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

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Jobs@TheInformation

Be The Information’s Blade Runner (or AI Reporter)

By The Information Staff · May 18, 2016 4:01pm PDT

Rarely do we know when we're at ground zero of a revolution. More than ever before, artificial intelligence—and machine learning in particular—is changing the way technology companies like Google, Facebook and Apple build new products and improve existing ones. It's also rapidly changing robotics and enabling self-driving... Rarely do we know when we're at ground zero of a revolution. More than ever before,...

Jobs@TheInformation

puts “Hello Information Engineering”

By The Information Staff · May 18, 2016 4:00pm PDT

Full-Stack EngineerAbout UsThe Information is a San Francisco-based business publication known for original, in-depth reporting about the technology industry. We’re the go-to daily read for the most important people in technology and business and are building a one-of-a kind community of subscribers. We have a sustainable business, plenty... Full-Stack EngineerAbout UsThe Information is a San Francisco-based business publication known...

Former Android chief Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Smoking Gun in Android Antitrust Case

By Amir Efrati · May 18, 2016 10:12am PDT

When Europe’s antitrust regulator announced its preliminary findings in its case against Google last month, it said it found evidence that “Google’s conduct” stopped manufacturers selling smart phones using a variant of Android. One episode the EU might be talking about: Acer’s 2012 abandonment of that kind of... When Europe’s antitrust regulator announced its preliminary findings in its case against...

VSCO co-founder Joel Flory. Photo by Cory Weinberg.

VSCO Tries to Get More Love Without Likes

By Cory Weinberg · May 18, 2016 7:00am PDT

VSCO co-founder Joel Flory. Photo by Cory Weinberg.

The Big Interview

VSCO Tries to Get More Love Without Likes

By Cory Weinberg · May 18, 2016 7:00am PDT

If Snapchat is the goofball and Instagram is the cheerleader in the hallway of photo sharing apps, then VSCO is the insular arts kid spending free period in the film lab. But now VSCO wants to make more friends. VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Company, has more than 30 million monthly users, nearly three-quarters of whom are under 24. Its... If Snapchat is the goofball and Instagram is the cheerleader in the hallway of photo sharing...

Photo by Bloomberg..

Following Facebook and Microsoft, Google Gets Messaging Bots

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · May 17, 2016 1:05pm PDT · 2 comments

Google is about to join the “bot” craze gripping Silicon Valley.Reports that Google was working on a way for people to use its smartphone messenger to chat with businesses—or Google itself—have circulated for months. But we’ve recently learned more details about the company’s messaging effort and that it is... Google is about to join the “bot” craze gripping Silicon Valley.Reports that Google...

Source: PrivCo

Microsoft Passes Google in Tech M&A

By Reed Albergotti and Peter Schulz · May 17, 2016 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

Any startup founder looking to sell should approach Google, the most active acquirer of private tech companies, data shows. But it’s worth talking to Microsoft and IBM as well.In each of the past four years, Google has ranked in the top three of tech acquirers, the only company to show up so high so often. Facebook, Twitter and Cisco were... Any startup founder looking to sell should approach Google, the most active acquirer of private...

Evan Spiegel, left. Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images.

Why Snapchat Doesn’t Care About India

By Tom Dotan · May 17, 2016 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

For most tech companies, expanding in the second most populous nation, India, is central to their growth roadmap. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last year hosted India’s prime minister at his company’s headquarters. Apple CEO Tim Cook is about to tour the country.But there’s one tech company that won’t be turning its focus... For most tech companies, expanding in the second most populous nation, India, is central to their...

Matt Grob. Photo by AP.

Qualcomm Sees a Future After Smartphones

By Amir Efrati · May 16, 2016 10:01am PDT

Matt Grob. Photo by AP.

Q&A

Qualcomm Sees a Future After Smartphones

By Amir Efrati · May 16, 2016 10:01am PDT

Matt Grob can see the future. Mr. Grob helped develop the first smartphone chips and is now in charge of long-term research and development at chip maker Qualcomm, which works with and influences the product roadmaps of Apple, Samsung Electronics, Google and nearly every other electronics maker of consequence. So he’s uniquely qualified to... Matt Grob can see the future. Mr. Grob helped develop the first smartphone chips and is now in...

Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg. Other executive photos by Microsoft.

The New Blood To Watch at Microsoft

By Steve Nellis · May 16, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s CEO, there’s been talk of a “new Microsoft” that is fighting for every scrap of relevance with consumers and businesses. Some of that is true—Azure has become a strong rival to AWS, for instance. But what hasn’t changed much is how veterans still dominate the... Since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s CEO, there’s been talk of a “new...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · May 14, 2016 8:01am PDT

Good Morning!For those of you who enjoy lanyards and late-night carousing, smile, it’s tech conference season. This past week saw a series of software-as-a-service gatherings. Next week, of course, is Google I/O. Here are our stories from this week. Good Morning!For those of you who enjoy lanyards and late-night carousing, smile, it’s tech...

