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

Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield at the DLD conference in Berlin in 2017. Photo: AP

Slack’s Financials Ahead of Listing Plans

By Zoë Bernard and Alfred Lee · Jan 15, 2019 10:16am PST

The news that Slack wants to go public through a highly unconventional direct listing, in which it doesn’t sell new shares to raise money, has come as a surprise to some. But the messaging startup has built a strong enough cash position to pull it off, according to financial documents viewed by The Information and a person familiar with... The news that Slack wants to go public through a highly unconventional direct listing, in which...

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Photo by Bloomberg.

To Stream or Not: How Comcast’s Wavering on Streaming Left an Opening for Netflix

By Jessica Toonkel · Jan 15, 2019 7:01am PST

Last January, at drinks before an offsite for NBCUniversal’s digital executives in New York City, someone asked NBCU CEO Steve Burke when the Comcast-owned entertainment company was going to launch a service to compete with Netflix, according to a person who was there.Mr. Burke went through an analysis of how much it would cost to compete... Last January, at drinks before an offsite for NBCUniversal’s digital executives in New York...

Photo: Katerra

SoftBank Plans Another Big Investment in Construction Startup

By Cory Weinberg and Alfred Lee · Jan 14, 2019 7:26pm PST

SoftBank’s Vision Fund plans to double down on Katerra, a startup run by electronics industry veterans trying to build apartments and hotels faster and cheaper than traditional construction firms. The massive fund is expected to lead a $700 million round of financing that would value Katerra at more than $4 billion, up slightly from its... SoftBank’s Vision Fund plans to double down on Katerra, a startup run by electronics...

Didi Reshuffles Amid Domestic Pressure

By Yunan Zhang · Jan 14, 2019 10:01am PST

Didi Reshuffles Amid Domestic Pressure

By Yunan Zhang · Jan 14, 2019 10:01am PST

Didi Chuxing is restructuring for the second time in a year, placing new emphasis on safety and user experience to jump-start domestic growth in its ride-hailing business.The management changes, which include a new chief safety officer and a new chief customer officer, come after two passengers were killed in separate incidents in China last... Didi Chuxing is restructuring for the second time in a year, placing new emphasis on safety and...

Jeffrey Katzenberg. Photo by Bloomberg

Katzenberg’s Quibi Faces Quandary: Meeting Ambitious Content Goal

By Beejoli Shah · Jan 14, 2019 7:01am PST

With his new mobile video startup Quibi, veteran Hollywood executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is trying to turn short videos for mobile phones into can’t-miss programming. He has promised to stack Quibi with 5,000 10-minute episodes of various movies or TV shows within its first year of launch. But at a time when there’s no shortage of... With his new mobile video startup Quibi, veteran Hollywood executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is trying...

The Information’s Books to Get Ahead in 2019

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 12, 2019 8:21am PST · 1 comment

This time of year, recommended reading lists abound. But if there is one thing we know about The Information subscribers, it’s that you are curious, smart and always looking to expand your knowledge. So we pulled together a list of books that you told us you love, spanning categories from tech to self-improvement to yes, even fiction!... This time of year, recommended reading lists abound. But if there is one thing we know about The...

Jobs@TheInformation

puts “Hi Information Engineering, I’m #{name}”

By The Information Staff · Jan 11, 2019 4:37pm PST · 1 comment

The Information is looking for a passionate, product-oriented engineer to join our growing engineering team in San Francisco.About UsThe Information is a San Francisco-based business publication known for original, in-depth reporting about the technology industry. We're the go-to daily read for the most important people in technology and... The Information is looking for a passionate, product-oriented engineer to join our growing...

The Information’s 411 — Turning a CE-No Into a CE-Yes

By Tom Dotan · Jan 11, 2019 3:32pm PST

The Information’s 411 — Turning a CE-No Into a CE-Yes

By Tom Dotan · Jan 11, 2019 3:32pm PST

Cory returns from Vegas to give his take on the latest hardware trends at CES. Kevin talks about Amazon's plans to launch a game streaming service. Cory returns from Vegas to give his take on the latest hardware trends at CES. Kevin talks about...

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish. Photo by Bloomberg

Viacom Looks to Buy Ad-Supported Streaming Service

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Jan 11, 2019 12:52pm PST

Nearly every major media company in recent years has launched video streaming services that cost viewers a few dollars a month and don't carry ads, looking to compete with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Viacom, owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, wants to expand in a different part of the market—free, ad-supported streaming video.Viacom in... Nearly every major media company in recent years has launched video streaming services that cost...

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech’s Next Big Battle: Protecting Immunity From Content Lawsuits

By Ashley Gold · Jan 11, 2019 10:02am PST · 11 comments

One of the more controversial legal protections internet companies like Facebook and Google receive—not being liable for offensive or illegal content posted by users on their services—faces a growing challenge in Washington, prompting intensifying lobbying on both sides of the issue.While the privacy of consumer data held by tech... One of the more controversial legal protections internet companies like Facebook and Google...

An attendee trying out the Mercedes Benz multimedia system at CES this week. Photo by Bloomberg

At CES, New Questions Emerge as Self-Driving Ambitions Narrow

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 11, 2019 7:02am PST · 2 comments

Executives from self-driving carmakers and software companies who gathered this week at CES, the giant annual electronics show in Las Vegas, appeared to agree on at least one thing: It’s time to lower expectations about autonomous vehicles.In the aftermath of a deadly accident last year involving a car in Uber’s self-driving fleet,... Executives from self-driving carmakers and software companies who gathered this week at CES, the...

An Amazon game controller. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Developing Game Streaming Service

By Jessica Toonkel and Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 10, 2019 10:48am PST · 5 comments

An Amazon game controller. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Developing Game Streaming Service

By Jessica Toonkel and Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 10, 2019 10:48am PST · 5 comments

Amazon is developing a service for streaming videogames over the internet, joining Microsoft, Google and other companies that are building similar offerings in what could be an important new battleground in online entertainment, two people briefed on the plans said. Streaming services represent a potentially significant shift in the... Amazon is developing a service for streaming videogames over the internet, joining Microsoft,...

A 5G Smartphone Revival? Not So Fast

By Aaron Tilley · Jan 10, 2019 7:02am PST · 1 comment

The increasing price tags on smartphones is often blamed for the stagnation in sales of the devices. Unfortunately, the next big thing in smartphones—super-fast 5G wireless networks—isn’t likely to make the devices any cheaper.Optimism abounds in the wireless industry that 5G will spark sales growth by giving smartphone users... The increasing price tags on smartphones is often blamed for the stagnation in sales of the...

Crypto Newsletter

Equity Closes In on Tokens

By Jon Victor · Jan 9, 2019 12:40pm PST

New Year's greetings to everyone. I got back from a trip to Japan last week to find slogans like “Crypto Without Chaos” and “Revolutions Need Rules” plastered across New York City subway cars and on yellow cabs—part of an extensive new marketing campaign by the exchange Gemini to portray itself as the adult in... New Year's greetings to everyone. I got back from a trip to Japan last week to find slogans...

Photo by Shutterstock.com

Social Media Backlash Leaves Pinterest Vulnerable

By Alfred Lee · Jan 9, 2019 7:01am PST · 6 comments

A big question hanging over the tech industry is how this year’s hotly anticipated IPOs will perform in the face of a tumultuous stock market. Among the expected major public offerings, one stands out as particularly vulnerable to recent market swings: Pinterest. Given the big stock slides of fellow social media companies Facebook, Twitter... A big question hanging over the tech industry is how this year’s hotly anticipated IPOs...

Shari Redstone. Photo by Bloomberg

As CBS Board Eyes Future, Viacom Merger May Arise Again

By Jessica Toonkel · Jan 8, 2019 10:00am PST

Shari Redstone. Photo by Bloomberg

As CBS Board Eyes Future, Viacom Merger May Arise Again

By Jessica Toonkel · Jan 8, 2019 10:00am PST

In the next several weeks, CBS’s board is expected to discuss potential candidates to succeed ousted CEO Les Moonves. It is also going to consider whether to restart talks to merge with Viacom, which like CBS is controlled by media mogul Shari Redstone, according to three people familiar with the situation. While the merger talks were... In the next several weeks, CBS’s board is expected to discuss potential candidates to...

Go-Jek motorcycle taxi drivers and passengers travel through traffic in Jakarta. Photo: Bloomberg

Go-Jek to Buy Stake in JD.com’s Indonesian E-Commerce Business

By Juro Osawa · Jan 8, 2019 7:00am PST

Chinese online retail giant JD.com is trying to expand its business in Indonesia by deepening its alliance with local startup Go-Jek. Go-Jek, whose app offers ride-hailing, food delivery and other services, plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in JD.com’s Indonesian e-commerce joint venture, a person familiar with the matter... Chinese online retail giant JD.com is trying to expand its business in Indonesia by deepening its...

An Uber pickup zone at a shopping mall in Maryland. Photo by AP

Uber’s Confidential Documents Show Path to $90 Billion IPO

By Amir Efrati · Jan 7, 2019 7:01am PST · 3 comments

When Wall Street banks last fall were pitching to take Uber public, some suggested the ride-hailing giant could hit the public market with a valuation of $120 billion. But given how much valuations have fallen with the stock market slump in recent weeks, Uber is more likely to fetch a valuation of a little less than $90 billion. That still would... When Wall Street banks last fall were pitching to take Uber public, some suggested the...

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg

What We Learned From Uber’s Confidential 2018 Offering Documents

By Amir Efrati · Jan 7, 2019 7:01am PST

Confidential documents provided by Uber to potential creditors and bond investors in March and October of 2018 provide insights into how the company will tell its story to public market investors ahead of its IPO this year.While the detailed financial projections look rosy (see related article here), there are both good and bad signals... Confidential documents provided by Uber to potential creditors and bond investors in March and...

The Information’s 411 — A Bruised Apple

By Priya Anand · Jan 4, 2019 4:29pm PST

The Information’s 411 — A Bruised Apple

By Priya Anand · Jan 4, 2019 4:29pm PST

Aaron dissects Apple's warning that its first-quarter results will be lower than it expected. Priya discusses the hopes and prospects of the online grocery delivery startup Good Eggs against larger competitors. Aaron dissects Apple's warning that its first-quarter results will be lower than it...