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

Source: Company Filings. Chart by Mike Sullivan.

Why Apple and Facebook Should Spend More on Video

By Martin Peers · Aug 30, 2017 10:34am PDT · 6 comments

Apple and Facebook’s tentative steps into video programming has fuelled a debate about so-called “peak TV”—the idea that there’s a bubble underway in the amount of new TV shows being made. But a look at how much more established media firms are spending on TV suggests these newer entrants will have to be much more... Apple and Facebook’s tentative steps into video programming has fuelled a debate about...

Airbnb CFO Laurence Tosi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Airbnb Joins Race for AI Talent

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 30, 2017 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

In a recent bidding war for an artificial intelligence startup, Facebook had an unexpected competitor: Airbnb. Earlier this summer the travel company offered to buy Ozlo, which built systems to understand people’s preferences for restaurants based on conversations, according to two people briefed on the matter. Airbnb eventually lost to... In a recent bidding war for an artificial intelligence startup, Facebook had an unexpected...

President Trump with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House meeting in June. Photo by Bloomberg.

Once a Lobbying Lightweight, Amazon Strengthens Voice in Washington

By Priya Anand · Aug 29, 2017 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

President Trump regularly lashes out against Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, alleging that the company is hurting retailers and that Mr. Bezos uses The Washington Post, which he owns, to protect his interests. But to make its voice heard in Washington, Amazon has ramped up spending on lobbying and this year has hired a number of policy... President Trump regularly lashes out against Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, alleging...

Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Khosrowshahi Oversaw a Comeback At Expedia

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 28, 2017 4:43pm PDT · 1 comment

Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Khosrowshahi Oversaw a Comeback At Expedia

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 28, 2017 4:43pm PDT · 1 comment

If Dara Khosrowshahi takes the Uber CEO job, as he’s expected to, he’ll be inheriting a company badly in need of an overhaul after months of turmoil and executive departures. In that sense, the job has parallels to the turnaround he oversaw at Expedia in the past five years, when he rejuvenated the two-decade-old company’s... If Dara Khosrowshahi takes the Uber CEO job, as he’s expected to, he’ll be inheriting...

Chinese patients scanning a QR code to pay their medical bills using WeChat in June. Photo by AP.

Inside Tencent’s Fight To Win Mobile Payments

By Juro Osawa · Aug 28, 2017 7:00am PDT · 5 comments

To win control of China’s multi-trillion dollar mobile payments market, Tencent is fighting a gruelling ground war aimed at getting retailers and restaurants to accept its WeChat Pay digital wallet. A recent meeting between Tencent representatives and small business owners in Central China’s sprawling megalopolis of Wuhan highlighted... To win control of China’s multi-trillion dollar mobile payments market, Tencent is fighting...

Uber's new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber’s CEO Pick Appears to be Victory for Kalanick

By Amir Efrati and Cory Weinberg · Aug 27, 2017 5:56pm PDT · 4 comments

Uber’s board of directors surprised nearly everyone in Silicon Valley—including the press—on Sunday by picking the CEO of Expedia, Dara Khosrowshahi, to fill the hole left by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, who resigned under pressure in June.The choice appeared to be a victory for Mr. Kalanick, who was skeptical of the... Uber’s board of directors surprised nearly everyone in Silicon Valley—including the...

Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Meg Whitman Re-Emerged as Uber CEO Favorite

By Amir Efrati · Aug 27, 2017 1:48pm PDT · 2 comments

Update: Many hours of deliberation later, the Uber board picked Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (the unnamed male candidate referenced below) over Ms. Whitman, with some directors feeling he was a more neutral choice compared to Ms. Whitman. Uber’s fractured board of directors was leaning in favor of installing Hewlett Packard Enterprise... Update: Many hours of deliberation later, the Uber board picked Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 26, 2017 8:02am PDT

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 26, 2017 8:02am PDT

Good Morning!Samsung’s vice chairman has been sentenced to prison. Maybe he can use the Galaxy Note 7 to blast his way out. Good Morning!Samsung’s vice chairman has been sentenced to prison. Maybe he can use the...

The Information’s 411 — Quantum Leaps of Logic

By Tom Dotan · Aug 25, 2017 1:40pm PDT

Kevin talks about how quantum computing poses a threat to encryption. Cory dives into Opendoor and how it aims to shake up the process of selling a home. Kevin talks about how quantum computing poses a threat to encryption. Cory dives into Opendoor...

Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber’s CEO Conundrum

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 25, 2017 10:00am PDT · 5 comments

Uber is getting closer to naming a CEO after a process that has been full of leaks, fiery internal disagreement and at least one top candidate taking to Twitter to say she doesn’t want the job. Throughout it, I’ve often wondered how it is that Uber—already one of the most valuable private companies in history—is... Uber is getting closer to naming a CEO after a process that has been full of leaks, fiery...

