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

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Severed Ties with Server Supplier After Security Concern

By Amir Efrati · Feb 23, 2017 3:44pm PST · 4 comments

In early 2016, Apple discovered what it believed was a potential security vulnerability in at least one data center server it purchased from a U.S.-based manufacturer, Super Micro Computer, according to a Super Micro executive and two people who were briefed about the incident at Apple. The server was part of Apple’s technical... In early 2016, Apple discovered what it believed was a potential security vulnerability in at...

Stacks of Chinese RMB currency to be handed out to workers at a real estate project in China last month. Photo by AP.

China’s Trapped Money

By Shai Oster · Feb 23, 2017 7:02am PST · 2 comments

There’s a story making the rounds of Chinese startup investors in Beijing and San Francisco. A Chinese firm wanted to invest a few million dollars in an overseas venture. To avoid tougher new regulations on taking money offshore, the firm’s principal sliced up the money and had 30 employees wire tranches of $50,000 each to a foreign... There’s a story making the rounds of Chinese startup investors in Beijing and San...

Source: The companies

Snap’s Spending Spree

By Tom Dotan and Mike Sullivan · Feb 22, 2017 11:06am PST · 1 comment

Snap may not be the most prolific buyer of startups, but it’s lapping the field when it comes to deal size. In the last two years, the company spent more money than either Twitter or Facebook did in the same period before their IPOs, on just a handful of deals.Snap has acquired four companies of note between 2015 and 2016, according to its... Snap may not be the most prolific buyer of startups, but it’s lapping the field when it...

Facebook's VP for messaging products, David Marcus, at F8 last year. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Messenger and “M” Are Shifting Gears

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 22, 2017 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Facebook's VP for messaging products, David Marcus, at F8 last year. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Messenger and “M” Are Shifting Gears

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 22, 2017 7:00am PST · 4 comments

After two years of trying to figure out ways to get commerce flowing through Messenger, with little success, Facebook is taking a new tack. Messenger is trying to find ways to inject buttons into conversations between friends when it thinks they intend to do things like make restaurant reservations, buy tickets to something or order food. The... After two years of trying to figure out ways to get commerce flowing through Messenger, with...

Former SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White. Photo by Bloomberg.

SEC Looking at Employee Access to Private Tech Financials

By Alfred Lee · Feb 21, 2017 7:00am PST · 1 comment

When a former Domo employee in December won a legal fight for access to financial statements of the private software company, it highlighted an obscure Delaware law that gives investors the right to financial information of private tech firms in which they hold stock.That law applies only to Delaware-incorporated companies. But federal... When a former Domo employee in December won a legal fight for access to financial statements of...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

The Return of History: Google Photos and Personal Big Data

By Sam Lessin · Feb 20, 2017 7:00am PST · 7 comments

For the last several years, thanks to social media, people have valued photos for the attention they immediately garner when shared. The value of a photo as a piece of history, or a memory, while once primary, has been mostly relegated to a relative afterthought.When barriers to sharing were far higher, in the days before social media, much more... For the last several years, thanks to social media, people have valued photos for the attention...

Photo by Bloomberg.

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Feb 18, 2017 8:01am PST

Good Morning!Snap is going to market, trying to pitch itself as a unique blend of Silicon Valley and Hollywood. And no wonder: It has the losses of a tech startup combined with the anemic growth of a media company. Good Morning!Snap is going to market, trying to pitch itself as a unique blend of Silicon Valley...

The Information’s 411 — What is Watson?

By Tom Dotan · Feb 17, 2017 12:38pm PST

The Information’s 411 — What is Watson?

By Tom Dotan · Feb 17, 2017 12:38pm PST

Kevin explains how IBM uses Watson's consumer brand to sell to enterprises. Juro makes his first appearance on the podcast to discuss the big funding plans for Alibaba's Ant Financial as well as Huawei's narrowing profits on smartphones. Kevin explains how IBM uses Watson's consumer brand to sell to enterprises. Juro makes his...

David Marcus, Facebook VP for messaging products. Photo by Bloomberg.

Bots and Humans Strain to Get Along on Messenger, Twitter

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 17, 2017 7:01am PST · 6 comments

When customers started chatting with 1-800-Flowers.com on Facebook Messenger in recent months, they often received two different kinds of responses in the same thread. One would be an automated response run by a bot company that can serve up flower orders in a few taps. The other response would be from a human agent that signed his or her name,... When customers started chatting with 1-800-Flowers.com on Facebook Messenger in recent months,...

Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Cruise’s Self-Driving Cars May Not Be as Smart as They Appear

By Amir Efrati · Feb 16, 2017 12:26pm PST · 3 comments

Cruise Automation, the General Motors-owned autonomous car startup, turned heads in the self-driving car world earlier this month. Test results filed with California regulators implied that its self-driving software might be more advanced than that of Mercedes, Tesla, Bosch and Delphi. The results showed that the company’s workers had to... Cruise Automation, the General Motors-owned autonomous car startup, turned heads in the...

IBM Watson general manager David Kenny. Photo by AP.

