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

Tesla Lost its Maps Leader

By Amir Efrati · Aug 15, 2016 1:20pm PDT · 1 comment

Bill Chen, who was leading maps and navigation engineering efforts at Tesla Motors, has left the company after nearly two years. Tesla and Mr. Chen confirmed his departure but declined further comment.Mapping practitioners who have worked with Mr. Chen view the move as a negative sign for Tesla’s autonomous vehicle effort, which is already... Bill Chen, who was leading maps and navigation engineering efforts at Tesla Motors, has left the...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Olympic Coverage: The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

By Sam Lessin · Aug 15, 2016 10:16am PDT · 10 comments

I have been very impressed with the access that NBC is providing to the Olympics. It feels like, finally, the decades-old dream of access to all the events, whenever I want, on whatever terms I want, has been delivered. It has been a pleasure to get to see some great, highly popular sports like gymnastics, swimming, and the big track and field... I have been very impressed with the access that NBC is providing to the Olympics. It feels like,...

A Unity Technologies booth at a 2013 game developers conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

U.S. Private Tech Shares Hit Chinese Social Media

By Alfred Lee and Yunan Zhang · Aug 15, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Unity Technologies, maker of Pokemon Go’s game engine, raised a series C round last month, around the time Pokemon Go had started a sensation among gamers. Within weeks, pitches for Unity shares available on the secondary market started moving across China’s most popular messaging app. A WeChat group of more than 100 people... Unity Technologies, maker of Pokemon Go’s game engine, raised a series C round last month,...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 13, 2016 8:00am PDT

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 13, 2016 8:00am PDT

Good Morning!We may be deep into vacation time for many people but the news keeps coming. Here are our stories from this week. Good Morning!We may be deep into vacation time for many people but the news keeps coming. Here...

The Information’s 411 — Happy Ecosystem

By Tom Dotan · Aug 12, 2016 2:33pm PDT

Amir dives deep on LeEco to explain how the Chinese company works and what its plans are. Kevin makes his first appearance on the show to talk about Meg Whitman and the future of HPE. Amir dives deep on LeEco to explain how the Chinese company works and what its plans are. Kevin...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Senior AWS Executive to Depart

By Kevin McLaughlin and Steve Nellis · Aug 12, 2016 1:52pm PDT · 1 comment

Adam Selipsky, the head of sales and marketing at AWS and a lieutenant to CEO Andy Jassy, is leaving the company, according to four people familiar with the matter.Mr. Selipsky is one of the longest-serving members of the executive team at the $7.8 billion cloud computing business. He joined in 2005, before AWS was generating revenue, and is one... Adam Selipsky, the head of sales and marketing at AWS and a lieutenant to CEO Andy Jassy, is...

Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green. Photo by Bloomberg.

Lyft Rebuffs Acquisition Approach from GM

By Amir Efrati · Aug 12, 2016 12:32pm PDT · 2 comments

General Motors in recent weeks told Lyft it was interested in acquiring the company, according to a person briefed on the situation. After soliciting other potential strategic acquirers, Lyft rebuffed GM’s approach and decided to raise a new funding round instead, according to two people.GM mentioned a price it was willing to pay but that... General Motors in recent weeks told Lyft it was interested in acquiring the company, according to...

Jet.com CEO Marc Lore. Photo by AP.

How Walmart Can Play Amazon’s Game

By Steve Nellis · Aug 12, 2016 7:02am PDT · 8 comments

Jet.com CEO Marc Lore. Photo by AP.

How Walmart Can Play Amazon’s Game

By Steve Nellis · Aug 12, 2016 7:02am PDT · 8 comments

It’s Steve here, filling in for Jessica who’s on vacation. Walmart’s $3.3 billion purchase of Jet.com has prompted debate about whether the deal is a sign that Jet failed or not. A more interesting question is the impact Jet CEO Marc Lore will have on Walmart.com, which he’s taking over. Specifically, can Mr. Lore change... It’s Steve here, filling in for Jessica who’s on vacation. Walmart’s $3.3...

Top Comments of the Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 11, 2016 10:49am PDT

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

Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia. Photo by Flickr/LeWeb

Airbnb’s Growth Plans Hinge on Homeowners

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 11, 2016 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

Airbnb built an accommodation juggernaut by turning homeowners into temporary innkeepers. Now, as it plots its next phase of growth, the company is seeking new ways to wedge Airbnb more tightly into the lives of its amateur hosts. That’s what is driving its so-called “Magical Trips” program likely to be rolled out in November,... Airbnb built an accommodation juggernaut by turning homeowners into temporary innkeepers. Now, as...

Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Can HPE Spend Its Way to Growth?

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 10, 2016 10:01am PDT

Next month will mark five years since Meg Whitman joined Hewlett Packard. In that time she has streamlined the once-iconic Silicon Valley giant, including last year’s separation of the enterprise businesses from the consumer products operations. Now the question is what comes next, for both Ms. Whitman and the company she still runs,... Next month will mark five years since Meg Whitman joined Hewlett Packard. In that time she has...

