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

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo via YouTube/OpenAI

OpenAI Ramps Up Audio AI Efforts Ahead of Device

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 1, 2026 7:00am PST · 2 comments

OpenAI is taking steps to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its eventual release of an AI-powered personal device, said a person with knowledge of the effort. The device is expected to be largely audio-based, said three people with knowledge of it. When people speak to ChatGPT, the chatbot can talk back but the large language model... OpenAI is taking steps to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its eventual release of...

Art by Clark Miller

2026 Predictions: Tesla Will Acquire xAI

By Theo Wayt · Jan 1, 2026 6:00am PST · 4 comments

As almost everyone in Silicon Valley has found out lately, creating AI is a money drain, and many of the biggest startups eager to do so aren’t profitable. That’s true even for the AI business run by the world’s richest man, and that’s why I expect Elon Musk will take a drastic step next year to keep the money flowing to xAI: by selling to the... As almost everyone in Silicon Valley has found out lately, creating AI is a money drain, and many...

Getty Images

2025’s Best Performing Tech Stocks

By Martin Peers · Dec 31, 2025 2:00pm PST

Oh, to have been an investor in Sandisk in 2025. That company, probably best known to consumers for those little memory cards or USB drives, was one of the best performing tech stocks of 2025—gaining 559% since February, when it was spun out of Western Digital to be a standalone company. By comparison, the best performing of the big tech names,... Oh, to have been an investor in Sandisk in 2025. That company, probably best known to consumers...

Art by Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

2026 Predictions: Cash-Strapped Oracle Issues Chip-Backed Debt

By Miles Kruppa · Dec 31, 2025 11:24am PST · 4 comments

Art by Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

2026 Predictions: Cash-Strapped Oracle Issues Chip-Backed Debt

By Miles Kruppa · Dec 31, 2025 11:24am PST · 4 comments

Oracle has a real problem: It’s committed to building huge chip-filled data centers for OpenAI, but it doesn’t have the cash to do so. So far, the company has been able to defray the upfront costs of constructing the data center’s physical buildings, but it will soon need to fill those structures with Nvidia chips to power... Oracle has a real problem: It’s committed to building huge chip-filled data...

Art by Clark Miller.

Defending the Crown: Nvidia’s Ruthless Strategy to Neutralize Emerging Threats

By The Information Staff · Dec 31, 2025 9:57am PST

Nvidia is consolidating its dominance in the AI hardware market through a dual strategy of retreating from direct cloud competition and aggressively expanding its footprint in AI inference. By restructuring its DGX Cloud division and striking a $20 billion licensing and “acqui-hire” deal with startup Groq, the company is shifting from an... Nvidia is consolidating its dominance in the AI hardware market through a dual strategy of...

Liao Pan/CNS/VCG via Getty Images.

The Information Finance

Get Ready for a New Year and Brace for a Very Different One

By Guest · Dec 31, 2025 8:20am PST

For an eventful year, 2025 is ending the same way it started. A year ago, Nvidia, OpenAI and others made it clear they would do everything necessary to win the race for artificial intelligence.The year ended with the same companies doing the same thing. Nvidia capped off a year of dealmaking—mostly to cement its lead in AI chips by agreeing to... For an eventful year, 2025 is ending the same way it started. A year ago, Nvidia, OpenAI and...

Getty Images.

Uber Considers Deal for Parking App SpotHero

By Valida Pau and Cory Weinberg · Dec 31, 2025 7:58am PST · 1 comment

Uber has been in talks to acquire parking app SpotHero, a popular service that allows drivers to reserve parking spaces, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. Founded in 2011, SpotHero connects drivers looking to reserve and pay for parking spaces with parking lots, parking garages and valet services. SpotHero raised more than... Uber has been in talks to acquire parking app SpotHero, a popular service that allows drivers to...

Getty Images

How Artificial Intelligence Will Change in 2026

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 31, 2025 7:00am PST

Getty Images

How Artificial Intelligence Will Change in 2026

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 31, 2025 7:00am PST

Welcome to the last AI Agenda issue of 2025! Lots went down this year (check out yesterday’s newsletter for a full recap), and we expect things to get even crazier in 2026. Welcome to the last AI Agenda issue of 2025! Lots went down this year (check out yesterday’s ...

Sikander Rashid, Brookfield Asset Management's global head of AI infrastructure. Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Brookfield to Start Cloud Business to Lower Cost of AI

By Miles Kruppa · Dec 31, 2025 6:00am PST

Private-equity firm Brookfield is starting its own cloud business, going up against tech giants like Amazon by arguing it can bring down the costs of developing AI. The firm, which has long invested in infrastructure and energy, is becoming the first major investment firm to try to lease chips inside data centers directly to developers, rather... Private-equity firm Brookfield is starting its own cloud business, going up against tech giants...

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tesla's Pre-Emptive News

By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2025 5:00pm PST

Talk about stepping on your own news. Tesla put out an unusual statement on Tuesday, detailing the number of cars that 20 Wall Street analysts expect the electric vehicle maker will deliver annually through 2029. Tesla said it “does not endorse” any of the information, mind you, which raises the question why it bothered to publish the summary.... Talk about stepping on your own news. Tesla put out an unusual statement on Tuesday, detailing...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Investors Look for Protection in Nvidia-Groq Type Deals

By Valida Pau · Dec 30, 2025 3:01pm PST

Welcome back! Nvidia’s Christmas Eve deal for Groq made for a happy holiday for the AI chip startup’s investors and employees, who were paid out at a very festive $20 billion valuation. That hasn’t always been the case for license-and-hire deals, where a buyer takes a startup’s technology and most of its staff, and leaves a stub of the... Welcome back! Nvidia’s Christmas Eve deal for Groq made for a happy holiday for the AI chip...

