotify shareholders appeared reluctant to sell much stock last week ahead of the company’s public listing, say investors and brokers, suggesting the price will jump when shares begin trading on Tuesday.The music streaming service was still allowing private trades last week, a highly unusual move so close to a public listing. But investors... Spotify shareholders appeared reluctant to sell much stock last week ahead of the company’s...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Mar 31, 2018 8:01am PDT

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Mar 31, 2018 8:01am PDT

Facebook employees are upset that their internal Facebook posts are being leaked to the media. It must feel awful to have private information they put on Facebook end up in someone else's hands without their knowing it. Facebook employees are upset that their internal Facebook posts are being leaked to the media. It...

The Information’s 411 — Bez Blows Top

By Tom Dotan · Mar 30, 2018 1:22pm PDT

Priya and Tom talk about their profile of Jeff Blackburn, one of Jeff Bezos' top lieutenants, and his tenure overseeing the embattled Studios division. Priya and Tom talk about their profile of Jeff Blackburn, one of Jeff Bezos' top...

Foreign Investors in China’s Tech Sector Face New Risks

By Fraser Howie · Mar 30, 2018 10:01am PDT · 4 comments

Mention China and technology and two companies probably spring to mind: Alibaba and Tencent. It is hard not to marvel at the seamless integration of consumption, financing, communication and more into one app, or the vast consumer sales that result. But tech companies and investors outside China might be better off looking at the experience of... Mention China and technology and two companies probably spring to mind: Alibaba and Tencent. It...

Photo: Bloomberg

Could Facebook Be Safer If Built Today?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 30, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

As we digest the Cambridge Analytica scandal engulfing Facebook, the prevailing narrative is that the data genie can’t be put back in the bottle. Our data is out there. The internet won’t work without us giving it up. There is nothing to be done but hope regulators compel companies to be on their best behavior. But that simply... As we digest the Cambridge Analytica scandal engulfing Facebook, the prevailing narrative is that...

Jeff Bezos and Jeff Blackburn at the Academy Awards in 2017. Photo: Shutterstock

Amazon’s Other Jeff Under Spotlight at Studios

By Priya Anand and Tom Dotan · Mar 29, 2018 12:49pm PDT · 7 comments

Jeff Bezos and Jeff Blackburn at the Academy Awards in 2017. Photo: Shutterstock

Amazon’s Other Jeff Under Spotlight at Studios

By Priya Anand and Tom Dotan · Mar 29, 2018 12:49pm PDT · 7 comments

After the head of Amazon Studios, Roy Price, resigned in October amid a sexual harassment allegation, Amazon Senior Vice President Jeff Blackburn addressed several hundred Studios staff members at an all-hands meeting in Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome. Mr. Blackburn didn’t elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Price’s exit,... After the head of Amazon Studios, Roy Price, resigned in October amid a sexual harassment...

Photo: AP

AT&T Develops Networking Switch, in Blow to Cisco

By Kevin McLaughlin · Mar 29, 2018 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

AT&T is building a hardware device to move traffic over the network it uses to provide telecom services to its customers, said two people with knowledge of the project, potentially depriving longtime supplier Cisco Systems of millions of dollars in annual sales.The switch project, which hasn’t been previously reported, is part of... AT&T is building a hardware device to move traffic over the network it uses to provide...

McAfee CEO Chris Young. Photo: Bloomberg

Q&A

A Reborn McAfee Faces Tough Competition in Evolving Security Market

By Sarah Kuranda · Mar 28, 2018 10:02am PDT

Ten years ago, McAfee was one of the most recognizable brands in cybersecurity. Now, a year after its spinout from Intel, the company is looking to reclaim its former glory. Under the helm of Chris Young, a former Cisco executive who ran the business when it was a division of Intel and now leads it as CEO, McAfee has taken significant steps to... Ten years ago, McAfee was one of the most recognizable brands in cybersecurity. Now, a year after...

Andrew Bosworth, Facebook vice president of consumer hardware. Photo: AP

Amid Uproar, Facebook Considers Privacy Safeguards for Smart-Home Devices

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 28, 2018 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

As Facebook faces a storm of criticism about how it handles its trove of user data, the company is taking steps to secure users’ information in its first-ever foray into smart-home devices. One of the devices under development, called Portal, would use facial-recognition technology to help set up video calls between friends and family... As Facebook faces a storm of criticism about how it handles its trove of user data, the company...