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo by Bloomberg.

Pinterest Traffic To Publishers Drops

By Tom Dotan · Aug 10, 2016 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo by Bloomberg.

Pinterest Traffic To Publishers Drops

By Tom Dotan · Aug 10, 2016 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

Publishers that depend on Pinterest as a meaningful source of traffic, such as MarthaStewart.com, have seen a notable drop-off in recent months, according to publishing executives and new data. It's the latest reminder of the hazards for publishers of relying too much on social platforms for traffic.The traffic drop follows a change to... Publishers that depend on Pinterest as a meaningful source of traffic, such as MarthaStewart.com,...

Sen. Rob Portman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech Industry’s Hope for Tax Relief on Foreign Cash

By Steve Nellis · Aug 9, 2016 10:01am PDT · 10 comments

If Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet had their way, they’d bring back some of the tens of billions of dollars they have stuck overseas without taking a huge tax hit. The outcome of November’s election could determine whether they get their wish.With an estimated $2.5 trillion in company coffers parked offshore—much of it held by... If Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet had their way, they’d bring back some of the tens of...

Art by Jeff Greco.

Investors’ Web of Influence in Ride-Sharing Firms

By Amir Efrati · Aug 9, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

The greatest wealth creation vehicle in the internet sector in recent years, ride-sharing companies, is concentrated among relatively few investors. That means those investors could have an influence in pushing for further consolidation in the sector.About 16 investors, including hedge fund Coatue Management and China Investment Corporation, a... The greatest wealth creation vehicle in the internet sector in recent years, ride-sharing...

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Jawbone Tested Market for Buyer, Delays August Payment

By Amir Efrati and Reed Albergotti · Aug 8, 2016 12:03pm PDT · 3 comments

Jawbone, the iconic but long-troubled wearable electronics maker, in recent months has approached at least one hardware manufacturer about possibly selling itself, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion.There are other signs the company, which primarily makes bracelet-like fitness trackers, isn’t in great shape. Jawbone... Jawbone, the iconic but long-troubled wearable electronics maker, in recent months has approached...

LeEco founder Jia Yueting at an event in Beijing in April, 2015. Photo by AP.

LeEco, ‘Netflix of China,’ Comes to America with Big Promises

By Amir Efrati and Yunan Zhang · Aug 8, 2016 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

LeEco founder Jia Yueting at an event in Beijing in April, 2015. Photo by AP.

LeEco, ‘Netflix of China,’ Comes to America with Big Promises

By Amir Efrati and Yunan Zhang · Aug 8, 2016 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

If you know someone working in Silicon Valley in anything from software engineering to microchips to hardware marketing to PR, there’s a good chance that they’ve heard from a recruiter at LeEco this year. The company, often dubbed the “Netflix of China,” is aggressively adding employees to its U.S. arm based in San Jose.... If you know someone working in Silicon Valley in anything from software engineering to microchips...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Aug 6, 2016 8:01am PDT

Good Morning!Didi won the ride-sharing race in China. Now another set of races are kicking off today in Rio. Hopefully the Olympics won’t burn as much money as the Chinese ride-sharing battle. Good Morning!Didi won the ride-sharing race in China. Now another set of races are kicking off...

The Information’s 411 — Crush Them With Cash

By Steve Nellis · Aug 5, 2016 5:05pm PDT

In this week’s podcast, Amir talks about the implications for the global ride-sharing market of Didi Chuxing purchase of Uber’s Chinese operations. Yunan discusses the rude awakening that Uber’s roughly 800 employees in China got when they came to work the day of the deal. In this week’s podcast, Amir talks about the implications for the global ride-sharing...

Didi Chuxing CEO Cheng Wei. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Deeper Significance of Didi Chuxing

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 5, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Didi Chuxing’s acquisition of UberChina drew plenty of headlines this week from outlets including this one. (One of my favorites is here.) Yet a piece of the story remains misunderstood: how Didi won. Reporters and other general tech observers have been quick to blame the Chinese government, which has and continues to stymie so many... Didi Chuxing’s acquisition of UberChina drew plenty of headlines this week from outlets...

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

BlackRock Marks Down Jawbone Shares to Under One Cent

By Alfred Lee · Aug 4, 2016 6:24pm PDT

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

BlackRock Marks Down Jawbone Shares to Under One Cent

By Alfred Lee · Aug 4, 2016 6:24pm PDT

A BlackRock fund has marked down its equity stake in Jawbone to less than a penny per share, according to a Thursday securities filing. The markdown may suggest that BlackRock lacks confidence that the company will fetch enough in a sale to pay off equity holders.The markdown disclosed in Thursday’s filing relates to a portion of an equity... A BlackRock fund has marked down its equity stake in Jawbone to less than a penny per share,...