The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

The Information’s 411 — Google’s Apartment Plex

By Tom Dotan · Mar 2, 2018 1:31pm PST

Cory talks about Google's efforts to build housing in the San Francisco Bay Area as it grows like a weed. Tom explains how Handy survived the gig economy startup die-off of 2015 and turned into a profitable business. Cory talks about Google's efforts to build housing in the San Francisco Bay Area as it grows...

Conference Call Transcript

Tetras, Circle Executives Discuss State of Crypto Market

By The Information Staff · Mar 2, 2018 10:01am PST · 1 comment

The cryptocurrency market has been changing at breakneck speed, and we aren’t just talking about the highs and lows of bitcoin prices. In just a few short months, the sector has seen an influx of new technology, types of investors and startups. Signs of consolidation among firms in the fragmented market are emerging: On Monday digital... The cryptocurrency market has been changing at breakneck speed, and we aren’t just talking...

Disney CEO Robert Iger with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple executive Eddy Cue at Sun Valley in 2016. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Tech Company Most (and Least) Likely to Buy a Media Company

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 2, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments

Scuttlebutt around which Silicon Valley tech giant will be the first to buy a big media company is heating up again. The lion's share of this speculation comes from media executives, who would be all too keen to sell for the right price. Tech companies will be able to pay far more for content than media companies can, and it’s only a... Scuttlebutt around which Silicon Valley tech giant will be the first to buy a big media company...

Union Fears Could Curtail Construction Startup Prospects

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 1, 2018 12:17pm PST · 3 comments

Union Fears Could Curtail Construction Startup Prospects

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 1, 2018 12:17pm PST · 3 comments

Here’s the next battleground over tech’s impact on jobs: building sites.New startups aiming to automate home construction, such as SoftBank-backed Katerra, are setting off alarm bells among labor unions in the construction industry. Worried about the potential impact on jobs and wages, unions are jostling to try to block developments... Here’s the next battleground over tech’s impact on jobs: building sites.New startups...

An iPic theater in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by JoVe DX/ Flickr

The Outlier Movie Theater Chain That Buddied Up to Netflix

By Matt Pressberg · Mar 1, 2018 7:01am PST

Most movie theater chains have refused to show movies made by Netflix, seeing it as a competitor. But not iPic Entertainment, which struck a deal with Netflix to show its films “Beasts of No Nation” and “Mudbound” in its theaters. For iPic, the films were just a way to get customers in the door so they can partake... Most movie theater chains have refused to show movies made by Netflix, seeing it as a competitor....

Google's Mountain View campus. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Talks to Katerra, Other Startups for On-Campus Apartments

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 28, 2018 11:53am PST · 2 comments

Google is considering whether to hire one of an emerging group of construction startups to build thousands of apartments it is planning for employees and others in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a letter it sent to startups and real estate developers this month. If Google goes ahead, it would give a big lift to the startups, which... Google is considering whether to hire one of an emerging group of construction startups to build...

At top, from left: Joshua Ashley Klayman, Mitzi Chang, Lee Schneider
Bottom row, from left: Brian Klein, Nathana O’Brien Sharma, Cassandra Borchers

The Lawyers Calling the Shots in the Crypto World

By Sarah Kuranda · Feb 28, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments

Lee Schneider, partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, has been a financial services and technology attorney for 25 years. A year and a half ago, he happened to get involved in a project involving the legal questions surrounding digital tokens. Now, that’s almost all he focuses on. “Ever since then, blockchain has swallowed... Lee Schneider, partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, has been a financial services and...

Handy CEO Oisin Hanrahan. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Web Summit via Sportsfile

Handy’s Lesson for Gig Economy Startups: Profit vs. Growth

By Tom Dotan · Feb 27, 2018 12:48pm PST

Handy CEO Oisin Hanrahan. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Web Summit via Sportsfile

Handy’s Lesson for Gig Economy Startups: Profit vs. Growth

By Tom Dotan · Feb 27, 2018 12:48pm PST

When home cleaning startup Homejoy went out of business in mid-2015, it kicked off a culling for a generation of startups trying to get rich from the “gig economy”—connecting delivery people, drivers and cleaners with customers. But a handful of firms survived, including Homejoy’s main rival, Handy Technologies.Around... When home cleaning startup Homejoy went out of business in mid-2015, it kicked off a culling for...

Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Could Hamper Stitch Fix’s Growth

By Priya Anand · Feb 27, 2018 7:01am PST

For clothing shoppers looking for some fresh ideas, Stitch Fix’s personalized e-commerce service is a great option. But for investors looking for fresh ideas in e-commerce, Stitch Fix may be one to avoid. New data on credit card transactions suggest the novelty of its service wears off quickly. Customers who stay for two years spend half... For clothing shoppers looking for some fresh ideas, Stitch Fix’s personalized e-commerce...