Art by Clark Miller

Elon Musk’s xAI Buys Building for Third Supersized Data Center

By Theo Wayt · Dec 30, 2025 10:56am PST · 1 comment

Art by Clark Miller

Elon Musk’s xAI Buys Building for Third Supersized Data Center

By Theo Wayt · Dec 30, 2025 10:56am PST · 1 comment

Elon Musk’s xAI has bought a building for a third supersized data center it’s planning outside Memphis, Tennessee, in pursuit of the company’s goal of getting 1 million chips online to power its artificial intelligence models, according to property records and a person with direct knowledge of the project. The expansion plan shows xAI is... Elon Musk’s xAI has bought a building for a third supersized data center it’s planning outside...

Art by Clark Miller.

Fix Private Markets Before Small Investors Are Invited In

By Rett Wallace · Dec 30, 2025 8:00am PST · 16 comments

Wall Street’s latest push into private markets may give individual investors and their 401(k) accounts access to shares of unicorns like SpaceX and OpenAI. It may also allow them to add billions of additional dollars to the liquidity trap currently plaguing more sophisticated investors. Private markets have suffered from illiquidity, not lack of... Wall Street’s latest push into private markets may give individual investors and their 401(k)...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Top AI Themes of 2025 and What We’re Watching For Next Year

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 30, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Meta Platform’s announcement on Monday that it has acquired Chinese agent startup Manus represents a big win for Manus’ backers, including Benchmark, ZhenFund and HongShan, who last invested in Manus in an April funding round that valued it at $500 million. Meta is paying more than $2 billion, my colleague Juro Osawa has reported (as have other... Meta Platform’s announcement on Monday that it has acquired Chinese agent startup Manus...

Art by Clark Miller

2026 Predictions: Apple Will Reverse Its AI Slump

By Aaron Tilley · Dec 30, 2025 6:00am PST · 5 comments

As AI has completely consumed the tech industry, Apple has held back from the colossal investments in the technology its peers have been making. Wall Street, pundits and media outlets have criticized and chronicled Apple’s stumbles and seeming lack of urgency in the AI arms race. That includes us. But I would like to propose another... As AI has completely consumed the tech industry, Apple has held back from the colossal...

Jensen Huang and Masayoshi Son. Getty Images.

Meta, SoftBank and Nvidia Splurge on Holiday AI Deals

By Martin Peers · Dec 29, 2025 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Jensen Huang and Masayoshi Son. Getty Images.

Meta, SoftBank and Nvidia Splurge on Holiday AI Deals

By Martin Peers · Dec 29, 2025 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

The dealmakers of the AI sector didn’t take a break this holiday season. Meta revealed this afternoon it had bought Manus, the Singapore-based developer of AI agents. The price wasn’t disclosed but seeing as Manus’ last fundraising valuation was $500 million, Meta might have spent $2 billion or so but not hugely more than that. (More on Manus ... The dealmakers of the AI sector didn’t take a break this holiday season. Meta revealed this...

Partner Content

Recap: From Potential to Practice: How to Get Employees to Use AI

By The Information Partnerships · Dec 29, 2025 1:08pm PST

With warnings of an AI bubble looming and studies suggesting most generative AI pilots never make it into production, many executives are asking the same thing: We’re spending so much on AI—why aren’t we seeing real returns? A major reason, experts say, is that employees still aren’t adopting AI at scale. To explore how companies can change... With warnings of an AI bubble looming and studies suggesting most generative AI pilots never make...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images.

Applied AI: Microsoft Offers Training Funds for Copilot AI Customers

By Aaron Holmes · Dec 29, 2025 11:29am PST

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his deputies have warned that plenty of employees at large enterprises that pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot haven’t been using the AI features very much, as we reported recently.The most obvious way to change their ways is to make the software, an artificial intelligence add-on to Office apps like Word and Excel,... Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his deputies have warned that plenty of employees at large...

Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Long Game Behind Waymo’s Potential $100 Billion Valuation

By Anita Ramaswamy · Dec 29, 2025 8:59am PST · 10 comments

Can Waymo justify a $100 billion valuation? That’s a question investors will answer as Alphabet’s autonomous ride-hailing company discusses raising funding at a valuation that amounts to 280 times its annualized revenue—many times higher than other ride-hailing companies. Waymo’s rapid expansion in recent months—despite some hiccups... Can Waymo justify a $100 billion valuation? That’s a question investors will answer as Alphabet’s...

Groq CEO Jonathan Ross. Getty Images.

Why Groq’s IP Matters to Nvidia; AI Experts’ Favorite Books of the Year

By Rocket Drew, Stephanie Palazzolo and Miles Kruppa · Dec 29, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Groq CEO Jonathan Ross. Getty Images.

Why Groq’s IP Matters to Nvidia; AI Experts’ Favorite Books of the Year

By Rocket Drew, Stephanie Palazzolo and Miles Kruppa · Dec 29, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Before we get to today’s column, we need to explain something about last week’s big news: Nvidia’s agreement to pay an astounding $20 billion to license technology from AI chip startup Groq and hire its leaders. The reasons for Nvidia’s interest in Groq are getting a little clearer. Groq’s chips have the potential to help AI developers when... Before we get to today’s column, we need to explain something about last week’s big news: Nvidia’...