Amazon Studio chief Roy Price and Isa Hackett. Photos by AP

Amazon Investigated Studio Chief Roy Price Over Claim of Sexual Remarks

By Kim Masters · Aug 25, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Amazon.com investigated an allegation that the head of its TV and film studio, Roy Price, made unwanted sexual remarks to Isa Hackett, an important producer of one of its highest-profile shows, according to Ms. Hackett, other people with knowledge of the inquiry and communications viewed by The Information. Mr. Price allegedly made the remarks... Amazon.com investigated an allegation that the head of its TV and film studio, Roy Price, made...

Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim. Photo by Bloomberg.

China’s JD.com Invests in Indonesia’s Uber Rival Go-Jek

By Juro Osawa · Aug 24, 2017 8:59pm PDT

Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim. Photo by Bloomberg.

China’s JD.com Invests in Indonesia’s Uber Rival Go-Jek

By Juro Osawa · Aug 24, 2017 8:59pm PDT

Chinese online retailer JD.com has invested in Indonesian Uber rival Go-Jek, people familiar with the matter said, in a move that intensifies Southeast Asia’s already fierce ride-hailing war.JD made its investment as part of Go-Jek’s latest funding round which is expected to raise a total of roughly $1 billion from investors that... Chinese online retailer JD.com has invested in Indonesian Uber rival Go-Jek, people familiar with...

Isara CEO Scott Totzke. Photo by Isara.

Q&A

How Former BlackBerry Security Specialists Aim to Solve Quantum Threat

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 24, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

The tech industry may have a decade or less to solve its biggest security threat ever: the development of quantum computers able to break the cryptography that underlies everything from online banking to building security cards. One company trying to solve the problem is Isara, a two-year-old startup backed by Research In Motion co-founder Mike... The tech industry may have a decade or less to solve its biggest security threat ever: the...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg.

Cisco Had Talks to Acquire Cloud Startup Turbonomic

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 23, 2017 4:26pm PDT · 1 comment

Cisco Systems recently had talks about the possible acquisition of Turbonomic, a startup that sells cloud management software. The acquisition of Turbonomic would give Cisco an edge over rivals like Hewlett Packard Enterprise in automation technology, which is becoming increasingly important for companies running applications in data centers and... Cisco Systems recently had talks about the possible acquisition of Turbonomic, a startup that...

Snapchat app is seen on an iPhone. Photo by AP

Will Snap’s Bet on the Cloud Pay Off?

By Tom Dotan · Aug 23, 2017 7:00am PDT · 9 comments

When Snap disclosed earlier this month that its server bills, on a per user basis, rose in the second quarter, it reignited a longstanding question about whether the company can scale up its business while relying on public cloud services run by Google and Amazon Web Services.Snap revealed that the amount it paid out to these services jumped 10%... When Snap disclosed earlier this month that its server bills, on a per user basis, rose in the...

Source: Second Measure; Chart by Mike Sullivan

Stitch Fix Keeps Steady Share of Monthly Customers

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 22, 2017 10:27am PDT

Source: Second Measure; Chart by Mike Sullivan

Stitch Fix Keeps Steady Share of Monthly Customers

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 22, 2017 10:27am PDT

Subscription retailer Stitch Fix has kept customers coming back for personalized boxes of clothes at a steady clip over the last three years, according to new data. That stability could be a good omen as the company prepares to go public, although investors also might be hoping Stitch Fix over time can increase the percentage of customers that... Subscription retailer Stitch Fix has kept customers coming back for personalized boxes of clothes...

An Uber self-driving car. Photo by Flickr/Zombieite

Uber Weighed Changes to Autonomous Vehicle Unit

By Amir Efrati · Aug 22, 2017 7:00am PDT

Uber recently debated internally whether to partner with a carmaker on self-driving car development, as a way of reducing costs and improving the prospects for its two-year old development effort, said a person with knowledge of the situation.The internal discussions were prompted by an unidentified carmaker approaching Uber this summer about... Uber recently debated internally whether to partner with a carmaker on self-driving car...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

The Big Interview

Opendoor Searches for ‘Mainstream’ Success

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 21, 2017 10:01am PDT · 3 comments

Opendoor CEO Eric Wu is straightforward about one of his company’s competitive shortcomings: It isn’t typically giving home sellers the best deal. That’s something Opendoor is trying to remedy as it plans its first significant expansion. Opendoor, a richly funded startup that runs a service for people to sell their houses... Opendoor CEO Eric Wu is straightforward about one of his company’s competitive...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Subscriber Survey

Silicon Valley’s Favorite Dealmakers

By Serena Saitto · Aug 21, 2017 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

For the second year in a row, Goldman Sachs was overwhelmingly the favorite choice of investment bank in our subscriber poll. Not only would more subscribers pick Goldman to handle their company’s IPO than any other firm, but Goldman bankers were nominated more often as favorites than those from any other firm.In both categories, Morgan... For the second year in a row, Goldman Sachs was overwhelmingly the favorite choice of investment...

Art by Mike Sullivan,.

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 19, 2017 8:01am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan,.

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 19, 2017 8:01am PDT

Good Morning!The White House has fired so many people lately it almost seems like they’re “pivoting to video. Good Morning!The White House has fired so many people lately it almost seems like they’re...