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

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Recent Editions

Technicians work on the the Dream Chaser at Sierra Space in 2023. Photo by Helen H. Richardson/ Getty Images

Sierra Space, Axiom Plot IPOs as SpaceX Feeds Frenzy

By Katie Roof · Jun 11, 2026 4:15pm PDT

It’s finally here! SpaceX Thursday officially priced its IPO at $135 per share, valuing the company at around $1.75 trillion, capping a frenetic six month stretch that defied many of the norms of initial public offerings. If the IPO goes well, expect to see more space public offerings soon.Sierra Space, for one, has been taking steps towards an... It’s finally here! SpaceX Thursday officially priced its IPO at $135 per share, valuing the...

Photo of Dario Amodei by Getty Images; art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic Blindsides Its Business Partners

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Jun 11, 2026 2:23pm PDT · 8 comments

Weeks before Anthropic in April revealed Claude Design, an AI tool for creating designs and software application prototypes, it asked firms including Figma and Canva to be “partners” of the launch announcement showcasing the tool’s capabilities. These two design firms, longtime Anthropic customers, saw the launch as an opportunity to show how... Weeks before Anthropic in April revealed Claude Design, an AI tool for creating designs and...

Art by Clark Miller.

AI Race Upends Big Tech Balance Sheets

By The Information Staff · Jun 11, 2026 1:18pm PDT

For years, the biggest tech companies occupied an unusual place in corporate America. They grew quickly and still generated so much cash that they could spend aggressively, buy back huge amounts of stock and even start paying dividends. That model helped make Big Tech look almost uniquely powerful: part growth company, part cash machine. A Deep... For years, the biggest tech companies occupied an unusual place in corporate America. They grew...

Anahita Tafvizi, chief data and AI officer at Snowflake. Photo courtesy of Snowflake

Snowflake Mounts Full-Court Press to Get Employees Using AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jun 11, 2026 11:47am PDT · 2 comments

Anahita Tafvizi, chief data and AI officer at Snowflake. Photo courtesy of Snowflake

Snowflake Mounts Full-Court Press to Get Employees Using AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jun 11, 2026 11:47am PDT · 2 comments

When Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy and CFO Brian Robins face Wall Street analysts on quarterly earnings calls nowadays, they’re armed with material from an internally developed AI agent. The agent tells the two executives the questions they’re expecting the analysts to ask and provides suggested answers.The agent prepares that material in... When Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy and CFO Brian Robins face Wall Street analysts on quarterly...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic Pursues First Data Center Leases, Seeks Financial Backing From Google

By Anissa Gardizy · Jun 11, 2026 9:30am PDT · 1 comment

Anthropic is moving forward with a plan to control its own servers for developing AI, giving it the ability to cut its computing costs in the long run. The maker of Claude in recent months has signed more than a dozen initial agreements, known as letters of intent, to lease data center facilities from various U.S. developers, according to... Anthropic is moving forward with a plan to control its own servers for developing AI, giving it...

Subscriber Survey

60% of Readers Say Hackers Have the Edge in Cybersecurity

By Shane Burke · Jun 11, 2026 8:00am PDT

A majority of The Information’s readers who responded to our latest subscriber survey believe attackers, not defenders, currently hold the advantage in cybersecurity. That comes as increasingly capable AI models and agents have introduced a double-edged sword in terms of cybersecurity issues. Developers can use the models for... A majority of The Information’s readers who responded to our latest subscriber survey believe...

Art via Mike Sullivan/Getty Images

Why Microsoft and Other Anthropic Customers Held Off On Using Claude Fable

By Aaron Holmes and Catherine Perloff · Jun 11, 2026 7:25am PDT

Anthropic’s latest AI is so good at coding tasks that many firms are willing to pay top dollar to use it even as Anthropic effectively raises prices. But some customers are holding off over cybersecurity concerns.In releasing its latest model, Claude Fable, Anthropic started a new policy of holding onto any data that customers feed into the... Anthropic’s latest AI is so good at coding tasks that many firms are willing to pay top dollar to...

Getty Images

Google Turns to Samsung for Future AI Chip as Capacity Tightens

By Qianer Liu · Jun 11, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Getty Images

Google Turns to Samsung for Future AI Chip as Capacity Tightens

By Qianer Liu · Jun 11, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Google is considering giving Samsung Electronics a crucial role in making a component of one of its most advanced future AI chips, as the ongoing manufacturing capacity crunch pushes chip firms to look for suppliers beyond Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. The U.S. tech giant is in talks with Samsung to manufacture part of a next-generation... Google is considering giving Samsung Electronics a crucial role in making a component of one of...

Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

German Court Ruling Against Google Spotlights AI Liability Question

By Martin Peers · Jun 10, 2026 5:00pm PDT

We got big news in the past couple of days concerning a European court ruling against Google. But bear with me, this is not one of those knee-jerk anti-U.S. tech decisions we often see coming out of Europe. This ruling makes some sense—and could have broader implications for the AI sector. A court in Germany found that Google is responsible for... We got big news in the past couple of days concerning a European court ruling against Google. But...

Art by Clark Miller.

The Information Finance

Elon Musk’s Very Loud IPO Quiet Period

By Dakin Campbell · Jun 10, 2026 10:16am PDT

Good morning! When Elon Musk tweeted details about SpaceX’s agreement with Anthropic late last month, saying the business deal was less durable than advertised, many investors and commentators seized on the fact that the details weren’t in the company’s initial public offering prospectus filed with regulators.They were right to point that out,... Good morning! When Elon Musk tweeted details about SpaceX’s agreement with Anthropic late last...

