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: CEB

Google’s Relentless AI Appetite

By Kevin McLaughlin and Mike Sullivan · Jan 10, 2017 11:30am PST · 1 comment

Alphabet is seen as the tech industry’s top destination for artificial intelligence engineers and scientists. But Alphabet also has been more aggressive in acquiring AI startups than other tech firms. Its Google unit bought nine between January 2014 and the end of November 2016, nearly twice as many as the second-most active firm, Apple.... Alphabet is seen as the tech industry’s top destination for artificial intelligence...

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang (right) and Sajjad Khan, VP of digital vehicle at Mercedes, announce the companies’ partnership during CES. Photo by Daimler.

CES Proves Carmakers Still Confused About Autonomous

By Amir Efrati · Jan 10, 2017 7:00am PST · 4 comments

LAS VEGAS—At the Consumer Electronics Show last week, one thing became clear about car companies and autonomous driving: None of them know if they’re on the right road. Take Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler. It is viewed by autonomous car software practitioners as one of the few car companies with a legitimate in-house autonomous program.... LAS VEGAS—At the Consumer Electronics Show last week, one thing became clear about car...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

How Google Ventures Is Thinking About Biotech

By Fred Vogelstein · Jan 9, 2017 10:00am PST

The high-tech and biotech industries have historically followed different paths. As Moore’s Law made everything in high-tech cheaper, innovation in biotech seemed to make drugs and devices more expensive. That’s changing fast, thanks to the collapsing price of gene sequencing. Biotech companies are now scrambling to analyze and... The high-tech and biotech industries have historically followed different paths. As Moore’s...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Washio’s Tumble and the Decline of On-Demand

By Tom Dotan · Jan 9, 2017 7:00am PST · 9 comments

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Washio’s Tumble and the Decline of On-Demand

By Tom Dotan · Jan 9, 2017 7:00am PST · 9 comments

Of all the on-demand businesses that swept through tech in the past couple of years, few were as hyped and strange as laundry. At the center of that spin cycle was Washio, a Los Angeles startup that promised to be an “Uber for Laundry.” Customers could use an app to order their dirty laundry picked up and returned clean the next... Of all the on-demand businesses that swept through tech in the past couple of years, few were as...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Jan 7, 2017 8:02am PST

Good Morning!If you’re reading this at CES, condolences. Good Morning!If you’re reading this at CES, condolences.

The Information’s 411 — Choir Preaching

By Tom Dotan · Jan 6, 2017 1:28pm PST

Reed gives his thoughts so far from CES. Jessica explains why some in tech say they've lost faith in the ad business—but she argues they haven't embraced the obvious solution. Reed gives his thoughts so far from CES. Jessica explains why some in tech say they've lost...

Medium CEO Ev Williams. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Everyone Is Missing About Media Business Models

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 6, 2017 7:01am PST · 26 comments

Oh, how the winds have changed for ad-supported media. Over the past year, it’s become decidedly trendy to praise non-advertising business models. This week Ev Williams, a longtime advertising adherent, called online ads a “broken system.” Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist who has argued vociferously that news and opinion... Oh, how the winds have changed for ad-supported media. Over the past year, it’s become...

Oracle Cloud Hardware Exec Departs

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 5, 2017 6:25pm PST

Oracle Cloud Hardware Exec Departs

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 5, 2017 6:25pm PST

Scott Genereux, an Oracle senior vice president in charge of hardware sales in North America, recently left the company, said two people with knowledge of the matter. He will join storage vendor Veritas Technologies later this month as executive vice president of worldwide field operations, a Veritas spokeswoman said. Mr. Genereux, who joined... Scott Genereux, an Oracle senior vice president in charge of hardware sales in North America,...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon Courts Retailers To Use Its Mobile App

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 5, 2017 1:59pm PST

Amazon.com is planning to let competing retailers integrate with its mobile app, as part of a broader effort to power more shopping outside its digital walls, according to a person briefed by the company.The service, which Amazon is calling “place cards,” would let a consumer click on an email from a store that takes them to an app... Amazon.com is planning to let competing retailers integrate with its mobile app, as part of a...

Snap Chief Strategy Officer Imran Khan, expected to help lead Snap's IPO efforts. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Tax Question Facing Snap in IPO

By Alfred Lee · Jan 5, 2017 7:01am PST · 7 comments

If Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. goes public this year as expected, some employees will find themselves holding stock worth millions of dollars. But much of their newfound wealth will quickly vanish—in many cases, nearly half of it will be owed in taxes.Companywide, that could add up to tens if not hundreds of millions of... If Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. goes public this year as expected, some employees...

Jobs@TheInformation

Manage The Information’s Community

By The Information Staff · Jan 4, 2017 4:39pm PST

The Information is a fast-growing, thriving media startup in the heart of San Francisco. We’re a must-read for the most important people in technology and finance and are building a one-of-a kind community of subscribers. We have a thriving business, doubling our subscribers in the past 12 months. Our goal is to repeat that feat in 2017.... The Information is a fast-growing, thriving media startup in the heart of San Francisco....

