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

Clockwise from L to R: Balaji Srinivasan, Jutta Steiner, Elizabeth Stark, Leanne Kemp, Jihan Wu, Bobby LeePhotos: Bond/Flilckr (Julie Steiner); Bloomberg; AP.

Cryptocurrency’s Movers and Shakers, Part II

By The Information Staff · Sep 18, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

China’s crackdown on bitcoin trading has rattled the cryptocurrency market, but there are still many people placing big bets on digital coins, including those who are looking at ways to maneuver around China’s new restrictions. After we published profiles last month of influential people in digital currency, we continued reporting on... China’s crackdown on bitcoin trading has rattled the cryptocurrency market, but there are...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 16, 2017 8:00am PDT

Good morning!JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently declared that bitcoin was a fraud. Maybe he is secretly trying to distract from the currency bankers used to sell that has since collapsed: trust. Good morning!JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently declared that bitcoin was a fraud. Maybe he is...

The Information’s 411 — Peak Bodega

By Tom Dotan · Sep 15, 2017 2:23pm PDT · 1 comment

Kevin talks about his profile of Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and the future of the company. Amir and Tom discuss Waymo, the new Apple products and the furor around Bodega. Kevin talks about his profile of Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and the future of the company. Amir and...

A worker inspects bitcoin mining machines at a facility in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China. Photo: Bloomberg

China’s Bitcoin Trade Seen Continuing Despite Crackdown

By Shai Oster, Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Sep 15, 2017 10:47am PDT · 3 comments

A worker inspects bitcoin mining machines at a facility in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China. Photo: Bloomberg

China’s Bitcoin Trade Seen Continuing Despite Crackdown

By Shai Oster, Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Sep 15, 2017 10:47am PDT · 3 comments

The shutdown of bitcoin exchanges in China is testing the resilience of a booming area of domestic investment that has already survived previous crackdowns. Yet one likely effect of the moves by Chinese authorities is to push trading of virtual currencies offshore or to other alternative channels, said individuals involved in the bitcoin market.... The shutdown of bitcoin exchanges in China is testing the resilience of a booming area of...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Talking Snap, Facebook and Disney With NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 15, 2017 7:00am PDT · 4 comments

It’s a Thursday afternoon and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke is in the mood to talk media. From his office on the 51st floor of 30 Rock, Mr. Burke launches into a blunt assessment of a media landscape that grows more competitive by the day.Over the next hour, we cover a lot of ground, from TV advertising (holding up because ratings are good)... It’s a Thursday afternoon and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke is in the mood to talk media....

Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photo: Bloomberg

Key Google Cloud Sales Executive to Depart

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 14, 2017 10:47am PDT

Bertrand Yansouni, a veteran sales executive who joined Google Cloud last November to help manage relationships with business partners, is leaving the company, according to three people familiar with the matter. His departure comes at a crucial time for Google Cloud as it seeks to get customers and make headway against rivals Amazon Web Services... Bertrand Yansouni, a veteran sales executive who joined Google Cloud last November to help manage...

Lyft CEO Logan Green. Photo: Bloomberg

Amid Upbeat Year, Lyft Explores International Expansion

By Amir Efrati · Sep 14, 2017 7:47am PDT · 3 comments

As Lyft begins a large-scale advertising campaign to try to continue gaining market share versus Uber in the U.S., its geographic ambition is rising.The company is expected to enter Canada as soon as the end of this year and, if things go well, could potentially move into Australia and New Zealand, according to three people who have been... As Lyft begins a large-scale advertising campaign to try to continue gaining market share versus...

Photo: Gabriela Bhaskar

Cryptocurrency Turns Up Heat on Venture Capital

By Wendy Pollack · Sep 13, 2017 11:40am PDT · 4 comments

Photo: Gabriela Bhaskar

The Future of Finance

Cryptocurrency Turns Up Heat on Venture Capital

By Wendy Pollack · Sep 13, 2017 11:40am PDT · 4 comments

The cryptocurrency sector poses a threat to some venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, especially those who take a hands-off approach to their investments, said panelists at an event hosted by The Information in New York on Tuesday evening.Tech entrepreneurs who once had limited options for capital now might be tempted to fund-raise through... The cryptocurrency sector poses a threat to some venture capital firms in Silicon Valley,...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo: Bloomberg

Cisco CEO Robbins Carves New Path

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 13, 2017 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

On his first day as CEO of Cisco, in July 2015, Chuck Robbins appointed a tech veteran, Zorawar “Biri” Singh, as CTO. It turned out to be a contentious appointment, irritating Mr. Robbins’ predecessor John Chambers, four senior executives close to Mr. Chambers as well as Cisco’s sales team, in part because of differences... On his first day as CEO of Cisco, in July 2015, Chuck Robbins appointed a tech veteran, Zorawar...

Uber's San Francisco headquarters. Photo by AP.

Uber’s Chief Legal Officer to Depart

By Amir Efrati · Sep 12, 2017 3:54pm PDT

Uber’s chief legal officer, Salle Yoo, is expected to leave the company in the near future, according to two people briefed about the matter. Her expected departure comes as Uber faces several criminal probes in past practices and an upcoming trial over trade-theft allegations made against the company by Waymo.Ms. Yoo is exiting nearly... Uber’s chief legal officer, Salle Yoo, is expected to leave the company in the near future,...