The Information’s 411 — Trust Our Machines

By Tom Dotan · May 13, 2016 1:16pm PDT

Cory, Stephen and Tom talk about Apple's investment in Didi Chuxing, Uber's cloud infrastructure, the privacy questions around bots and the costs of getting on Snapchat Discover.You can find our RSS feed here or subscribe via iTunes and SoundCloud. Cory, Stephen and Tom talk about Apple's investment in Didi Chuxing, Uber's cloud...

Our Top Comments of the Week

By The Information Staff · May 13, 2016 9:24am PDT

Our Top Comments of the Week

By The Information Staff · May 13, 2016 9:24am 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.

What Apple’s Investment in Didi Means

By Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati · May 12, 2016 11:33pm PDT · 1 comment

Jessica and Amir here, with breaking reporting about Apple’s surprising $1 billion investment in China’s Didi Chuxing.Thursday night, Apple—which has only invested big sums in a tiny handful of companies in its entire history—announced the investment in China’s dominant ride-sharing company and the thorn in... Jessica and Amir here, with breaking reporting about Apple’s surprising $1 billion...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Airbnb, Palantir Markdowns Split Mutual Funds

By Alfred Lee · May 12, 2016 12:14pm PDT · 1 comment

Recent markdowns of Airbnb and Palantir by Morgan Stanley funds have resulted in what may be the most extreme disparities yet between mutual fund valuations of private tech companies. They appear to reflect wide variations in revenue multiples used to calculate valuations, filings show. The gaps highlight a continuing debate among companies,... Recent markdowns of Airbnb and Palantir by Morgan Stanley funds have resulted in what may be the...

Viv co-founder Dag Kittlaus. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

The Privacy Questions Facing AI’s Personal Assistants

By Cory Weinberg · May 12, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

When Viv co-founder Dag Kittlaus unveiled his startup’s new personal assistant earlier this week, he showed off how easy it was to send his mother flowers, order a ride and book a hotel room through voice commands. “Have you ever seen a hotel booking that was that simple before?” he asked.It was simple not only because... When Viv co-founder Dag Kittlaus unveiled his startup’s new personal assistant earlier this...

Eddy Cue showing off Siri in 2013. Photo by AP.

Early Siri Engineer Departs Apple for GE

By Amir Efrati · May 11, 2016 11:23am PDT

Eddy Cue showing off Siri in 2013. Photo by AP.

Early Siri Engineer Departs Apple for GE

By Amir Efrati · May 11, 2016 11:23am PDT

One of the last members of the original Siri team has left Apple for General Electric, said two people with knowledge of the move.Darren Haas, 41 years old, quit a few weeks after another former Siri team member, Steve D’Aurora, decamped for GE.Political infighting has engulfed Apple’s engineering ranks after the company decided to... One of the last members of the original Siri team has left Apple for General Electric, said two...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Private Tech CFOs to Watch

By Alfred Lee · May 11, 2016 7:01am PDT

No two private tech CFOs are alike, and understanding what a CFO in Silicon Valley actually does can require some work. Yet the role of chief financial officer remains deeply important as companies like Uber, Airbnb, Xiaomi and WeWork operate in new territory as private tech companies that have raised tens of billions of dollars. No two private tech CFOs are alike, and understanding what a CFO in Silicon Valley actually does...

Sources: PrivCo; The Information research

How Private Tech Really Stacks Up

By Peter Schulz and Martin Peers · May 10, 2016 12:04pm PDT · 1 comment

Despite all the attention given to private tech firms with multibillion-dollar valuations, these so-called “unicorns” are more like ponies compared to the country's largest private companies.Take Cargill, the agricultural behemoth, which reported revenue of $120 billion in 2015 and is one of the biggest private U.S. companies,... Despite all the attention given to private tech firms with multibillion-dollar valuations, these...

Snapchat's VP of content, Nick Bell. Photo by Getty Images.

The Cost of Joining Snapchat’s Discover

By Tom Dotan · May 10, 2016 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

For media companies trying to gain or maintain a spot on Snapchat’s digital magazine section, Discover, the company has made one thing clear: Access doesn’t come cheap.For example, Snapchat requires some firms with channels on Discover, such as Vox Media and Tastemade, to pay Snapchat a guaranteed minimum amount of money over a... For media companies trying to gain or maintain a spot on Snapchat’s digital magazine...

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Shift, Uber Seeks Bids for Cloud Business

By Amir Efrati and Steve Nellis · May 9, 2016 1:26pm PDT

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Shift, Uber Seeks Bids for Cloud Business

By Amir Efrati and Steve Nellis · May 9, 2016 1:26pm PDT

There’s a new hot contract up for grabs in the cloud market: Uber.The ride-hailing company is taking bids from “public” cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft to handle a small but important slice of its infrastructure, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. Uber is already testing some... There’s a new hot contract up for grabs in the cloud market: Uber.The ride-hailing company...