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

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Recent Editions

Valerie Nygaard, product manager for Google, presented a demo of the Duplex program last month. Photo: AP

Google’s Controversial Voice Assistant Could Talk Its Way Into Call Centers

By Sarah Kuranda · Jul 5, 2018 7:02am PDT · 4 comments

At a developer conference in May, Google CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated how a cutting-edge, computer-generated voice assistant called Duplex could call up a restaurant or hair salon and make an appointment without the person on the other end ever realizing they were talking with a robot. The technology was as controversial as it was impressive,... At a developer conference in May, Google CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated how a cutting-edge,...

Oath CEO Tim Armstrong. Photo by Bloomberg

Armstrong Has Explored Options for Verizon’s Oath

By Jessica Toonkel · Jul 3, 2018 11:58am PDT

Oath CEO Tim Armstrong has been exploring strategic options for the digital media division, created from the combination of Yahoo and AOL, that could include buying the business out of Verizon, say people familiar with his thinking.There is no sign Mr. Armstrong and Verizon are currently discussing a buyout, however. Instead, executives at... Oath CEO Tim Armstrong has been exploring strategic options for the digital media division,...

Cuyana co-founders Shilpa Shah and Karla Gallardo.

Some Apparel Brands Shun Amazon for Instagram

By Priya Anand · Jul 3, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

When Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah founded their women’s clothing and accessories company Cuyana, they chose not to sell their products on Amazon, one of the top apparel retailers in the U.S. Instead, they are using Instagram, as well as their own website, to drive sales. That strategy, the co-founders said, allows them to control how... When Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah founded their women’s clothing and accessories company...

A Juul e-cigarette device. Photo: AP

Tiger to Invest $600 Million in Juul as Valuation Climbs

By Alfred Lee · Jul 2, 2018 3:56pm PDT · 1 comment

A Juul e-cigarette device. Photo: AP

Tiger to Invest $600 Million in Juul as Valuation Climbs

By Alfred Lee · Jul 2, 2018 3:56pm PDT · 1 comment

Tiger Global Management has agreed to invest $600 million to lead a new fundraising round in fast-rising e-cigarette maker Juul, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investors in the round, which has yet to close, have agreed to put in a total of more than $1 billion at a post-round valuation of roughly $16 billion, the people said.... Tiger Global Management has agreed to invest $600 million to lead a new fundraising round in...

By Matt Vascellero

Watch the Trailer for Our First Documentary Series: PRESSED

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 2, 2018 2:54pm PDT · 4 comments

*Update: This series will launch Tuesday November 6, 2019 on theinformation.com.* Soon after we invited five teams of journalists to join our Accelerator program last fall, I started to talk to the teams by video conference to see how I could help. I wasn’t sure what I was in for. But within a few phone calls I realized that the group we... *Update: This series will launch Tuesday November 6, 2019 on theinformation.com.* Soon after we...

Illustration by Scotty Reifsnyder

‘Secret Mining’ Vexes the Crypto Industry

By Britton O'Daly · Jul 2, 2018 11:27am PDT · 2 comments

In late May, the creators of Bitcoin Gold—a currency that split off from Bitcoin last year—said a hacker had robbed people of as much as $18 million worth of the currency. They suspected the thief used mining hardware—computers that verify crypto transactions in exchange for currency—that was far more powerful than... In late May, the creators of Bitcoin Gold—a currency that split off from Bitcoin last...

The New Tech Bundle

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 2, 2018 9:55am PDT · 1 comment

I smiled when I read Jessica Toonkel’s great story this week reporting Apple may sell one service bundling news, TV and music. Even my colleagues mock my love of bundle economics, discussed in columns like this one. I smiled when I read Jessica Toonkel’s great story this week reporting Apple may sell one...

Players compete in PUBG tournament in Yantai, in China. Photo: AP

How a U.S. Game Giant Dodges China’s Censors

By Wayne Ma · Jul 2, 2018 7:00am PDT

Players compete in PUBG tournament in Yantai, in China. Photo: AP

How a U.S. Game Giant Dodges China’s Censors

By Wayne Ma · Jul 2, 2018 7:00am PDT

One of the hottest PC games in the world—“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” a violent game in which 100 players fight to the death—hasn’t been approved for sale by China’s strict regulators. Yet the game is a bonafide hit in China, where more than a third of its active players reside.Most Chinese players... One of the hottest PC games in the world—“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,”...

The Information’s 411 — Apple’s Bundles and Grumbles

By Tom Dotan · Jun 29, 2018 2:58pm PDT

Jessica Toonkel talks about Apple's plans to create a super bundle of its TV content with music and magazine articles. One question is whether that will be appealing to most people. Then she and Tom talk about Snap's plans to launch a gaming platform. Jessica Toonkel talks about Apple's plans to create a super bundle of its TV content with...

Subscriber Survey

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 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

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

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

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

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...