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

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiling the Kindle Fire tablet and a new Kindle e-reader in 2012. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Hires Amazon’s Former Kindle Hardware Chief

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 3, 2016 5:55pm PDT

David Foster, who helped develop the Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire tablet, joined Google on Monday as vice president of product engineering in its hardware group, Google said. A person familiar with the hiring said Mr. Foster would lead hardware development for Google’s new branded line of smartphones. The position hadn't previously... David Foster, who helped develop the Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire tablet, joined Google on...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

How Data Analytics is Changing Startup Financing

By Sam Lessin · Oct 3, 2016 10:01am PDT · 9 comments

In my first job after college I worked for Bain & Company and learned a lot about how to use data to understand how companies could maximize revenue and profit—either to drive their stock price or service the debt applied by a financial sponsor.Recently, looking at several companies preparing for their series A financing I have been... In my first job after college I worked for Bain & Company and learned a lot about how to use...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at last year's Dreamforce conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

At Salesforce’s Big Show, the Pitch is More Dream than Reality

By Steve Nellis · Oct 3, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

This week, 170,000 people will descend on San Francisco for Dreamforce, Salesforce.com’s annual user conference. Thousands will pack the Moscone Center to participate in a familiar ritual: master salesman and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s latest pitch for the product that he says will revolutionize their sales and earn his company... This week, 170,000 people will descend on San Francisco for Dreamforce, Salesforce.com’s...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Oct 1, 2016 8:00am PDT

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Oct 1, 2016 8:00am PDT

Good Morning!The world discovered on Friday that, despite its name, Nutanix isn’t a breakfast cereal. But its stock certainly crackled and popped on its opening day. Good Morning!The world discovered on Friday that, despite its name, Nutanix isn’t a...

The Information’s 411 — Take a Chance on Hardware

By Tom Dotan · Sep 30, 2016 2:30pm PDT

Jessica argues that Twitter's live video strategy won't save it. Reed and Tom talk about smart locks and Snap's Spectacles. Jessica argues that Twitter's live video strategy won't save it. Reed and Tom talk...

A Nutanix facility in North Carolina. Photo by AP.

Nutanix Executives’ IPO Incentive

By Alfred Lee · Sep 30, 2016 12:11pm PDT · 2 comments

Nutanix’s initial public offering was off to a fast start on Friday, as the enterprise software company’s stock more than doubled. That lifted its market capitalization to around $4.9 billion in late afternoon trading, more than twice its last private valuation of $2 billion. It perhaps nudged open the IPO window for other... Nutanix’s initial public offering was off to a fast start on Friday, as the enterprise...

New England Patriots playing Houston Texans on Sept. 22, a game streamed on Twitter. Photo by AP.

How Twitter’s Streaming Product Falls Short

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 30, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

In the summer of last year, I bumped into Jack Dorsey at Sun Valley and asked the then-interim Twitter CEO what made him confident he could run both Twitter and Square at the same time. He had two words: Bob Iger. In the summer of last year, I bumped into Jack Dorsey at Sun Valley and asked the then-interim...

Source: The Information Subscriber Survey

IPO Bets: Airbnb and Uber in 2018

By Martin Peers and Peter Schulz · Sep 29, 2016 10:01am PDT

Source: The Information Subscriber Survey

Subscriber Survey

IPO Bets: Airbnb and Uber in 2018

By Martin Peers and Peter Schulz · Sep 29, 2016 10:01am PDT

Just over 70% of subscribers expect Lyft to be acquired, our latest subscriber survey shows, while 41% of subscribers expect Pinterest to get bought.Among the other striking results of our latest subscriber survey: More than 40% of subscribers predicted that Airbnb and Uber will wait until 2018 to go public, while a similar portion are betting... Just over 70% of subscribers expect Lyft to be acquired, our latest subscriber survey shows,...

Why Snap’s Spectacles Will Be Elusive

By Tom Dotan · Sep 29, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

If you were counting on Snap’s new camera-mounted Spectacles to be this year’s big Christmas gift for millennials, you may want to reconsider.The company has considered an unusual “closed” rollout of the product, meaning it wouldn’t be released to the public at large in the near term—according to two people... If you were counting on Snap’s new camera-mounted Spectacles to be this year’s big...

An enrollment camp for Aadhaar in Mumbai, India. Photo by AP.

What’s Going Right in India Tech

By Amir Efrati · Sep 28, 2016 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

BANGALORE, INDIA—Despite the shakeout at the top of India’s private tech ecosystem, two projects promise to push forward India’s telecom and finance industries—and the web sector.One of the potential beneficiaries in the finance industry is Paytm, 40% owned by Alibaba Group of China. There’s also buzz about a slew... BANGALORE, INDIA—Despite the shakeout at the top of India’s private tech ecosystem,...

A Mobike user in Shanghai. Photo by AP.

Will Mobike be the next Uber?