Source: Dealogic

Tech IPO Hopes Turn to 2018

By Serena Saitto · Sep 12, 2017 7:02am PDT

This hasn’t turned out to be the boom year for tech IPOs that some expected, so bankers and investors are turning their attention to 2018. At least a couple of high profile U.S. unicorns are expected to go public next year, including Dropbox and Peloton and maybe Airbnb. Less likely is Lyft, which now isn’t expected to go public... This hasn’t turned out to be the boom year for tech IPOs that some expected, so bankers and...

A Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Waymo self-driving technology in the Phoenix area. Photo: Waymo.

Waymo CEO John Krafcik: Full Transcript

By Amir Efrati · Sep 11, 2017 9:30am PDT

A Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Waymo self-driving technology in the Phoenix area. Photo: Waymo.

Q&A

Waymo CEO John Krafcik: Full Transcript

By Amir Efrati · Sep 11, 2017 9:30am PDT

On September 8, 2017, The Information met with Waymo CEO John Krafcik to discuss the company’s effort to partner with automakers, his outlook for the arrival of self driving cars, and the future of human-driven ride-hailing networks. Read the related article, Waymo CEO to Automakers: Your Future Is Tied to Us.Below is a transcript of the... On September 8, 2017, The Information met with Waymo CEO John Krafcik to discuss the...

Modest Proposals

The Future of Free Speech

By Sam Lessin · Sep 11, 2017 7:03am PDT · 1 comment

In the past several years technology has made speech dramatically more powerful and free than was conceivable in the past. In 2017, with a highly charged atmosphere locally and globally, the question of how the concept of freedom of speech is going to modernize is coming to the fore. A key issue is how far big internet platforms like Facebook... In the past several years technology has made speech dramatically more powerful and free than was...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

The Big Interview

Waymo CEO to Automakers: Your Future Is Tied to Us

By Amir Efrati · Sep 10, 2017 7:41pm PDT · 10 comments

Alphabet’s Waymo division sits on top of the nascent self-driving car industry in terms of reputation, experience and talent. Yet in an interview with The Information, Waymo CEO John Krafcik seemed determined to broadcast to the traditional car industry that he isn’t the enemy. In fact, he says, Waymo can be car makers’... Alphabet’s Waymo division sits on top of the nascent self-driving car industry in terms of...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 9, 2017 8:00am PDT

Good Morning!Amazon announced it was looking for a location for a second headquarters, setting off a race among U.S. cities to try to curry favor with Jeff Bezos. In other news, the mayor of Detroit announced he was changing the city's name to "Kindle Fire. Good Morning!Amazon announced it was looking for a location for a second headquarters, setting...

The Information’s 411 — Amazon’s Prime Locations

By Tom Dotan · Sep 8, 2017 1:25pm PDT · 1 comment

The Information’s 411 — Amazon’s Prime Locations

By Tom Dotan · Sep 8, 2017 1:25pm PDT · 1 comment

Priya talks about the competition among cities for Amazon's second headquarters. Then Cory and Kevin discuss the future of meal delivery companies and why, in the battle over data center operating systems, Mesosphere surrendered to Kubernetes. Priya talks about the competition among cities for Amazon's second headquarters. Then Cory...

Illustration by Josh Brill

Reality of ICO Ban: China Wants to Manage Digital Currency Platforms

By Shai Oster · Sep 8, 2017 7:00am PDT · 6 comments

China’s ban of initial coin offerings on Monday initially seemed to threaten the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies. But the ban isn’t as tough as it looks. What China is really doing is taking steps to manage cryptocurrency platforms so it can better control them.It’s telling that China didn’t curtail cryptocurrencies... China’s ban of initial coin offerings on Monday initially seemed to threaten the explosive...

ARKit being demonstrated on an iPad at WWDC in June. Photo by Bloomberg

How Apple’s New AR Software Could Shake Up the App World

By Reed Albergotti · Sep 7, 2017 7:02am PDT · 4 comments

When Apple unveils its 10th anniversary iPhone on Tuesday, the most interesting development won’t be the updated hardware. It will be the apps that run on the phone and take advantage of Apple’s new augmented reality software. That software will allow a completely new kind of app to emerge, one that can make it seem as if... When Apple unveils its 10th anniversary iPhone on Tuesday, the most interesting development...

Mesosphere CEO Florian Leibert and Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photos: AP and Bloomberg

In Cloud Software Wars, Mesosphere Bows to Kubernetes

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Sep 6, 2017 9:16am PDT · 3 comments

Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a startup that makes software for managing applications in data centers, is surrendering to its main rival, Kubernetes, a Google-created software, according to two people with knowledge of Mesosphere’s plans. Mesosphere is soon expected to allow... Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a...

Pressure on meal-kit companies has increased the odds of partnerships with big grocers such as Safeway. Photo by Flickr/Mike Mozart.

Blue Apron Competitors Explore Sales to Grocers, Food Manufacturers

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 6, 2017 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Pressure on meal-kit companies has increased the odds of partnerships with big grocers such as Safeway. Photo by Flickr/Mike Mozart.

Blue Apron Competitors Explore Sales to Grocers, Food Manufacturers

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 6, 2017 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit competitors, while Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods has sent stocks tumbling for grocers. That has given grocery chains and meal-kit startups a larger appetite to combine forces, say industry experts and tech executives.Signs of consolidation... Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit...