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

Source: Dealogic

Tech IPO Hopes Turn to 2018

By Serena Saitto · Sep 12, 2017 7:02am PDT

This hasn’t turned out to be the boom year for tech IPOs that some expected, so bankers and investors are turning their attention to 2018. At least a couple of high profile U.S. unicorns are expected to go public next year, including Dropbox and Peloton and maybe Airbnb. Less likely is Lyft, which now isn’t expected to go public... This hasn’t turned out to be the boom year for tech IPOs that some expected, so bankers and...

A Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Waymo self-driving technology in the Phoenix area. Photo: Waymo.

Q&A

Waymo CEO John Krafcik: Full Transcript

By Amir Efrati · Sep 11, 2017 9:30am PDT

On September 8, 2017, The Information met with Waymo CEO John Krafcik to discuss the company’s effort to partner with automakers, his outlook for the arrival of self driving cars, and the future of human-driven ride-hailing networks. Read the related article, Waymo CEO to Automakers: Your Future Is Tied to Us.Below is a transcript of the... On September 8, 2017, The Information met with Waymo CEO John Krafcik to discuss the...

Modest Proposals

The Future of Free Speech

By Sam Lessin · Sep 11, 2017 7:03am PDT · 1 comment

In the past several years technology has made speech dramatically more powerful and free than was conceivable in the past. In 2017, with a highly charged atmosphere locally and globally, the question of how the concept of freedom of speech is going to modernize is coming to the fore. A key issue is how far big internet platforms like Facebook... In the past several years technology has made speech dramatically more powerful and free than was...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Waymo CEO to Automakers: Your Future Is Tied to Us

By Amir Efrati · Sep 10, 2017 7:41pm PDT · 10 comments

Art by Matt Vascellaro

The Big Interview

Waymo CEO to Automakers: Your Future Is Tied to Us

By Amir Efrati · Sep 10, 2017 7:41pm PDT · 10 comments

Alphabet’s Waymo division sits on top of the nascent self-driving car industry in terms of reputation, experience and talent. Yet in an interview with The Information, Waymo CEO John Krafcik seemed determined to broadcast to the traditional car industry that he isn’t the enemy. In fact, he says, Waymo can be car makers’... Alphabet’s Waymo division sits on top of the nascent self-driving car industry in terms of...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 9, 2017 8:00am PDT

Good Morning!Amazon announced it was looking for a location for a second headquarters, setting off a race among U.S. cities to try to curry favor with Jeff Bezos. In other news, the mayor of Detroit announced he was changing the city's name to "Kindle Fire. Good Morning!Amazon announced it was looking for a location for a second headquarters, setting...

The Information’s 411 — Amazon’s Prime Locations

By Tom Dotan · Sep 8, 2017 1:25pm PDT · 1 comment

Priya talks about the competition among cities for Amazon's second headquarters. Then Cory and Kevin discuss the future of meal delivery companies and why, in the battle over data center operating systems, Mesosphere surrendered to Kubernetes. Priya talks about the competition among cities for Amazon's second headquarters. Then Cory...

Illustration by Josh Brill

Reality of ICO Ban: China Wants to Manage Digital Currency Platforms

By Shai Oster · Sep 8, 2017 7:00am PDT · 6 comments

China’s ban of initial coin offerings on Monday initially seemed to threaten the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies. But the ban isn’t as tough as it looks. What China is really doing is taking steps to manage cryptocurrency platforms so it can better control them.It’s telling that China didn’t curtail cryptocurrencies... China’s ban of initial coin offerings on Monday initially seemed to threaten the explosive...

ARKit being demonstrated on an iPad at WWDC in June. Photo by Bloomberg

How Apple’s New AR Software Could Shake Up the App World

By Reed Albergotti · Sep 7, 2017 7:02am PDT · 4 comments

ARKit being demonstrated on an iPad at WWDC in June. Photo by Bloomberg

How Apple’s New AR Software Could Shake Up the App World

By Reed Albergotti · Sep 7, 2017 7:02am PDT · 4 comments

When Apple unveils its 10th anniversary iPhone on Tuesday, the most interesting development won’t be the updated hardware. It will be the apps that run on the phone and take advantage of Apple’s new augmented reality software. That software will allow a completely new kind of app to emerge, one that can make it seem as if... When Apple unveils its 10th anniversary iPhone on Tuesday, the most interesting development...

Mesosphere CEO Florian Leibert and Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photos: AP and Bloomberg

In Cloud Software Wars, Mesosphere Bows to Kubernetes

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Sep 6, 2017 9:16am PDT · 3 comments

Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a startup that makes software for managing applications in data centers, is surrendering to its main rival, Kubernetes, a Google-created software, according to two people with knowledge of Mesosphere’s plans. Mesosphere is soon expected to allow... Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a...

Pressure on meal-kit companies has increased the odds of partnerships with big grocers such as Safeway. Photo by Flickr/Mike Mozart.

Blue Apron Competitors Explore Sales to Grocers, Food Manufacturers

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 6, 2017 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit competitors, while Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods has sent stocks tumbling for grocers. That has given grocery chains and meal-kit startups a larger appetite to combine forces, say industry experts and tech executives.Signs of consolidation... Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit...