By Kai Qu · Sep 28, 2016 7:02am PDT · 3 comments

BEIJING—The newest battleground for China’s increasingly cautious tech investors is something rather old: the bicycle. Bicycle-on-demand services similar to the municipal bike-shares in London and New York are drawing venture capitalists willing to bet these firms are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The field got hotter on... BEIJING—The newest battleground for China’s increasingly cautious tech investors is...

Palantir CEO Alexander Karp. Photo by Bloomberg

Fund Sold Palantir Stock Well Below Last Valuation

By Alfred Lee · Sep 27, 2016 5:09pm PDT · 2 comments

Palantir CEO Alexander Karp. Photo by Bloomberg

Fund Sold Palantir Stock Well Below Last Valuation

By Alfred Lee · Sep 27, 2016 5:09pm PDT · 2 comments

A mutual fund run by AIG subsidiary Valic sold stock in cybersecurity firm Palantir earlier this year at a price 60% below Palantir’s last fundraising valuation, securities filings show. At that price, Palantir’s implied valuation would be around $8 billion, compared with the $20 billion valuation at which it raised money last... A mutual fund run by AIG subsidiary Valic sold stock in cybersecurity firm Palantir earlier this...

Facebook at Work's director Julien Codorniou. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Rival to Slack, Yammer Coming Next Month

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 27, 2016 10:01am PDT · 7 comments

Facebook is nearing a commercial launch of Facebook at Work, its business-focused social network, and now plans to charge companies based on the number of employees who use the service monthly, a Facebook executive said. That’s a change from Facebook’s earlier plans to offer the software for free but to charge companies based on... Facebook is nearing a commercial launch of Facebook at Work, its business-focused social network,...

August Home co-founder Yves Behar. Photo by Flickr/Eirik Solheim.

How Amazon Might Get Through Front Door

By Steve Nellis and Reed Albergotti · Sep 27, 2016 7:01am PDT

The days of having your Amazon packages stolen from outside your front door soon could be a thing of the past.Two companies with ties to Amazon.com, smart lock maker August Home and web-connected garage door opener Garageio, are working on a way for delivery people to leave products inside the home when residents aren’t there. As Garageio... The days of having your Amazon packages stolen from outside your front door soon could be a thing...

Promotional stickers for Ola on an auto rickshaw in Bangalore. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Went Wrong in India’s Tech Sector

By Amir Efrati · Sep 26, 2016 10:01am PDT · 2 comments

BANGALORE, INDIA—There’s a hangover feeling here in India’s Silicon Valley. The euphoria sparked two years ago by foreign investors writing big checks on absurd valuations for local companies has given way to despair in some pockets of the city. The early leaders in transportation and commerce, such as Flipkart and Snapdeal in... BANGALORE, INDIA—There’s a hangover feeling here in India’s Silicon Valley. The...

Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Yelp Shows Way in Supervoting Stock Sunset

By Alfred Lee · Sep 26, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Yelp Shows Way in Supervoting Stock Sunset

By Alfred Lee · Sep 26, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Last Wednesday, Yelp co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman and former chairman Max Levchin owned about 49% of the voting shares in the local business reviews site between them. On Friday, their combined voting stake was 11%.In between, Yelp killed off a special class of shares held mainly by Messrs. Stoppelman and Levchin that carried 10 times as many... Last Wednesday, Yelp co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman and former chairman Max Levchin owned about 49%...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 24, 2016 8:01am PDT

Good Morning!Is Benioff on the rebound? Perhaps bidding for Twitter is a way to get over the Salesforce-LinkedIn deal that got away. Good Morning!Is Benioff on the rebound? Perhaps bidding for Twitter is a way to get over the...

The Information’s 411 — The Millennial Pied Piper

By Tom Dotan · Sep 23, 2016 4:23pm PDT

Stephen makes the case for Salesforce buying Twitter. Cory and Tom talk about tech involvement in local politics, Ken Lerer and the tug-of-war for news sites between fast-loading web pages and more ad money. Stephen makes the case for Salesforce buying Twitter. Cory and Tom talk about tech involvement in...

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

At Twitter, Who Makes Decision to Sell?

By Martin Peers and Steve Nellis · Sep 23, 2016 2:22pm PDT

So who at Twitter decides whether to sell? Right now, that may be a crucial question for potential bidders reported to be looking, such as Salesforce.com.If it’s up to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, there may be no deal. Mr. Dorsey was, at least until recently, opposed to selling the company, says a person with knowledge of the situation. Mr.... So who at Twitter decides whether to sell? Right now, that may be a crucial question for...

The New PR Reality and What it Means

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 23, 2016 7:02am PDT · 11 comments

The New PR Reality and What it Means

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 23, 2016 7:02am PDT · 11 comments

Last Sunday, Lyft’s PR team emailed me a link to a 4,000-word article and highlighted the parts that I might find “newsworthy.” It was an interesting Medium essay from co-founder John Zimmer about the future of cities and transportation and Lyft’s role in it. Dozens of media outlets summarized the article for their... Last Sunday, Lyft’s PR team emailed me a link to a 4,000-word article and highlighted the...