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

A Juul e-cigarette device. Photo: AP

Juul Soars Despite Investor Discomfort With E-Cigarettes

By Alfred Lee and Cory Weinberg · Jun 18, 2018 7:01am PDT

One of the most valuable consumer products startups in the U.S.—Juul Labs—is a company some investors won’t even touch. Still, enough institutional investors have been impressed by its growth that they agreed to buy shares in the electronic cigarette maker from early shareholders on the secondary market, propelling its... One of the most valuable consumer products startups in the U.S.—Juul Labs—is a...

A bird scooter in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg

One Year in, Bird Founder Sells Some Shares

By Amir Efrati and Alfred Lee · Jun 17, 2018 9:13am PDT · 3 comments

The founder of Bird, a year-old scooter rental service that has attracted $450 million from investors, including Sequoia Capital, already has sold some of his shares, according to people who were briefed on the unusual move. A regulatory filing suggests that the founder, Travis VanderZanden, might have received at least several tens of millions... The founder of Bird, a year-old scooter rental service that has attracted $450 million from...

The Information’s 411 — TV on the Radio

By Tom Dotan · Jun 15, 2018 1:05pm PDT

Jessica Toonkel talks about what the media landscape will look like after ATT won a decisive victory over the DOJ and has officially acquired Time Warner. Priya recaps her interview with the CEO of Poshmark and how it has built up an online fashion marketplace. Jessica Toonkel talks about what the media landscape will look like after ATT won a decisive...

A Waymo car on a test drive. Photo: AP

Apple Ramps Up Self-Driving Car Program With Waymo Hire

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 15, 2018 11:20am PDT · 6 comments

A Waymo car on a test drive. Photo: AP

Apple Ramps Up Self-Driving Car Program With Waymo Hire

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 15, 2018 11:20am PDT · 6 comments

Apple has hired a high-profile senior engineer of Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving vehicle unit, Jaime Waydo, to join the iPhone maker’s own self-driving vehicle project, known as Titan, according to a person briefed about the move.Ms. Waydo’s hiring could elevate the stature of Apple’s self-driving car efforts. It also... Apple has hired a high-profile senior engineer of Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving vehicle...

Airbnb’s China Rival in Talks to Raise $100 Million

By Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Jun 15, 2018 10:02am PDT

One of Airbnb’s major Chinese rivals is in talks with investors to raise about $100 million in a new funding round, people familiar with the matter said. Beijing-based Xiaozhu was valued at $1 billion in its previous round in November when it raised $120 million from investors including Yunfeng Capital, a private equity fund backed by... One of Airbnb’s major Chinese rivals is in talks with investors to raise about $100 million...

FuboTV CEO David Gandler

The Big Interview

For Streaming Sports Upstart, a Potential World Cup Boost

By Matt Pressberg · Jun 15, 2018 7:02am PDT

For soccer fans, the World Cup that kicked off Thursday in Russia is one of the signature events of international sports. For fuboTV, an upstart battling for share in the burgeoning television streaming market, there is no better moment to lure more cord-cutters to join the growing number of subscribers it has in the U.S.FuboTV has launched an... For soccer fans, the World Cup that kicked off Thursday in Russia is one of the signature events...

Zoox co-founders Tim Kentley-Klay (l.) and Jesse Levinson, at The Information's autonomous vehicles summit on Thursday. Photo: Erin Beach for The Information

Autonomous Vehicles Summit

Autonomous Vehicles Should Be Built From Scratch, Says Zoox CEO

By Priya Anand · Jun 14, 2018 1:15pm PDT · 3 comments

Self-driving vehicles are such a radical shift for the transportation industry that it is critical to build new cars from the ground up to take advantage of the technology, the head of Zoox, a startup that is doing just that, said on Thursday. Tim Kentley-Klay, the co-founder and CEO of Zoox, said in an on-stage interview at The... Self-driving vehicles are such a radical shift for the transportation industry that it is...

