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

Didi President Jean Liu. Photo by Bloomberg.

Rental Cars Play Growing Part in China’s Ride-Sharing War

By Amir Efrati · May 31, 2016 1:09pm PDT

Amid the noisy war in China between privately held ride-sharing firms Didi Chuxing and Uber, two publicly traded transportation companies are worth watching: China Auto Rental and eHi Car Services.They are the country’s top two rental car firms that also employ drivers to chauffeur business passengers. And while neither Didi nor Uber is... Amid the noisy war in China between privately held ride-sharing firms Didi Chuxing and Uber, two...

Google's Vice President of Product Management, Mario Queiroz, talking about Google Home at Google I/O this month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Home’s Little Secret

By Amir Efrati · May 31, 2016 9:07am PDT · 1 comment

When Google executive Mario Queiroz unveiled a new voice-controlled virtual assistant, Google Home, at the company’s developer conference this month, he left out a key detail: Home is a dressed-up version of Chromecast, the video-streaming device Mr. Queiroz’s team previously developed.The guts of Home, including its ARM-based... When Google executive Mario Queiroz unveiled a new voice-controlled virtual assistant, Google...

Frerk-Malte Feller, head of business and monetization at Facebook Messenger, speaking at a presentation at the Shoptalk e-commerce conference this month. Photo by Cory Weinberg.

Social Commerce Struggles To Drive Sales

By Cory Weinberg · May 31, 2016 7:02am PDT · 7 comments

The hype around social media apps trying to become shopping hubs has never been higher. But so are the red flags.Facebook was eager to showcase its partnership between Messenger and retail startup Spring at the developer conference F8. But Spring CEO Alan Tisch said he had “very low expectations” going into the deal with Messenger to... The hype around social media apps trying to become shopping hubs has never been higher. But so...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on stage at Google I/O this month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Most Valuable Tech Events of 2016

By The Information Staff · May 30, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on stage at Google I/O this month. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Information Recommends

Most Valuable Tech Events of 2016

By The Information Staff · May 30, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

If you skipped SXSW this year, you were not alone. The artsy Austin, Tx. tech, music and film festival received the highest number of “not attending this year” votes from The Information subscribers in our annual event survey. Right behind it: the Consumer Electronics Show.But don’t get ready to bail on next year’s CES... If you skipped SXSW this year, you were not alone. The artsy Austin, Tx. tech, music and film...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · May 28, 2016 8:01am PDT

Happy Memorial Day weekend!Yes it’s the unofficial start of summer. Maybe even San Francisco will see some warm weather. And there’s plenty of news, both in tech and elsewhere, to catch up on. Happy Memorial Day weekend!Yes it’s the unofficial start of summer. Maybe even San...

The Information’s 411 — Tech-Media Overlords

By Tom Dotan · May 27, 2016 1:03pm PDT

Amir and Reed debate the uproar over Peter Thiel bankrolling the Gawker lawsuit. Also we discuss the self-driving car startup ecosystem and Apple's decision to open up Siri and develop an Amazon Echo competitor. Amir and Reed debate the uproar over Peter Thiel bankrolling the Gawker lawsuit. Also we discuss...

Our Top Comments of the Week

By The Information Staff · May 27, 2016 9:44am PDT

Here are this week’s top comments as selected by our reporters and editors. Here are this week’s top comments as selected by our reporters and editors.

Peter Thiel. Photo by Bloomberg.

Let Silicon Valley Speak

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 27, 2016 7:00am PDT · 10 comments

Peter Thiel. Photo by Bloomberg.

Let Silicon Valley Speak

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 27, 2016 7:00am PDT · 10 comments

These past few weeks, Silicon Valley’s been awash with controversies around tech leaders’ secret agendas for manipulating the news. Conservative leaders questioned the impartiality of a Facebook feature that curates the news. Commentators question whether Peter Thiel’s backing of anti-Gawker lawsuits is appropriate. These past few weeks, Silicon Valley’s been awash with controversies around tech...

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Raised Money at a Flat Share Price

By Alfred Lee and Tom Dotan · May 26, 2016 1:53pm PDT

Talk that Snapchat has boosted its valuation sharply is off base.Snapchat disclosed Thursday that it raised $1.81 billion dating back to last year, and some media outlets have reported it was at a valuation as high as $22 billion. Talk that Snapchat has boosted its valuation sharply is off base.Snapchat disclosed Thursday that...

Elisabeth Murdoch. Photo by Flickr/Nordiske Mediedager.

