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 Athletic's Alex Mather with The Information's Jessica Lessin.

Why The Athletic’s Mather Won’t Join a Subscription Bundle

By Tom Dotan · Nov 8, 2018 2:59pm PST · 4 comments

The co-founder of fast-growing, subscription-sport news site The Athletic expects companies, such as Apple and Medium, to start offering discounted bundles of subscription news sites. But he thinks it’s a mistake for a publication to join. In an interview with The Information, Alex Mather, whose company recently raised $40 million at... The co-founder of fast-growing, subscription-sport news site The Athletic expects companies, such...

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang. Photo by Juro Osawa

The Big Interview

How Alibaba’s New Chief Will Navigate Tougher Times

By Juro Osawa · Nov 8, 2018 2:00pm PST

Jack Ma, China’s most famous billionaire, embraced the limelight with stunts like dancing in a costume to Michael Jackson before a stadium full of employees. On the other hand, Daniel Zhang, the former accountant who will replace Mr. Ma next September as the executive chairman of Alibaba, is practically anonymous. “I enjoy walking on... Jack Ma, China’s most famous billionaire, embraced the limelight with stunts like dancing...

Private Tech Surge Fuels Unicorn Stock Indexes

By Alfred Lee · Nov 8, 2018 7:02am PST

Private tech stocks have hit dizzying highs in recent years, but access to hot deals is often limited to an exclusive club. To meet widening demand from investors, some financial firms are creating ways to bet on fast-growing tech companies that aren’t traded on public markets.At least two indexes are being developed that track the shares... Private tech stocks have hit dizzying highs in recent years, but access to hot deals is often...

Mike Sullivan

Circle CEO Says Midterms Could Be Bad for Crypto

By Jon Victor · Nov 7, 2018 2:33pm PST

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

Circle CEO Says Midterms Could Be Bad for Crypto

By Jon Victor · Nov 7, 2018 2:33pm PST

One thing I’ve learned since I started covering this beat is that there is always a blockchain angle—always. So last night, as America waited to see whether the Democrats would flip Congress, we were keeping tabs on a different race: blockchain advocate Jared Polis’ bid for Colorado governor. Mr. Polis, a Democrat who ran... One thing I’ve learned since I started covering this beat is that there is always a...

From Data Centers to AI, a Spending Surge at Big Tech Companies

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 7, 2018 7:02am PST · 2 comments

Spending on data centers, the computers needed to run them and undersea internet cables were among the investments contributing to a dramatic surge in capital expenditures this year by some of the biggest technology companies. Facebook and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, boosted their capital expenditures the most of any of their peers,... Spending on data centers, the computers needed to run them and undersea internet cables were...

SoftBank in Talks to Invest in Alibaba-Backed Bike Sharing Startup Hellobike

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Nov 7, 2018 3:11am PST

SoftBank is in talks to invest in Chinese bicycle-rental startup Hellobike, at a time when the market is going through a potential shakeup, people familiar with the matter said. The talks are ongoing and the companies haven’t reached an agreement yet, the people said. It is unclear how big an investment would be and at what valuation.... SoftBank is in talks to invest in Chinese bicycle-rental startup Hellobike, at a time when the...

Credit: Erin Beach.

Watch Our New Docuseries PRESSED

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 6, 2018 1:09pm PST

I'm thrilled to share that our new video series PRESSED is available for your viewing pleasure at www.theinformation.com/pressed starting today. PRESSED, which consists of five episodes of around 10 minutes each, follows five journalism startups in their quest to build new news outlets at a time when many people believe quality... I'm thrilled to share that our new video series PRESSED is available for your viewing...

Monashees co-founder Eric Acher. Photo by Bloomberg

Brazilian VC Fundraising Shows Global Shift

By Juro Osawa · Nov 6, 2018 10:01am PST

Monashees co-founder Eric Acher. Photo by Bloomberg

Brazilian VC Fundraising Shows Global Shift

By Juro Osawa · Nov 6, 2018 10:01am PST

Monashees, Brazil’s largest venture capital firm, has raised a new $150 million fund from major U.S. and Asian institutional investors as well as Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger, people familiar with the matter said. The second-biggest VC fund ever to be raised in Latin America reflects a rapidly shifting landscape in the region’s... Monashees, Brazil’s largest venture capital firm, has raised a new $150 million fund from...

Homeless people on the sidewalk in San Francisco's Mission District earlier this year. Photo: AP

Tech Firms Face Reckoning Over Homelessness Crisis

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 6, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments

After officials in the San Francisco mayor’s office launched a new fund three years ago to attract corporate donations for low-income housing, they spent months trying to convince the region’s largest tech firms including Alphabet to contribute tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, two people familiar with the matter said. The... After officials in the San Francisco mayor’s office launched a new fund three years ago to...

A voter registration table in Wisconsin in August. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon’s Next Business: Keeping Elections Secure

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 5, 2018 10:02am PST

As millions of voters will be reminded on Tuesday, U.S. elections are run largely on old technology from before the internet age that is vulnerable to hacking. Sensing an opportunity, Amazon this year has ramped up efforts to sell cities and political organizations on election-related software and services, in areas like cybersecurity and voter... As millions of voters will be reminded on Tuesday, U.S. elections are run largely on old...