Cruise co-founder Daniel Kan, speaking at The Information's autonomous vehicles summit in San Francisco on Thursday. Photo: Erin Beach for The Information

Cruise Still Open to Deals With Ride-Share Partners, Investors

By Sarah Kuranda · Jun 14, 2018 11:34am PDT · 1 comment

Cruise co-founder Daniel Kan, speaking at The Information's autonomous vehicles summit in San Francisco on Thursday. Photo: Erin Beach for The Information

Autonomous Vehicles Summit

Cruise Still Open to Deals With Ride-Share Partners, Investors

By Sarah Kuranda · Jun 14, 2018 11:34am PDT · 1 comment

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit of General Motors, is keeping its options open when it comes to partnerships with ride-sharing companies. “Anything is possible,” said Daniel Kan, the company’s co-founder and chief operating officer. “We are constantly looking for partners to [help us] accelerate our timeline. ...We... Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit of General Motors, is keeping its options open when it comes...

HBO CEO Richard Plepler. Photo: AP

With Time Warner Win, AT&T Inherits HBO’s Challenges

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 14, 2018 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

When AT&T shortly takes control of Time Warner, it aims to put a bigger emphasis on direct-to-consumer streaming services that it can promote with its cellular phone offerings. HBO, which operates the HBO Now streaming service, will be key to those plans, said a person familiar with AT&T’s thinking.But to make HBO more competitive... When AT&T shortly takes control of Time Warner, it aims to put a bigger emphasis on...

Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra

The Big Interview

Poshmark Gains on eBay by Going Narrow

By Priya Anand · Jun 13, 2018 10:02am PDT

When he founded Poshmark, Manish Chandra chose not to compete directly with eBay by creating a broad platform for selling everything from cars to toys. Instead, he built a site for buying and selling fashion, demonstrating how niche ecommerce startups can still thrive in the shadow of eBay, the giant online marketplace. In doing so, Mr.... When he founded Poshmark, Manish Chandra chose not to compete directly with eBay by creating a...

Screenshot of Supercell game “Clash Royale.” Photo by throttlelwp44/ Flickr

Tencent’s Deal-Making Image Clouded by Supercell’s Slowdown

By Juro Osawa · Jun 13, 2018 7:00am PDT

Tencent’s 2016 megadeal to buy Supercell cemented the Chinese tech giant’s stature as a global powerhouse in the $100 billion-plus videogame industry. The roughly $8 billion transaction by a Tencent-led group of Chinese investors was a huge bet that the Finnish mobile game maker behind worldwide hit “Clash of Clans” would... Tencent’s 2016 megadeal to buy Supercell cemented the Chinese tech giant’s stature as...

Riders use scooters in San Francisco in April. Photo: Bloomberg

Scooter Mania Continues as ‘Skip’ Nabs $25 Million, ‘Bird’ Goes to China

By Amir Efrati, Cory Weinberg and Yunan Zhang · Jun 12, 2018 6:08pm PDT

Riders use scooters in San Francisco in April. Photo: Bloomberg

Scooter Mania Continues as ‘Skip’ Nabs $25 Million, ‘Bird’ Goes to China

By Amir Efrati, Cory Weinberg and Yunan Zhang · Jun 12, 2018 6:08pm PDT

Electric scooter startups are aggressively seeking to raise money, telling potential investors that restrictions cities have placed on their operations won't impede their long-term growth. So far, Silicon Valley venture capital firms are all in.Skip, a shared electric scooter operator that was founded by the co-creator of “Boosted... Electric scooter startups are aggressively seeking to raise money, telling potential investors...

Tenable CEO Amit Yoran testifying on Capitol Hill in April 2016, when he was president of RSA Security. Photo: AP

Security Firm Tenable Plans IPO in July

By Sarah Kuranda · Jun 12, 2018 4:24pm PDT · 1 comment

Tenable Network Security has filed confidentially for an initial public offering, according to two people with direct knowledge of the filing. Tenable is planning to go public in late July, the people said.The filing, made on Monday, would make Tenable the third major cybersecurity company to go public this year, on the heels of Carbon Black and... Tenable Network Security has filed confidentially for an initial public offering, according to...

