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

A Social Bicycles "Jump" e-bike in front of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo: Social Bicycles

Bike-Sharing Startups Explore Going Electric

By Yunan Zhang and Cory Weinberg · Oct 3, 2017 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Bike-sharing startups have captured billions of dollars in venture capital, blanketing China and growing quickly in the U.S. and Europe. Now, the biggest players in China and a few U.S. upstarts are eyeing expansions into electric bicycles, which could help attract more customers who might want help riding longer distances or pedaling uphill. ... Bike-sharing startups have captured billions of dollars in venture capital, blanketing China and...

Waymo CEO John Krafcik unveiling the Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Waymo technology at the auto show in Detroit in January. Photo by AP.

Waymo’s Foes: Left Turns and the Mean Streets of Phoenix

By Amir Efrati · Oct 3, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Alphabet’s Waymo is gearing up to launch a self-driving ride-sharing service this fall, but major problems with the technology persist, interviews with people directly involved reveal. That initially may limit the capabilities of the service, expected to operate around Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix.Among the issues: The cars can’t... Alphabet’s Waymo is gearing up to launch a self-driving ride-sharing service this fall, but...

Note: Numbers are estimates. Sources: Company Charter. Legal Filings, The Information research

Uber Voting Change Proposal Could Face More Hurdles

By Alfred Lee · Oct 2, 2017 1:31pm PDT · 2 comments

Uber’s board is expected to consider a proposal to eliminate supervoting shares at its meeting Tuesday, a highly unusual move that is aimed at drastically shrinking the voting power of ex-CEO Travis Kalanick and early investor Benchmark Capital. But such a rearrangement can’t simply be done with a board vote.Several groups of early... Uber’s board is expected to consider a proposal to eliminate supervoting shares at its...

Interactive by Peter Schulz

The People Who Matter at Waymo

By Amir Efrati · Oct 2, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

Interactive by Peter Schulz

The People Who Matter at Waymo

By Amir Efrati · Oct 2, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, is preparing to launch the first commercial ride-sharing service powered by self-driving vehicles with no human “safety” drivers as soon as this fall, according to two people briefed about the plan. (See this article about Waymo’s recent Phoenix experience.) Yet as it takes this... Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, is preparing to launch the first commercial...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 30, 2017 8:01am PDT

Good Morning!Now that Ikea has bought TaskRabbit, the next acquisition with such obvious industrial logic has to be Netflix buying Eaze. Good Morning!Now that Ikea has bought TaskRabbit, the next acquisition with such obvious...

The Information’s 411 — Masa’s Comeback

By Tom Dotan · Sep 29, 2017 1:30pm PDT

Priya talks about why some Echo developers are upset with Amazon. Juro explains how SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's financial wizardry and charm has made him the most powerful investor in tech. Priya talks about why some Echo developers are upset with Amazon. Juro explains how SoftBank CEO...

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. Photo by Bloomberg.

Women Sue Oracle Alleging Pay Discrimination

By Serena Saitto · Sep 29, 2017 11:50am PDT · 4 comments

Three women have sued Oracle for allegedly paying women less than men in similar jobs, highlighting how the fight for gender equality extends to older tech companies as well as newer firms like Google.The suit, which hasn’t previously been reported, was filed on Aug. 28 in a California state court. The plaintiffs plan to seek class-action... Three women have sued Oracle for allegedly paying women less than men in similar jobs,...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Silicon Valley, Ignore China at Your Peril

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 29, 2017 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Silicon Valley, Ignore China at Your Peril

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 29, 2017 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

What a difference a year makes. When I was last in China, everyone was buzzing about VR/AR and Didi vs. Uber. Now, it’s the bike-rental wars between Ofo and Mobike (they’re a bigger deal than you think, but don’t hold your breath for a merger) and pop-up convenience stores. Yes, Bodega is alive and well in China. Startups like... What a difference a year makes. When I was last in China, everyone was buzzing about VR/AR and...

Alibaba Vice Chairman Joe Tsai talking with The Information's Jessica Lessin in Hong Kong on Thursday. Photo by Brent Pottinger.

Hong Kong Summit

Alibaba’s Tsai Sees a ‘Very Hot War’ in India

By Juro Osawa, Yunan Zhang and Shai Oster · Sep 28, 2017 4:28pm PDT

Alibaba and Amazon.com are part of a “very hot war” in India and it's far too early to call a winner there, Alibaba Vice Chairman Joe Tsai said in an interview. Speaking at The Information’s Hong Kong subscriber summit on Thursday, Mr. Tsai also expressed his optimism about the long-term prospects of U.S.-China relations.... Alibaba and Amazon.com are part of a “very hot war” in India and it's far too...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Big Interview

Nutanix Takes on Microsoft, VMware in Cloud

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 28, 2017 10:01am PDT

Dheeraj Pandey, CEO and chairman of Nutanix, always wanted to build a big company. That’s why he turned down acquisition offers from Cisco Systems and the former Hewlett-Packard in the years prior to Nutanix’s initial public offering 12 months ago. It isn’t known how much Cisco and H-P offered, and while Mr. Pandey... Dheeraj Pandey, CEO and chairman of Nutanix, always wanted to build a big company. That’s...

Testing out new Echos announced by Amazon on Wednesday. Photo by Bloomberg.

Poor Reviews Are No Joke for Some Alexa Developers

By Priya Anand · Sep 28, 2017 7:01am PDT

This has to be an app developer’s worst nightmare: An app designed to tell “knock knock jokes” on the Alexa voice-activated assistant has a glitch that causes the jokes to end prematurely. After a user asks “who’s there?” Alexa responds “goodbye” instead of giving the punchline. That’s what... This has to be an app developer’s worst nightmare: An app designed to tell “knock...

Sinovation founder Kai-Fu Lee. Photo by Bloomberg.

How China-U.S. Tech Ties Have Evolved

By Shai Oster · Sep 27, 2017 11:59am PDT

Sinovation founder Kai-Fu Lee. Photo by Bloomberg.

How China-U.S. Tech Ties Have Evolved

By Shai Oster · Sep 27, 2017 11:59am PDT

Tucked inside a condo around the corner from a Palo Alto supermarket is the North American office of Sinovation Ventures. One of the most active investors in Chinese startups, Sinovation is also building a portfolio of companies in the U.S. The U.S. team is led by Chris Evdemon, a Greek-born, U.K.-educated venture capitalist who cut his teeth in... Tucked inside a condo around the corner from a Palo Alto supermarket is the North American office...

Source: company filings

Amazon Supremacy? Think Again

By Priya Anand · Sep 27, 2017 7:02am PDT · 7 comments

With Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods, it might seem like there are few segments of the consumer economy that the e-commerce giant hasn’t conquered. But a look at sales data shows just how small Amazon is compared with the true retail giant, Walmart.Walmart’s annual net sales are more than triple those of Amazon,... With Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods, it might seem like there are few segments of...

The Information's editor in chief Jessica Lessin with Xiaomi CFO Shou Zi Chew. Photo by Derry Ainsworth

Xiaomi Grabbed the Long Tail in Quest for Revival

By Shai Oster, Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Sep 26, 2017 8:02pm PDT

BEIJING—Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi endured “two painful years” after low-cost rivals jumped into the phone market, eroding its market share, Xiaomi’s finance chief said in an interview on Tuesday. The downturn forced Xiaomi to rethink its online-only sales model and open brick-and-mortar stores.The prospect of high... BEIJING—Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi endured “two painful years” after...

Airbnb-branded apartments are planned for the city of Kissimmee, Fla. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Michael Rivera

Airbnb to Test Branded Apartments in Florida

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 26, 2017 11:56am PDT · 3 comments

Airbnb is developing a branded apartment complex in Florida, the company’s first such move to create Airbnb-oriented accommodations from the ground up, according to people familiar with the matter. The arrangement, expected to be announced soon, would test Airbnb’s relationships with apartment landlords and developers, who have been... Airbnb is developing a branded apartment complex in Florida, the company’s first such move...

James Murdoch. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

James Murdoch: We’re in a ‘Silly Land’ in the Video Business

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 26, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

James Murdoch. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Big Interview

James Murdoch: We’re in a ‘Silly Land’ in the Video Business

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 26, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

James Murdoch wants you to know that he is in the media business. It’s an obvious statement from a man who sits atop a $50 billion media company with a global cable, broadcasting and film footprint. But, as tech companies invest billions in programming to lure customers to their businesses, the CEO of 21st Century Fox doesn’t... James Murdoch wants you to know that he is in the media business. It’s an obvious statement...

Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Cloud Taps Former Dell Executive as New Sales Chief

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 25, 2017 12:59pm PDT · 1 comment

Google Cloud, as part of its longstanding efforts to sign up Fortune 500 companies, is bringing in a new sales chief with experience selling to large corporate customers. Paul-Henri Ferrand, a veteran of Dell who joined Google in 2014 as vice president of U.S. sales and operations, was appointed president of Google Cloud last month, according to... Google Cloud, as part of its longstanding efforts to sign up Fortune 500 companies, is bringing...

Symphony CEO David Gurle. Photo by Bloomberg.

Goldman-Backed Symphony to Raise $100M to Expand Beyond Banking

By Serena Saitto · Sep 25, 2017 10:20am PDT

Symphony Communication Services, the bank-backed messaging startup taking on Bloomberg LP in a key part of its business, is in talks to raise at least $100 million from new investors. The company plans to use the money to finance an expansion into health care, government, insurance and accounting, according to CEO and founder David Gurle. In an... Symphony Communication Services, the bank-backed messaging startup taking on Bloomberg LP in a...

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Photo by Bloomberg.

SoftBank Founder Builds an Empire on Debt and Charm

By Juro Osawa · Sep 25, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Last summer, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler flew to Tokyo to visit Japan’s richest man, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Mr. Wyler, whose startup wants to beam the internet from satellites in space, wasn’t desperate for funds. But his investors arranged the meeting anyway.What followed over the next eight-and-a-half hours was classic Masayoshi... Last summer, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler flew to Tokyo to visit Japan’s richest man, SoftBank...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 23, 2017 8:00am PDT

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 23, 2017 8:00am PDT

Good morning!We found out this week that the biggest difference between Russia and Facebook is that Russia managed to get its bots to work. Good morning!We found out this week that the biggest difference between Russia and Facebook is...