Meituan founder Wang Xing. Photo: AP

A Chinese Startup’s Big Ambition: Amazon for Services

By Shai Oster and Yunan Zhang · Mar 27, 2018 11:35am PDT · 2 comments

Meituan founder Wang Xing. Photo: AP

The Big Interview

A Chinese Startup’s Big Ambition: Amazon for Services

By Shai Oster and Yunan Zhang · Mar 27, 2018 11:35am PDT · 2 comments

Since Wang Xing founded Meituan as a Groupon clone eight years ago, he has transformed the startup into a one-of-a-kind online services marketplace valued at $30 billion. Now, in his quest to become the next king of China's Internet, he is going head-to-head with China’s biggest and best-funded tech companies, including Alibaba and... Since Wang Xing founded Meituan as a Groupon clone eight years ago, he has transformed the...

Back in Vogue, Tech Lending Funds Cater to Pre-IPO Workers

By Alfred Lee · Mar 27, 2018 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

More Silicon Valley investors are jumping into one of the most obscure niches in private tech finance: lending money to startup employees to profit from the windfall when the companies go public. New employee loan funds are aiming to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, backed by institutional investors, private wealth managers and... More Silicon Valley investors are jumping into one of the most obscure niches in private tech...

Photo: Gareth Halfacree/Flickr

Google, Tesla Get Behind Challenge to Arm Chip Design

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 26, 2018 10:01am PDT · 10 comments

More than 80 tech companies including Google, Qualcomm and Samsung have joined together to develop a new open-source chip design that offers a much cheaper way to build chips for new technologies like autonomous vehicles. If the effort succeeds, it could seriously undercut SoftBank-owned Arm Holdings, which has been trying to extend its... More than 80 tech companies including Google, Qualcomm and Samsung have joined together to...

A Warby Parker store in New York. Photo by Mike Sullivan

Can Warby Parker Sustain Investors’ High Expectations?

By Alfred Lee and Serena Saitto · Mar 26, 2018 7:01am PDT

Warby Parker has become a major e-commerce success story since launching eight years ago. Investors seem to be banking on big growth from the trendy eyewear retailer, judging by a recent fundraising. But revenue figures suggest the company has its work cut out for it if it is going to continue to meet investors’ lofty expectations.The... Warby Parker has become a major e-commerce success story since launching eight years ago....

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Mar 24, 2018 8:04am PDT

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Mar 24, 2018 8:04am PDT

After a week of Facebook scandals, Mark Zuckerberg’s credibility is so damaged that we hear President Trump might consider adding him to his cabinet. After a week of Facebook scandals, Mark Zuckerberg’s credibility is so damaged that we hear...

The Information’s 411 — Ich Bin Ein Facebook Reporter

By Tom Dotan · Mar 23, 2018 3:25pm PDT

Jessica talks about how Facebook's 2007 decision to launch a developer platform led to its current crisis. Serena reflects on her conversation with Shawn Carolan of Menlo Ventures and why it was a rare candid interview in Silicon Valley. Jessica talks about how Facebook's 2007 decision to launch a developer platform led to its...

Photo: AP

Google to Expand Classroom Software to Business Customers

By Kevin McLaughlin · Mar 23, 2018 10:24am PDT · 1 comment

Google has established itself as a force in the education software market through its free Google Classroom app. Now, it is hoping to capitalize on the software’s popularity by offering a reconfigured version to business customers looking to train employees, said two people who have been briefed on the plans. The move could help Google... Google has established itself as a force in the education software market through its free Google...

Photo: Bloomberg.

Facebook and Why the Walled Garden Won

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 23, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

In watching Facebook engulfed in crisis this week, I thought back to where it all began.It was 2007. The social network had gathered 750 developers and reporters in San Francisco to prove to the world it wasn’t MySpace. Its larger nemesis was getting buzz for its “widgets”—applets you could install on your MySpace profile... In watching Facebook engulfed in crisis this week, I thought back to where it all began.It was...

Subscribers Say Tech Industry Should Address Housing Crisis

By Wendy Pollack and Mike Sullivan · Mar 22, 2018 2:35pm PDT · 5 comments

Subscriber Survey

Subscribers Say Tech Industry Should Address Housing Crisis

By Wendy Pollack and Mike Sullivan · Mar 22, 2018 2:35pm PDT · 5 comments

The tech industry has a responsibility to do something about the housing shortage affecting major metropolitan areas, nearly two-thirds of The Information subscribers say. That means taking such steps as investing in affordable housing projects or advocating for zoning changes to make housing easier to build, the survey found.The rapid growth of... The tech industry has a responsibility to do something about the housing shortage affecting major...