The League of Legends World Championship videogame tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2016. Photo: Bloomberg

Esports Audiences Surge, but Better Audience Data Needed for TV Deals

By Matt Pressberg · Jun 12, 2018 7:01am PDT

On Tuesday afternoon, on the sidelines of the E3 games conference, a crowd of fans is expected to flock to a soccer stadium in Los Angeles to watch a group of professional gamers and celebrities competing against each other in Fortnite, the wildly popular online battle game. Many more will watch a livestream of the tournament on the internet.... On Tuesday afternoon, on the sidelines of the E3 games conference, a crowd of fans is expected to...

Elizabeth Moss of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. Photo by AP

Why Hulu’s Heavy Losses Pose Question for Disney and Comcast

By Tom Dotan · Jun 11, 2018 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

What to do with Hulu?That’s one of the most strategic questions facing Disney and Comcast as they battle to win control of 21st Century Fox, a takeover contest likely to ramp up this week. Whichever wins will get control of the service, which has signed up more than 20 million subscribers and is now a serious competitor to Netflix, Amazon... What to do with Hulu?That’s one of the most strategic questions facing Disney and Comcast...

Illustration by Danielle Davis

The Media Deals That Could Follow AT&T Decision

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 10, 2018 1:43pm PDT

Illustration by Danielle Davis

The Media Deals That Could Follow AT&T Decision

By Jessica Toonkel · Jun 10, 2018 1:43pm PDT

The pace of deal making in the media sector is expected to accelerate this week, as a court decision on whether AT&T can buy Time Warner clarifies the regulatory environment. Media companies are desperate to get bigger so they can better compete with tech giants like Netflix, Facebook and Google. And tech firms, such as Apple, are also seen... The pace of deal making in the media sector is expected to accelerate this week, as a court...

The Information’s 411 — You’re So Vein

By Tom Dotan · Jun 8, 2018 4:02pm PDT

Tom interviews John Carreyrou about his new book Bad Blood, an expose of Elizabeth Holmes and her blood testing startup Theranos. Tom interviews John Carreyrou about his new book Bad Blood, an expose of Elizabeth Holmes and her...

Forrest Norrod.

The Big Interview

Intel’s Manufacturing Glitch Opens Door for AMD

By Aaron Tilley · Jun 8, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Advanced Micro Devices’ battle with chip giant Intel has often seemed like a gnat fighting an elephant, with AMD struggling in recent years to gain even a tenth of the market for the chips that power PCs and data center servers. Forrest Norrod, a senior executive who joined AMD four years ago, says the company suffered from “little... Advanced Micro Devices’ battle with chip giant Intel has often seemed like a gnat fighting...

A Tesla Model S sedan in Autopilot mode crashed into a fire department mechanic truck in South Jordan, Utah, last month. Photo: AP

When High-Tech Cars Crash, Software Clues Are Elusive

By Reed Albergotti · Jun 7, 2018 7:01am PDT

Many new cars on the roads nowadays have sophisticated safety features that allow cars to steer and accelerate on their own. But when the cars crash, only the automakers know how those safety features performed. Crash investigators are often left guessing.That’s because the information isn’t recorded in most cars’ event data... Many new cars on the roads nowadays have sophisticated safety features that allow cars to steer...

Harald Wester. Photo by Dennis van Tine/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images)

Why Waymo’s Best Friend Doesn’t Always Agree With Waymo

By Amir Efrati · Jun 6, 2018 11:23am PDT

Harald Wester. Photo by Dennis van Tine/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images)

Q&A

Why Waymo’s Best Friend Doesn’t Always Agree With Waymo

By Amir Efrati · Jun 6, 2018 11:23am PDT

Fiat Chrysler stands out as the first automaker to agree to supply cars to self-driving car developers in Silicon Valley in its deal with Waymo. But in an interview with The Information, Fiat Chrysler chief technical officer Harald Wester made clear Fiat Chrysler disagrees with its partner on some key subjects, including whether Waymo will be... Fiat Chrysler stands out as the first automaker to agree to supply cars to self-driving car...