Mic CEO Chris Altchek. Photo by Flickr/Ole Bader.

News Site Mic Looks to Cable for Video Revenue

By Tom Dotan · Sep 5, 2017 1:51pm PDT · 2 comments

Millennial-focused news company Mic is hoping to be picked up by cable.The news site is in discussions with several companies that sell so-called “skinny” bundles of cable channels to offer a channel of Mic-produced videos, said people close to Mic. If successful, Mic would join Cheddar and Vice as new-media firms that have tapped... Millennial-focused news company Mic is hoping to be picked up by cable.The news site is in...

UISEE's driverless golf cart (inset). Photos by UISEE

Why China’s Real Estate Developers Are Investing in Tech

By Shai Oster · Sep 5, 2017 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

UISEE's driverless golf cart (inset). Photos by UISEE

Why China’s Real Estate Developers Are Investing in Tech

By Shai Oster · Sep 5, 2017 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Underneath an upscale shopping mall in Hangzhou, China, property developer CapitaLand has teamed up with self-driving car startup UISEE Technologies Beijing to test a driverless golf cart for shuttling customers around. If the companies can work out the kinks, CapitaLand hopes to deploy the golf carts at a other projects, such as one on the... Underneath an upscale shopping mall in Hangzhou, China, property developer CapitaLand has teamed...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Sep 2, 2017 8:00am PDT

Happy Labor Day,We were going to make a joke about Google. But it seems to have disappeared from our computers. Happy Labor Day,We were going to make a joke about Google. But it seems to have disappeared from...

Source: Giphy

Jobs@TheInformation

Join The Information’s Expanding Engineering Team

By The Information Staff · Sep 1, 2017 4:25pm PDT · 1 comment

Senior 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 financially healthy... Senior Full-Stack EngineerAbout UsThe Information is a San Francisco-based business publication...

The Information’s 411 — Uber, schöner Götterfunken

By Tom Dotan · Sep 1, 2017 2:31pm PDT

Amir gives the backstory to the election of Uber's new CEO. He also explains why an internal controversy regarding employee compensation will be the new CEO's first order of business. Amir gives the backstory to the election of Uber's new CEO. He also explains why an internal...

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by Flickr/TCDNY 2013.

How Digital Execs Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Banner

By Tom Dotan · Sep 1, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by Flickr/TCDNY 2013.

How Digital Execs Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Banner

By Tom Dotan · Sep 1, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

The lowly, oft-derided banner ad is back in fashion. Call it pivoting from video.BuzzFeed’s announcement earlier this week that it was going to start selling banner ads on its web site signals a shift that has taken place among some social networks and publishers. For years those companies have complained about banner ads, hated and... The lowly, oft-derided banner ad is back in fashion. Call it pivoting from video.BuzzFeed’s...

Daniel Graf, Jeff Holden and Liane Hornsey. Photos by Mr. Graf, Bloomberg and Uber.

Uber’s Secret HR War Looms for New CEO

By Amir Efrati · Aug 31, 2017 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Uber’s top executives spent Tuesday evening at a hastily arranged dinner in San Francisco, gabbing and drinking with their new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi. Several board members, including former CEO Travis Kalanick, also attended. On Wednesday, they were all smiles again at Mr. Khosrowshahi’s first all-hands meeting with Uber employees.... Uber’s top executives spent Tuesday evening at a hastily arranged dinner in San Francisco,...

Source: Company Filings. Chart by Mike Sullivan.

Why Apple and Facebook Should Spend More on Video

By Martin Peers · Aug 30, 2017 10:34am PDT · 6 comments

Apple and Facebook’s tentative steps into video programming has fuelled a debate about so-called “peak TV”—the idea that there’s a bubble underway in the amount of new TV shows being made. But a look at how much more established media firms are spending on TV suggests these newer entrants will have to be much more... Apple and Facebook’s tentative steps into video programming has fuelled a debate about...

Airbnb CFO Laurence Tosi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Airbnb Joins Race for AI Talent

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 30, 2017 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

In a recent bidding war for an artificial intelligence startup, Facebook had an unexpected competitor: Airbnb. Earlier this summer the travel company offered to buy Ozlo, which built systems to understand people’s preferences for restaurants based on conversations, according to two people briefed on the matter. Airbnb eventually lost to... In a recent bidding war for an artificial intelligence startup, Facebook had an unexpected...

President Trump with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House meeting in June. Photo by Bloomberg.

Once a Lobbying Lightweight, Amazon Strengthens Voice in Washington

By Priya Anand · Aug 29, 2017 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

President Trump with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House meeting in June. Photo by Bloomberg.

Once a Lobbying Lightweight, Amazon Strengthens Voice in Washington

By Priya Anand · Aug 29, 2017 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

President Trump regularly lashes out against Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, alleging that the company is hurting retailers and that Mr. Bezos uses The Washington Post, which he owns, to protect his interests. But to make its voice heard in Washington, Amazon has ramped up spending on lobbying and this year has hired a number of policy... President Trump regularly lashes out against Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, alleging...