Q&A

How IBM is Competing with Google in AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 16, 2017 7:01am PST · 5 comments

Amazon, Apple and Google have each built branded artificial intelligence-powered assistants in Alexa, Siri and Google Now. But it’s doubtful any are as broadly known as IBM Watson, which debuted on “Jeopardy!” six years ago this week and earlier this month was featured in a Super Bowl ad.Ironically, despite that wide name... Amazon, Apple and Google have each built branded artificial intelligence-powered assistants in...

Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim. Photo by Bloomberg.

China’s Tencent Eyes Indonesian Unicorn Go-Jek

By Juro Osawa · Feb 15, 2017 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim. Photo by Bloomberg.

China’s Tencent Eyes Indonesian Unicorn Go-Jek

By Juro Osawa · Feb 15, 2017 7:00am PST · 2 comments

The battle for Southeast Asia’s potentially huge mobile Internet market is getting intense. In the latest indication, Chinese Internet company Tencent Holdings is in talks about a possible investment in Go-Jek, Indonesia’s biggest mobile ride-hailing and delivery service, people familiar with the matter said.Go-Jek, backed by Sequoia... The battle for Southeast Asia’s potentially huge mobile Internet market is getting intense....

*No growth data available for HelloFresh in Q1 2015; Source: Slice Intelligence

Growth Cools Off for Blue Apron, HelloFresh

By Cory Weinberg and Mike Sullivan · Feb 14, 2017 10:48am PST · 12 comments

The novelty of ordering a “meal kit,” to make dinner at home, appears to be wearing thin.Blue Apron and HelloFresh, the two biggest startups that ship recipes and ingredients to customers, saw a sharp slowdown in growth in the second half of last year, new data shows. After posting more than 200% increases in new buyers every quarter... The novelty of ordering a “meal kit,” to make dinner at home, appears to be wearing...

Photo by Jessica Stark.

How Snap Discovered Android

By Tom Dotan and Amir Efrati · Feb 14, 2017 7:02am PST

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel rarely appears in public or gives interviews. But in recent months, he could be found on Reddit, responding to complaints from Snapchat users about persistent problems with the Android version of the app.In one exchange last fall, Mr. Spiegel promised “[s]ignificant Android performance improvements coming early next... Snap CEO Evan Spiegel rarely appears in public or gives interviews. But in recent months, he...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snap Changed Employee Lockup Period

By Tom Dotan and Alfred Lee · Feb 13, 2017 2:42pm PST

Snap employees will be free to sell their stock on the public market at the same time as Snap’s co-founders and other pre-IPO investors, under new agreements offered to employees in recent weeks, according to a person familiar with the situation.This is a change from the timeframe contained in Snap’s previous agreements with... Snap employees will be free to sell their stock on the public market at the same time as...

A Snap banner at the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Snap’s IPO Lockup Hurts Employees

By Alfred Lee · Feb 13, 2017 11:01am PST

A Snap banner at the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Snap’s IPO Lockup Hurts Employees

By Alfred Lee · Feb 13, 2017 11:01am PST

About five months after Snap goes public early in March, it will cross an important milestone as a public company. At that time, co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy as well as other pre-IPO investors will be free to cash out and sell stock on the public markets, according to the IPO filing. But employees will have to wait another month... About five months after Snap goes public early in March, it will cross an important milestone as...

Art by Otto-Draws.

Modest Proposals

The Similarity Between Silicon Valley and Trump

By Sam Lessin · Feb 13, 2017 7:01am PST · 13 comments

For all the discussion about the relationship between Trump and Silicon Valley over the last several weeks, there is a deep narrative similarity that I think has gone under-acknowledged. It is this similarity between Trump and the Valley that is going to make it particularly difficult for them to work together in the coming months and... For all the discussion about the relationship between Trump and Silicon Valley over the last...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Feb 11, 2017 8:02am PST

Good Morning!Twitter once again missed earnings and the solution is clear. Donald Trump should become CEO and Jack Dorsey should serve as president—while remaining Square CEO. Good Morning!Twitter once again missed earnings and the solution is clear. Donald Trump should...

The Information’s 411 — Trump is an Influencer

By Tom Dotan · Feb 10, 2017 2:49pm PST

Amir and Tom talk about why Google bends over backwards for Snap, what transportation startups are on the rise and why Trump doesn't help Twitter. Amir and Tom talk about why Google bends over backwards for Snap, what transportation startups...

Huawei consumer business chief Richard Yu at CES last month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Huawei Sold More Phones but at Less Profit

By Juro Osawa · Feb 10, 2017 7:00am PST

Huawei consumer business chief Richard Yu at CES last month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Huawei Sold More Phones but at Less Profit

By Juro Osawa · Feb 10, 2017 7:00am PST

Last year, China’s Huawei enlisted Hollywood A-listers like Scarlett Johansson to help market its flagship phone in Europe and elsewhere. The campaign worked. Its handset shipments grew nearly 30% despite virtually no growth in the overall smartphone industry globally. There was only one problem: Profits dropped. The world’s... Last year, China’s Huawei enlisted Hollywood A-listers like Scarlett Johansson to help...