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

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AI to Have Greater Impact Than Blockchain, Subscribers Say

By Wendy Pollack · Jun 29, 2018 2:39pm PDT

Artificial intelligence will have a far larger impact on the tech industry than blockchain, 78% of respondents to The Information’s latest subscriber survey said. Respondents generally were skeptical of blockchain’s transformative potential: Only 8% of respondents expected blockchain to have a greater impact on the tech industry.... Artificial intelligence will have a far larger impact on the tech industry than blockchain, 78%...

A Scoot moped. Photo by Scoot

In Scooter Wars, City Ties Might Level Playing Field

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 29, 2018 7:02am PDT · 3 comments

San Francisco officials are expected to decide within weeks which companies will win five coveted slots to operate electric scooters in the city. The more than a dozen contenders include Uber and Lyft, which have recently entered the scooter market, and Bird, Lime and Ofo, three transportation startups with billion-dollar valuations from venture... San Francisco officials are expected to decide within weeks which companies will win five coveted...

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky speaking at an event in San Francisco in February. Photo: AP

Airbnb Promises More Cash for Employees, Plots IPO by 2020

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 28, 2018 11:44am PDT

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told employees Thursday it will pay cash bonuses for the first time in years, a move apparently designed to address growing frustration that the hospitality startup had yet to go public. Mr. Chesky indicated that the company would aim to go public by late 2020, before some employee stock grants expire, a person close to... Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told employees Thursday it will pay cash bonuses for the first time in...

An Uber self-driving car being tested earlier this year. Photo by AP

How Uber’s Self-Driving Car Unit Plans to Move Forward

By Amir Efrati · Jun 28, 2018 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

An Uber self-driving car being tested earlier this year. Photo by AP

How Uber’s Self-Driving Car Unit Plans to Move Forward

By Amir Efrati · Jun 28, 2018 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Uber plans to resume testing self-driving cars by August, in Pittsburgh and possibly San Francisco, said a person familiar with the decision, five months after an Uber car struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz. The testing resumption might dispel questions about whether Uber’s self-driving car effort will recover from the highly... Uber plans to resume testing self-driving cars by August, in Pittsburgh and possibly San...

Peter Chernin, left, with investor Eric Semler at the Allen & Co Sun Valley conference in 2016. Photo by Bloomberg

Chernin Plans New $500 Million-Plus Fund

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 27, 2018 4:13pm PDT

Media mogul Peter Chernin is planning to raise a new media investment fund of more than $500 million, said three people familiar with the situation, giving the media investor more fuel for his digital media engine.Word of the new fund follows a report last week that AT&T planned to buy full ownership of its online video joint venture with... Media mogul Peter Chernin is planning to raise a new media investment fund of more than $500...

Oprah Winfrey, who has agreed to produce shows for Apple. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Eyes Streaming Bundle for TV, Music and News

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 27, 2018 3:58pm PDT

Apple is considering creating a single subscription offering that would encompass its original TV shows, music service and magazine articles, two people familiar with the company’s plans told The Information.Such an ambitious offering would bear some similarity to Amazon’s Prime service, which spans video, music and some news. Yet it... Apple is considering creating a single subscription offering that would encompass its original TV...

Snapchat's app open on an iPhone. Photo: AP

Snap Gaming Platform Coming This Fall

By Tom Dotan and Amir Efrati · Jun 27, 2018 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

In the past few months, Snap has been lightly dipping its toe into the waters of gaming. Later this year, it’s going to take the plunge.The company is preparing to launch a platform this fall that will let outside developers create games to be played through the Snapchat app, according to two people familiar with the matter. It already has... In the past few months, Snap has been lightly dipping its toe into the waters of gaming. Later...

GoJek motorbike riders in Djakarta. Photo by AP

Go-Jek in Talks to Raise $1.5B to Challenge Grab in Southeast Asia

By Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2018 11:00am PDT

GoJek motorbike riders in Djakarta. Photo by AP

Go-Jek in Talks to Raise $1.5B to Challenge Grab in Southeast Asia

By Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2018 11:00am PDT

Three months after Uber’s exit from Southeast Asia, the region’s ride-hailing war is far from over as local startups backed by global tech giants are raising more money to fight against each other.Indonesia’s Go-Jek, whose investors include Tencent and Google, is in talks to raise around $1.5 billion in a new funding round,... Three months after Uber’s exit from Southeast Asia, the region’s ride-hailing war is...

Netflix’s Spending Growth Slows

By Martin Peers · Jun 26, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Netflix might finally be striking the right balance between what it spends on TV programs like “The Crown” and “Stranger Things” and what it makes from subscribers. That’s the first step to generating cash.Last year was the first time since 2014 that Netflix’s cash outlays on shows and movies grew more slowly... Netflix might finally be striking the right balance between what it spends on TV programs like...

FlixBus buses in Munich. Photo by Bloomberg.

Next Target for Startups: Reinventing Bus Travel

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 25, 2018 11:01am PDT · 1 comment

Using technology to transform the taxi industry, bikes and scooters have drawn billions of dollars in venture funding. Now some startup founders are attempting to reinvent another old-school transportation form: buses. But they face an uphill ride.One of the most ambitious is FlixBus, a long-distance bus startup that has raised hundreds of... Using technology to transform the taxi industry, bikes and scooters have drawn billions of...