Elon Musk at a 2015 event. Photo by Bloomberg

What Makes Tesla’s Autopilot Different

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2018 7:00am PST

As Elon Musk works to prove that he can make Tesla profitable and his Autopilot feature safe, it’s worth understanding the difference in how Tesla is developing self-driving car technology versus other companies.These differences relate in part to a potential advantage that Tesla has over other self-driving car developers: It has sold... As Elon Musk works to prove that he can make Tesla profitable and his Autopilot feature safe,...

Sources: Tesla internal organizational chart; The Information reporting

The 200 People Behind Tesla Autopilot

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2018 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Sources: Tesla internal organizational chart; The Information reporting

The 200 People Behind Tesla Autopilot

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2018 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Elon Musk meets every week with senior managers overseeing the engineers behind Tesla’s Autopilot, the company’s semi-automated highway driving feature. Often he calls into the meeting while driving his Model S Tesla, using Autopilot, said one participant. And it’s not just to save time. Mr. Musk is testing updates to the... Elon Musk meets every week with senior managers overseeing the engineers behind Tesla’s...

Don’t Give Up on Snap

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 3, 2018 3:37pm PDT · 1 comment

It’s been a tough two weeks for Snap, following a tough year. Even two solid executive hires couldn’t overshadow this week’s earnings report—which warned its daily audience will continue to shrink. The company’s stock reached an all-time low below $6 a share this week and has lost half its market value this year.... It’s been a tough two weeks for Snap, following a tough year. Even two solid executive...

The Information’s 411 — The Feds Aren’t Coming

By Tom Dotan · Nov 2, 2018 3:37pm PDT

Matt Drange talks about why the Northern District US Attorney's office hasn't been bringing many cases against Silicon Valley firms. Priya explains how Amazon tells workers to deal with questions about Trump. Matt Drange talks about why the Northern District US Attorney's office hasn't been...

MPAA president Charles Rivkin. Photo by Bloomberg

Facing Budget Shortfall, Movie Lobby Group Eyes Tech Firms

By Jessica Toonkel and Wayne Ma · Nov 2, 2018 10:01am PDT

Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox movie studio is causing upheaval throughout Hollywood by combining two of the six major film studios. A casualty is the film industry’s 96-year-old Washington lobbying group, the Motion Picture Association of America, which is losing one-sixth of its membership. And that is crystallizing a... Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox movie studio is causing upheaval throughout...

President Donald Trump, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House event last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Memo Lists Trump Dos and Don’ts

By Priya Anand · Nov 2, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

President Donald Trump, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House event last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Memo Lists Trump Dos and Don’ts

By Priya Anand · Nov 2, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

President Donald Trump has attacked Amazon or its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter almost two dozen times over the past three years, often inaccurately accusing Amazon of using the Washington Post, which Mr. Bezos personally owns, as a lobbying arm. Invariably, Amazon’s official response to the attacks: crickets. It turns out Amazon has a... President Donald Trump has attacked Amazon or its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter almost two dozen...

Primary school students in China doing homework
Photo: AP

Tencent-Backed Startup’s Valuation Tops $2.8 Billion in China’s Online Education War

By Yunan Zhang · Nov 2, 2018 3:01am PDT · 1 comment

Tencent is investing a further $250 million in online education startup Yuanfudao at a valuation of $2.8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.As online education services have become more widely accepted in China, local internet giants and other global tech investors are all doubling down on the sector’s leading players.... Tencent is investing a further $250 million in online education startup Yuanfudao at a valuation...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Scientists and Silicon Valley to Mingle at Breakthrough Prizes

By Sarah Kuranda, Aaron Tilley and Nick Wingfield · Nov 1, 2018 10:01am PDT

Discoveries that could help with the development of powerful new computers and cancer therapies will be among the achievements recognized Sunday night at a ceremony for the 2019 Breakthrough Prizes, an event that styles itself as the “Oscars for science.” The event Sunday night will be the seventh for the Breakthrough Prizes, which... Discoveries that could help with the development of powerful new computers and cancer therapies...

Reddit COO Jen Wong.

Q&A

Reddit’s Plan for Growth

By Tom Dotan · Nov 1, 2018 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Reddit Chief Operating Officer Jen Wong has only been at the company for six months, but she has big ambitions for its ad business. In an interview with The Information, the former Time Inc. COO says Reddit should be able to build an ad business that’s “comparable” to social media networks Twitter, Snap and Pinterest.... Reddit Chief Operating Officer Jen Wong has only been at the company for six months, but she has...

Mike Sullivan

States Exploring Blockchain Voting

By Jon Victor · Oct 31, 2018 12:25pm PDT

Mike Sullivan

Crypto Newsletter

States Exploring Blockchain Voting

By Jon Victor · Oct 31, 2018 12:25pm PDT

Happy 10th birthday to bitcoin, and Happy Halloween. This is a spooky one for Coinbase competitors, as the company announced Tuesday that it raised $300 million in new funding. Also, if you come across any creative crypto-themed costumes, please send photos my way. (But please, no bitcoin price charts. That’s low-hanging fruit.)In honor of... Happy 10th birthday to bitcoin, and Happy Halloween. This is a spooky one for Coinbase...