Bytedance's live video streaming app Xigua Video. Photo: Associated Press

Reporter's Notebook

Three Hot Startups to Watch in China

By Yunan Zhang · Feb 26, 2018 10:01am PST · 1 comment

I recently spent time meeting with startup founders, employees and investors in Beijing and Shanghai to get a better sense of what the tech community has been talking about. It’s a great time of year to take the pulse. Friends and co-workers gather for lavish parties for the Chinese New Year, which was celebrated Feb. 16 and marks the... I recently spent time meeting with startup founders, employees and investors in Beijing and...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Q&A

Draper Says VCs Are ‘Missing Out’ on Crypto Opportunities

By Serena Saitto · Feb 26, 2018 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper says initial coin offerings are both a “challenge and an opportunity” for venture capitalists, noting that more than one-third of the companies he looks at nowadays are “tied to bitcoin or crypto in some way.”In an interview with The Information, Mr. Draper said that... Prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper says initial coin offerings are both a...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Feb 24, 2018 8:00am PST

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Feb 24, 2018 8:00am PST

Good Morning!Apple is making its AirPods waterproof. It should get advice from Blue Apron, which knows a thing or two about operating underwater. Good Morning!Apple is making its AirPods waterproof. It should get advice from Blue Apron, which...

The Information’s 411 — Berkeley Unblockchained

By Tom Dotan · Feb 23, 2018 3:08pm PST

Sarah talks about UC Berkeley's student blockchain group. Priya and Aaron talk about Amazon's Alexa fund and why some startups are wary of taking money from the company. Sarah talks about UC Berkeley's student blockchain group. Priya and Aaron talk about...

Source: The Information

Subscriber Survey

Amazon Likely to Pick Washington, D.C., Area for HQ2, Subscribers Say

By Wendy Pollack · Feb 23, 2018 10:01am PST · 2 comments

The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is the most likely location of Amazon.com’s next headquarters, according to a survey of The Information subscribers. One-quarter of respondents to our latest poll predicted the second headquarters would be located in the District of Columbia or in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs, three locations... The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is the most likely location of Amazon.com’s next...

Art by Mike Sullivan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Q&A

Microsoft’s Cloud Chief Wields Blockchain in Battle With AWS

By Kevin McLaughlin and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 23, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments

Microsoft is having early success selling a blockchain service to companies, Microsoft’s cloud chief Scott Guthrie says, giving the company an edge over its public cloud rival Amazon Web Services, which doesn’t have its own blockchain offering.Microsoft introduced a blockchain service on its public cloud in 2015 and has been adding... Microsoft is having early success selling a blockchain service to companies, Microsoft’s...

A Pathao motorbike. Photo by Pathao.

Ex-Uber Manager Takes on Uber in Bangladesh

By Amir Efrati · Feb 22, 2018 10:11am PST

A Pathao motorbike. Photo by Pathao.

Ex-Uber Manager Takes on Uber in Bangladesh

By Amir Efrati · Feb 22, 2018 10:11am PST

Six months ago, Pardeep Grewal, a Canadian working for Uber in Toronto and New York, was hired away by a small ride-hailing startup in Bangladesh, half a world away. When he was first recruited, he knew so little about the country he had to look up the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Google. Today, he is COO of the company, called Pathao, and... Six months ago, Pardeep Grewal, a Canadian working for Uber in Toronto and New York, was hired...

Art by Mike Sullivan

A New Headache for VCs: Getting Squeezed Out by Token Sales

By Alfred Lee · Feb 22, 2018 7:02am PST · 4 comments

Venture capitalist David Pakman is facing a new problem lately. Many promising startups he sees as a partner at Venrock have expressed interest in raising money through cryptocurrency token sales. But if the firms do create cryptocurrencies, any investment he makes now might be undercut. “There is an argument that the equity becomes... Venture capitalist David Pakman is facing a new problem lately. Many promising startups he sees...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg.

Cisco Close to Picking New Global Sales Chief

By Kevin McLaughlin and Sarah Kuranda · Feb 21, 2018 11:28am PST

Two longtime Cisco sales executives are among the finalists to become the tech firm’s global sales chief, widely viewed internally as the number two position in the company, say people with knowledge of the matter. The executives are Alison Gleeson, who oversees sales to customers in the Americas, and Wendy Bahr, who manages Cisco’s... Two longtime Cisco sales executives are among the finalists to become the tech firm’s...

Naspers Ventures CEO Larry Illg. Photo by Naspers.

The Biggest Tech Investor Silicon Valley Ignores

By Serena Saitto · Feb 21, 2018 7:01am PST · 4 comments

You might think the biggest shareholder in China’s largest tech company Tencent was the Chinese government or a local venture capitalist. Instead, it’s a South Africa-based newspaper publisher called Naspers, which parlayed a $32 million investment in Tencent 17 years ago into a stake now worth about $180 billion.Since hitting gold... You might think the biggest shareholder in China’s largest tech company Tencent was the...

Blockchain at Berkeley's Andrew Tu, Anthony DiPrinzio and Cliff Ahn. Photo by Anne Wernikoff

Meet the Hottest Blockchain Consultancy: a Berkeley Student Group

By Sarah Kuranda · Feb 20, 2018 11:31am PST · 1 comment

Blockchain at Berkeley's Andrew Tu, Anthony DiPrinzio and Cliff Ahn. Photo by Anne Wernikoff

Meet the Hottest Blockchain Consultancy: a Berkeley Student Group

By Sarah Kuranda · Feb 20, 2018 11:31am PST · 1 comment

In the spring of last year, a consulting group emailed Airbus out of the blue to see if the aircraft maker wanted help with blockchain technology. The consultants talked up their experience doing blockchain projects and explained how Airbus could use the technology. Airbus ended up working with the consultants to develop a way to track jet plane... In the spring of last year, a consulting group emailed Airbus out of the blue to see if the...