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 People to Watch Inside Disney’s Video Streaming Group

By Tom Dotan and Beejoli Shah · Jan 28, 2019 11:34am PST

Walt Disney Co.’s ambitious plans to reinvent itself for the streaming era has brought with it an equally ambitious rethinking of how the company runs.At the heart of the changes is the newly created direct-to-consumer and international division, which will house Disney’s new streaming services—ESPN+, which has already... Walt Disney Co.’s ambitious plans to reinvent itself for the streaming era has brought with...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Art by Mike Sullivan

Amazon Changes Tack on Video Offering, as Apple Joins Market

By Jessica Toonkel · Jan 28, 2019 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Amazon looked intent on becoming a powerful player in the streaming video market by allowing people to sign up for a wide variety of services through their Prime Video accounts—so much so that Apple, Roku and potentially Facebook are now copying the company’s approach. But even as competition increases, Amazon is scaling back its... Amazon looked intent on becoming a powerful player in the streaming video market by allowing...

Tech Playing Defense at Davos

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 26, 2019 6:30pm PST

Towards the end of 2018, as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Tesla and others were trying to put major scandals behind them, tech executives started talking privately about setting a new tone in 2019. This was the year companies would start talking about great new products and innovation again, going on the offensive rather than the defensive. If so,... Towards the end of 2018, as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Tesla and others were trying to put major...

The Information’s 411 — All That Jass

By Tom Dotan · Jan 25, 2019 2:05pm PST

The Information’s 411 — All That Jass

By Tom Dotan · Jan 25, 2019 2:05pm PST

Kevin talks about his profile of AWS's CEO Andy Jassy. Kevin talks about his profile of AWS's CEO Andy Jassy.

Retrieving a package from an Amazon locker. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon Exploring New Programs to Improve Deliveries

By Priya Anand and Aaron Tilley · Jan 25, 2019 7:02am PST · 3 comments

First, Amazon asked homeowners to let delivery drivers drop packages inside their homes while they were gone. Now it has a plan to get them to shop more by locking up orders outside their houses—and tossing in free Alexa devices.Amazon has been quietly working with apartment buildings on a bundle of services to attract new customers and... First, Amazon asked homeowners to let delivery drivers drop packages inside their homes while...

McAfee CEO Chris Young. Photo by Bloomberg

McAfee Lays Off Hundreds, Senior Executives Depart

By Sarah Kuranda · Jan 24, 2019 11:03am PST

McAfee has laid off around 200 employees in the past two weeks, about 4% of its workforce, and eliminated hundreds more open positions, several people familiar with the matter said. At the same time, several senior sales executives, including Bill McAlister, senior vice president of sales for the Americas, have left.The job cuts are the latest... McAfee has laid off around 200 employees in the past two weeks, about 4% of its workforce, and...

Time Warner's then CEO Jeff Bewkes, in the foreground, with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson at a congressional hearing in December 2016. Photo by Bloomberg

How Time Warner Shareholders Lost M&A’s Game of Thrones

By Martin Peers · Jan 24, 2019 10:01am PST · 1 comment

When big company mergers go south, it’s usually the buyer who has regrets. But in the case of AT&T’s $81 billion purchase of Time Warner, it is the sellers who are now likely to be feeling remorseful.Time Warner shareholders received a price for their stock 6.5% below what was announced, thanks to a blunder made by Time Warner... When big company mergers go south, it’s usually the buyer who has regrets. But in the case...

Scooters’ Worst Enemies: Wintry Weather, Vandals

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 24, 2019 7:01am PST · 2 comments

Scooters’ Worst Enemies: Wintry Weather, Vandals

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 24, 2019 7:01am PST · 2 comments

The two leaders in electric scooter rentals, Bird and Lime, saw significant declines in ridership in November and December—the first wintry months they’ve had to navigate with large fleets, new data show. The drops put a year-end chill on months of rapid expansion and showed how seasonal the scooter business is likely to be, which... The two leaders in electric scooter rentals, Bird and Lime, saw significant declines in ridership...

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

TZero Hopes for Liftoff

By Jon Victor · Jan 23, 2019 1:05pm PST

Ethereum developers are regrouping this week after researchers discovered a security flaw in the code of a planned upgrade. The long-awaited fork, known as “Constantinople,” will now take place in late February. While the discovery of the vulnerability raised alarms, it highlights the role of a new type of business that cropped up... Ethereum developers are regrouping this week after researchers discovered a security flaw in the...

Photo by Bloomberg; photo illustration by Mike Sullivan

Amazon’s Cloud King: Inside the World of Andy Jassy

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 23, 2019 7:02am PST · 1 comment

In 2017, Luke Larson was in the middle of dinner with nearly a dozen Microsoft officials at El Gaucho, a steak restaurant in Seattle, when he received an awkward visit at the table from Andy Jassy, the chief executive officer of Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing arm of the internet retailer. A year earlier, Mr. Larson’s company,... In 2017, Luke Larson was in the middle of dinner with nearly a dozen Microsoft officials at El...