Dario Amodei. Photo via Getty Images

Anthropic’s New Model Targets Power Users But Cuts Off AI Rivals

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jun 10, 2026 7:00am PDT

App developers finally got their first real look at Anthropic’s Mythos Tuesday when Anthropic released a somewhat neutered version of the model, Claude Fable 5, following weeks of breathless chatter about it.Developers who tried the new model said the AI largely deserved the hype. They said it thoroughly outperformed earlier Anthropic models in... App developers finally got their first real look at Anthropic’s Mythos Tuesday when Anthropic...

Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq. Photo by Bill Ingalls/ Getty Images

How Nasdaq Turned Its Index Into a Listings Weapon

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 10, 2026 6:04am PDT · 2 comments

Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq. Photo by Bill Ingalls/ Getty Images

How Nasdaq Turned Its Index Into a Listings Weapon

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 10, 2026 6:04am PDT · 2 comments

When Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman took the stage at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C, in March, she wasn’t shy about how the company wields its stock indexes to woo business. In an interview with Carlyle Group Chair David Rubenstein, Friedman highlighted Nasdaq’s key distinction from rival exchanges: It also manages the influential Nasdaq-100... When Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman took the stage at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C, in March,...

From left to right: Jensen Huang, Sam Altman and Masayoshi Son. Photos via Getty Images.

OpenAI in Talks to Lease 10 Gigawatt Ohio Data Center with Backing From Nvidia

By Anissa Gardizy · Jun 9, 2026 7:07pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI is in advanced negotiations to lease a proposed 10 gigawatt data center campus on federal land in Ohio as part of a deal that could include financial backing from Nvidia, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions. The campus under discussion would be among the biggest of its kind, with a total cost of at least $500... OpenAI is in advanced negotiations to lease a proposed 10 gigawatt data center campus on federal...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images.

What’s Behind OpenAI’s Hedged IPO Bet

By Martin Peers · Jun 9, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Can OpenAI do anything simply? Many companies, when publicly acknowledging the possibility of an IPO, emphasize that the final decision will depend in part on “market conditions.” That’s what OpenAI’s rival Anthropic did last week. But the ChatGPT firm chose to be more cryptic. Revealing its confidential IPO filing on Monday, OpenAI said it... Can OpenAI do anything simply? Many companies, when publicly acknowledging the possibility of an...

Photo via Zum Mobility.

School Bus Startup Zum Takes Early Steps Toward IPO

By Valida Pau · Jun 9, 2026 4:00pm PDT

It may not seem like it now, as we barrel toward SpaceX’s public debut this week, but not every initial public offering will involve a $1.75 trillion rocket-ship company. Soon enough, public investors may get to judge a much more down-to-earth business: school bus fleets. Sequoia Capital-backed Zum, known for using its electric school buses to... It may not seem like it now, as we barrel toward SpaceX’s public debut this week, but not every...

Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/Getty

GM Doubles Down on Next-Gen Batteries in a Move on AI Data Centers

By Steve LeVine · Jun 9, 2026 2:00pm PDT

Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/Getty

GM Doubles Down on Next-Gen Batteries in a Move on AI Data Centers

By Steve LeVine · Jun 9, 2026 2:00pm PDT

For a year, General Motors has been talking up plans to commercialize a next-generation manganese-based battery that would help it bypass China’s dominance of the electric vehicle and battery industries. For a year, General Motors has been talking up plans to commercialize a next-generation...

Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Palantir CEO Pounces On Anthropic Spending Backlash

By Laura Bratton · Jun 9, 2026 10:35am PDT

Software companies and their shareholders have watched the recent growth of Anthropic and OpenAI with unease. But the mood is shifting as customers complain about AI costs, and the old guard smells blood in the water. Last week, Palantir CEO Alex Karp and his lieutenants told his customers at an event outside San Francisco that they’re... Software companies and their shareholders have watched the recent growth of Anthropic and OpenAI...

Craig Federighi speaks on a screen at WWDC 2026. Photo by Josh Edelson/Getty Images)

Anthropic’s Mythos Is Coming Today; Apple Pursues Modest Goals with Siri Revamp

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Aaron Tilley · Jun 9, 2026 7:06am PDT

Big news: Anthropic has a new version of a Mythos-class model coming later today called Claude Fable, according to a person with knowledge of the release. It’s a neutered version of Mythos with safeguards to protect against its misuse either in cybersecurity hacks or the construction of bioweapons, the person said.For those who have been living... Big news: Anthropic has a new version of a Mythos-class model coming later today called Claude...

Anthropic, OpenAI Stoke Brisk Pace of VC Fundraising

By Julia Hornstein · Jun 9, 2026 6:01am PDT · 1 comment

When Founders Fund earlier this year set out to raise its latest fund, a $6 billion vehicle to back mature startups like Anduril, it was the first time in the firm’s two-decade history it had asked its limited partners for more cash within two years of its prior fundraise. The reason: It had already blown through the $4.6 billion fund it raised... When Founders Fund earlier this year set out to raise its latest fund, a $6 billion vehicle to...

Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Databricks. Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Databricks in Talks for Valuation of at Least $165 Billion

By Katie Roof and Cory Weinberg · Jun 8, 2026 5:27pm PDT

Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Databricks. Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Databricks in Talks for Valuation of at Least $165 Billion

By Katie Roof and Cory Weinberg · Jun 8, 2026 5:27pm PDT

Databricks, a provider of database management software, has discussed raising more money in a funding round that could kick off within the next month, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the conversations. Databricks has indicated to investors the new round could lift its valuation to between $165 billion and $175 billion. That... Databricks, a provider of database management software, has discussed raising more money in a...