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Trump Could Mean for China’s Tech Industry

By Shai Oster · Jan 4, 2017 10:00am PST · 3 comments

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma. Photo by Bloomberg.

2017 Predictions

What Trump Could Mean for China’s Tech Industry

By Shai Oster · Jan 4, 2017 10:00am PST · 3 comments

The new year promises to be exceptionally rough for the always-complicated relationship between the U.S. and China. As President-Elect Donald Trump threatens tariffs, China’s leaders heed calls to prepare countermeasures. There’s a chance that Mr. Trump’s saber-rattling could accelerate a push already underway toward reforms in... The new year promises to be exceptionally rough for the always-complicated relationship between...

Enterprise Strategy Chief Greg Stubblefield. Photo by Laura Bryant

Q&A

What Silicon Valley Sees in Enterprise Rent-A-Car

By Amir Efrati · Jan 4, 2017 7:02am PST · 4 comments

Enterprise, a 60-year-old company that owns and rents more cars in the U.S. than anyone else, is gaining newfound attention in Silicon Valley and Detroit, judging by conversations with tech executives lately. The reason is simple: Enterprise is one of the few companies that can manage large fleets of cars at scale. That’s a skill likely to... Enterprise, a 60-year-old company that owns and rents more cars in the U.S. than anyone else, is...

An Amazon delivery truck. Photo by Flickr/SounderBruce.

2017 Predictions

Why Amazon Will Launch Self-Driving Car Effort

By The Information Staff · Jan 3, 2017 10:00am PST · 1 comment

Developments in self-driving car technology will be a big theme in tech in 2017, including at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. One company to watch is Amazon.com, which is likely to jump into the field this year by unveiling an effort to develop autonomous truck software.Amazon isn’t trying to go up against other... Developments in self-driving car technology will be a big theme in tech in 2017, including at...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Bot Check-In: A Year of Disappointment

By Sam Lessin · Jan 3, 2017 7:00am PST · 10 comments

In January, I wrote about how 2016 had been declared the year of bots by many. At year’s end, the bots narrative has been very loud but mostly disappointing. Most of the major technology companies announced big initiatives. But the platforms, enabling technologies and new products have largely failed to materialize.The demand from startups... In January, I wrote about how 2016 had been declared the year of bots by many. At year’s...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Dec 31, 2016 8:00am PST

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Dec 31, 2016 8:00am PST

Happy New Year!If you notice Alexa starts speaking with a Russian accent, you’ll know tech’s in tune with the new administration. Happy New Year!If you notice Alexa starts speaking with a Russian accent, you’ll know...

Source: The Information Subscriber Survey

Subscriber Survey

Subscribers Turn Less Sour on Economy, Tech

By Cory Weinberg and Peter Schulz · Dec 30, 2016 10:01am PST

Subscriber optimism about the economy and the tech industry rebounded from the post-election lows reached in November, our latest survey showed. But subscribers remained noticeably more downbeat than they were for much of this year.That held true for subscriber predictions for next year as well. Subscribers foresee tougher times for companies... Subscriber optimism about the economy and the tech industry rebounded from the post-election lows...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch and Bloomberg.

Why Spiegel Isn’t Zuckerberg (and Vice Versa)

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 30, 2016 7:01am PST · 5 comments

I was going to write an end-of-year column today. But as I sat down to write in a quiet San Francisco cafe, I was distracted by an article about Snap's IPO strategy and I had to respond. If the story is true, Snap should fire its bankers. The piece was reporting about Snap’s desire to compare itself to Facebook and how its IPO bankers... I was going to write an end-of-year column today. But as I sat down to write in a quiet San...

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. Photo by Bloomberg.

Fiat’s Secret Self-Driving Car Shows How Industry May Evolve

By Amir Efrati · Dec 29, 2016 1:02pm PST · 3 comments

Fiat Chrysler has garnered outsized headlines for becoming the first traditional carmaker to make electric minivans with self-driving technology designed by Alphabet’s Waymo. Behind the scenes, however, Fiat Chrysler is developing its own autonomous vehicles so that it won’t be just a metal bender for tech companies like Waymo, The... Fiat Chrysler has garnered outsized headlines for becoming the first traditional carmaker to make...

Didi President Jean Liu. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Investors Expect of Didi and Dropbox in 2017

By Alfred Lee · Dec 29, 2016 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Didi President Jean Liu. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Investors Expect of Didi and Dropbox in 2017

By Alfred Lee · Dec 29, 2016 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing had a big year, vanquishing Uber in China. In the wake of that deal, one of Didi’s mutual fund investors raised its expectation for Didi’s revenue growth rate to more than 150% next year, from 99%, securities filings suggest.Meanwhile, mutual funds have pushed back the date they expect some... Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing had a big year, vanquishing Uber in China. In the wake of...