Startups Embroiled in Debate Over Ethics of Facial Recognition

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 22, 2019 10:02am PST

The controversy that swept up leading tech companies last year over whether facial recognition software is accurate enough to be sold to law enforcement agencies shows no signs of abating. Last week, a group of Amazon shareholders demanded that it stop selling the technology to police, and pushed for a vote on the matter at the company’s... The controversy that swept up leading tech companies last year over whether facial recognition...

Washington state senator Reuven Carlyle sponsored a new data privacy bill introduced last week. Photo by the Washington State Legislature

A Surge of States Take on Data Privacy as Congress Stalls

By Ashley Gold and Sarah Kuranda · Jan 22, 2019 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Washington state senator Reuven Carlyle sponsored a new data privacy bill introduced last week. Photo by the Washington State Legislature

A Surge of States Take on Data Privacy as Congress Stalls

By Ashley Gold and Sarah Kuranda · Jan 22, 2019 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Last June, the technology industry cringed as California’s legislature passed a new data privacy law that will give residents more control over how their personal data is used by Facebook, Google and other big companies. Now it is bracing for a wave of action by other states, at least eight of which are considering similar data privacy... Last June, the technology industry cringed as California’s legislature passed a new data...

Modest Proposals

How Political Content Fills the Void Left by Micro-Targeting

By Sam Lessin · Jan 21, 2019 7:00am PST · 6 comments

What if in the near future inequality continues to rise and the most valuable reason to advertise to many people becomes to seek their votes rather than their dollars?This was the fascinating question that my friend and collaborator Andrew Kortina posed over dinner recently, and I think it is an important question to consider seriously. What if in the near future inequality continues to rise and the most valuable reason to advertise...

Has Subscription Media Peaked?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 19, 2019 1:36pm PST · 5 comments

For someone with a keen interest—ok, obsession—with media business models, I can’t help but notice an interesting trend: Free ad-supported media is back in vogue.Tom and Jessica wrote about a slew of new ad-supported video services Friday, including Pluto TV, which Viacom is in talks to acquire for $300 million to $500 million,... For someone with a keen interest—ok, obsession—with media business models, I...

The Information’s 411 — Quibis and Bits

By Tom Dotan · Jan 18, 2019 3:32pm PST

Beejoli talks about whether Hollywood is on board with Jeffrey Katzenberg's new streaming service. Zoë gives her take on Slack and its finances as the company prepares to go public. Beejoli talks about whether Hollywood is on board with Jeffrey Katzenberg's new streaming...

Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Free TV With Ads Is Digital Media’s Old New Idea

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Jan 18, 2019 7:01am PST · 5 comments

Illustration by Mike Sullivan

Free TV With Ads Is Digital Media’s Old New Idea

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Jan 18, 2019 7:01am PST · 5 comments

Two years ago, streaming-device maker Roku circulated a presentation to partners that showed a school of fish swimming toward an area marked “subscription.” Meanwhile, a lone fish labeled “Roku” was heading away from the group toward an area called “advertising.” The implication: Roku was swimming against the... Two years ago, streaming-device maker Roku circulated a presentation to partners that showed a...

Chris Williams. Photo by pocket.watch.

Q&A

Pocket.watch Rides Wave of Demand for Kids’ Content

By Beejoli Shah · Jan 17, 2019 10:02am PST · 1 comment

The explosion in demand for TV shows driven by streaming services is lifting all boats, but one genre may be rising more than most: children’s programming. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Disney’s upcoming streaming service are all ordering more kids shows or movies. Among the beneficiaries are some little-known startups that are... The explosion in demand for TV shows driven by streaming services is lifting all boats, but one...

‘Non-Amazon’ Online Retail Strategies Attract Venture Funding

By Priya Anand · Jan 17, 2019 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Amazon may be the Goliath of online retail. But venture capitalists last year poured more money into startups that are hoping to carve out niches in areas where they feel they can build businesses around the e-commerce giant’s edges, data show.U.S. venture capitalists put about $5 billion into internet retail startups last year, according... Amazon may be the Goliath of online retail. But venture capitalists last year poured more money...

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

Trump Administration Gets Involved on Crypto

By Jon Victor · Jan 16, 2019 12:31pm PST

The government shutdown continues, stymieing developments in crypto that require regulators’ approval. Bakkt’s platform for bitcoin futures trading, which was set to launch next week, is being held back by the furlough at the CFTC. There is a silver lining for some crypto market participants, however: A lawyer tells me the shutdown... The government shutdown continues, stymieing developments in crypto that require...

Photos by Bloomberg. Photo illustration by Mike Sullivan.

Apple, Facebook Messaging Rivalry Hints at Intensifying Services Battle

By Sarah Kuranda · Jan 16, 2019 7:01am PST · 8 comments

Photos by Bloomberg. Photo illustration by Mike Sullivan.

Apple, Facebook Messaging Rivalry Hints at Intensifying Services Battle

By Sarah Kuranda · Jan 16, 2019 7:01am PST · 8 comments

Publicly, Apple and Facebook have brawled over privacy issues, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg trading high-profile barbs over the past year. But behind the scenes the two companies are fighting what may be a more consequential battle for leadership in messaging, vying for customers’ attention and loyalty through... Publicly, Apple and Facebook have brawled over privacy issues, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and...