A woman riding a Bird scooter in San Francisco in April. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Segway-Ninebot Became the Go-To Scooter Maker for Rental Startups

By Yunan Zhang · Jun 25, 2018 7:01am PDT

As electric scooter-rental startups like Bird and Lime battle for market share on American streets, one company is already a winner: Segway-Ninebot, the Beijing-based firm that makes the scooters both companies use.The tech industry’s go-to scooter maker, which first made headlines when it acquired the self-balancing vehicle pioneer Segway... As electric scooter-rental startups like Bird and Lime battle for market share on American...

The Information’s 411 — I Can See for Last Miles and Miles

By Tom Dotan · Jun 22, 2018 3:47pm PDT

The Information’s 411 — I Can See for Last Miles and Miles

By Tom Dotan · Jun 22, 2018 3:47pm PDT

Amir talks about scooter mania and why the scooter-rental startups face a tougher regulatory climate than ride hailing companies did. Then he discusses the debate at Uber about whether equal pay guidelines have hurt its recruiting efforts. Amir talks about scooter mania and why the scooter-rental startups face a tougher regulatory...

Daily Show host Trevor Noah, whose Comedy Central show airs on Philo. Photo by AP.

Sports-Free Streaming Service Philo Raises Money as Competition Heats Up

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Jun 22, 2018 3:10pm PDT

Philo, which launched the first sports-free streaming TV service late last year, is raising a new funding round of between $40 million and $50 million, people familiar with the situation said. The fundraising comes as competition intensifies in the low-price end of the streaming TV market, including from a similar service unveiled this week by... Philo, which launched the first sports-free streaming TV service late last year, is raising a new...

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg

Uber’s Quandary: Attracting Top Talent Without Breaking Equal Pay

By Amir Efrati · Jun 22, 2018 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Uber last year changed how it pays people to try to eliminate the pay gap between men and women. Now some executives are complaining the new system makes it harder to recruit top talent.That has pitted human resources chief Liane Hornsey against many other executives who want to offer some sought-after candidates more money, say people familiar... Uber last year changed how it pays people to try to eliminate the pay gap between men and women....

A Google Home speaker. Photo: AP

Behind JD Deal, a Google Plan to Crack China Through Hardware

By Juro Osawa · Jun 21, 2018 1:28pm PDT · 3 comments

When Google unveiled its $550 million investment in Chinese online retail giant JD.com, the companies described the deal as a global alliance to expand their e-commerce businesses. But behind the scenes, according to a person familiar with the conversations, Google discussed how the link-up would help it launch its sales of consumer gadgets in... When Google unveiled its $550 million investment in Chinese online retail giant JD.com, the...

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish. Photo by AP

Left on Merger Sidelines, Viacom Strikes Netflix Deal

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 21, 2018 7:01am PDT

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish. Photo by AP

Left on Merger Sidelines, Viacom Strikes Netflix Deal

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 21, 2018 7:01am PDT

A frenzy of merger activity has taken over the media sector in the past week, but one company, MTV’s owner Viacom, has been left on the sidelines. Even CBS, which like Viacom is controlled by the Redstone family, rebuffed a merger proposal from Viacom. So Viacom CEO Bob Bakish is trying to revive Viacom’s business by making shows for... A frenzy of merger activity has taken over the media sector in the past week, but one company,...

Matt Zeiler, CEO of Clarifai. Photo: Bloomberg

As Walmart Eyes AI for Stores, Privacy Concerns Rise

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jun 20, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Late last year, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, struck a deal with a small tech startup, Clarifai, to use its artificial intelligence software, a technology that promises to shake up the experience of shopping in stores. Under their agreement, which hasn’t previously been reported, Walmart planned to use Clarifai’s... Late last year, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, struck a deal with a small tech...

Modest Proposals

It’s Time for an American Internet Privacy Framework

By Sam Lessin · Jun 19, 2018 10:02am PDT · 8 comments

In the last several weeks, you likely received a slew of emails from U.S. internet companies updating privacy policies in response to the Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation privacy rules coming into effect.Seeing these updates has left me with a nagging question: Why are all these U.S.-domiciled companies choosing to update their... In the last several weeks, you likely received a slew of emails from U.S. internet companies...

Investigators examined a self-driving Uber vehicle that fatally struck a woman in Tempe, Ariz., in March. Photo: AP

Uber Neglected Simulation Testing on Self-Driving Cars, Insiders Say

By Amir Efrati · Jun 19, 2018 7:02am PDT · 8 comments

When a self-driving car prototype operated by Uber fatally struck a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz., in March, Uber quickly identified the likely cause in software that caused the vehicle to ignore certain objects that its sensors detected. But a further realization dawned on some executives and members of the team: The rush to develop a commercial... When a self-driving car prototype operated by Uber fatally struck a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz.,...

George Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of CrowdStrike. Photo: Bloomberg

As Attacks Rise, Cybersecurity Firms Court Public, Private Markets

By Sarah Kuranda · Jun 18, 2018 12:26pm PDT

George Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of CrowdStrike. Photo: Bloomberg

As Attacks Rise, Cybersecurity Firms Court Public, Private Markets

By Sarah Kuranda · Jun 18, 2018 12:26pm PDT

There are few sectors as exciting to investors these days as cybersecurity, thanks to the never-ending barrage of online attacks on governments, companies and individuals. Now two of the best known cybersecurity startups are seeking to capitalize on that interest with new fundraising moves aimed at the public and private markets.... There are few sectors as exciting to investors these days as cybersecurity, thanks to the...