Media Exec Joins Liz Murdoch’s Video Firm

By Tom Dotan · May 26, 2016 10:26am PDT

Former Vimeo executive Greg Clayman has joined Elisabeth Murdoch’s new company, Vertical Networks, which is creating original content for Snapchat, according to multiple people briefed on the situation. He will be U.S. president of the firm.Mr. Clayman left Vimeo, the IAC-owned video streaming site, in January. He previously worked at both... Former Vimeo executive Greg Clayman has joined Elisabeth Murdoch’s new company, Vertical...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Eyes More Retail Dollars With “Shoppable” Video Ads

By Cory Weinberg · May 26, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Facebook next month will start testing a type of video ad promoting products that users could tap and buy, a person briefed by the social network said. The ad format is the next step in Facebook’s strategy to prove to marketers its ads can drive consumer purchases, not just raise brand awareness.“Shoppable video ads,” as the ad... Facebook next month will start testing a type of video ad promoting products that users could tap...

Source: PitchBook. Graphic by Peter Schulz.

The Downside of IPO Veto Rights

By Alfred Lee · May 25, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Source: PitchBook. Graphic by Peter Schulz.

The Downside of IPO Veto Rights

By Alfred Lee · May 25, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

When Jet.com joined the ranks of billion-dollar startups in November by raising money at a $1.62 billion valuation, CEO Marc Lore told the media that the deal terms were “clean”—implying that investors did not receive onerous protections that might hurt certain classes of shareholders later.It’s true that the e-commerce... When Jet.com joined the ranks of billion-dollar startups in November by raising money at a $1.62...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Opening Siri, Developing Echo Rival

By Amir Efrati · May 24, 2016 1:23pm PDT · 3 comments

Apple is upping its game in the field of intelligent assistants. After years of internal debate and discussion about how to do so, the company is preparing to open up Siri to apps made by others. And it is working on an Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer.... Apple is upping its game in the field of intelligent assistants. After years of internal debate...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with Frank Gehry in 2012, looking at an earlier phase of Facebook's real estate expansion plan. Photo by Flickr/Forgemind.

Facebook’s Outreach Keeps Local Tensions at Bay

By Cory Weinberg · May 24, 2016 7:02am PDT

The Menlo Park neighborhood where Facebook is headquartered doesn’t have a grocery store. So Facebook operates a farmer’s market in its parking lot each Saturday and will likely build a store on the campus in the future.The company also foots the bill for affordable housing and a new police station in the neighborhood. CEO Mark... The Menlo Park neighborhood where Facebook is headquartered doesn’t have a grocery store....

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

The Non-Monetizable Product Blind Spot

By Sam Lessin · May 23, 2016 10:01am PDT · 9 comments

Why, in 2016, is there still no good, widely available, digital address book? Why is mobile calendaring still so incredibly broken? Why is there no widely used news reader or personal journal? It isn’t for lack of trying. These are all well-known consumer problems littered with startup failures and big company misses. Why, in 2016, is there still no good, widely available, digital address book? Why is mobile...

A self-driving Mitsubishi car. Photo by Bloomberg.

Self-Driving Car Startups to Watch

By Reed Albergotti · May 23, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

A self-driving Mitsubishi car. Photo by Bloomberg.

Self-Driving Car Startups to Watch

By Reed Albergotti · May 23, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

The autonomous car movement is driving a vast array of startups, many with only a peripheral link to cars.Startups developing biometrics and facial recognition technologies, for instance, are working with automakers that want to know if drivers are paying attention. That capability could help semi-autonomous cars know when the computer should... The autonomous car movement is driving a vast array of startups, many with only a peripheral link...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · May 21, 2016 8:02am PDT

Good Morning!If it seems that tech news is all bots, all the time, that’s only partly right. Don’t forget the deals lurking in the background, from the sale of Yahoo to new fundraising rounds. Good Morning!If it seems that tech news is all bots, all the time, that’s only partly...

The Information’s 411 — Allo Like Guv’nor

By Tom Dotan · May 20, 2016 2:44pm PDT

Jessica and Tom talk about the difficulty in writing about machine learning, a profile of Chinese investor Jenny Zeng and why Snapchat isn't rushing into India.You can find our RSS feed here or subscribe via iTunes and SoundCloud. Jessica and Tom talk about the difficulty in writing about machine learning, a profile of Chinese...

Our Top Comments of the Week

By The Information Staff · May 20, 2016 11:39am PDT

Here are this week’s top comments as selected by our reporters and editors. Here are this week’s top comments as selected by our reporters and editors.

Machine Learning, AI and Bullshit Detection

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 20, 2016 7:01am PDT · 8 comments

Machine Learning, AI and Bullshit Detection

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 20, 2016 7:01am PDT · 8 comments

Sometimes I feel like Silicon Valley has become one big collective company. Name a major tech company that isn’t working on all of the following: VR, bots, personal assistants, home speakers, messaging apps.And on the face of it, very little sets apart the Google flavor of these products—unveiled at the I/O conference this... Sometimes I feel like Silicon Valley has become one big collective company. Name a major tech...