The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica E. Lessin and the team at The Information

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica E. 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

The Snapchat app. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Snap’s Redesign May Not Be Enough

By Tom Dotan · Nov 29, 2017 12:22pm PST · 2 comments

Snap pulled off the veil on its redesign today. It moves all stories and messages from friends to the left of Snapchat’s camera screen on a “Friend” page, whereas publisher and creator content is to the right on the “Discover” page. The redesign has two goals in mind: bring more users into the app, and appeal to... Snap pulled off the veil on its redesign today. It moves all stories and messages from friends to...

Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg

Android’s Andy Rubin Left Google After Inquiry Found Inappropriate Relationship

By Reed Albergotti · Nov 28, 2017 11:26pm PST · 3 comments

Andy Rubin, the creator of Android and a key executive at Google Inc. for nine years, left the company in 2014 shortly after an internal investigation determined that he had carried on an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, The Information has learned. Mr. Rubin has taken a leave of absence from his new smartphone startup, Essential,... Andy Rubin, the creator of Android and a key executive at Google Inc. for nine years, left the...

Art: Josh Brill

Most Big Private Tech Firms Fall Far Short on Governance

By Alfred Lee · Nov 28, 2017 6:46am PST · 1 comment

Despite their enormous size and influence, the biggest privately held technology companies eschew some basic corporate governance standards, blocking outside voices, limiting decision making to small groups of mostly white men and holding back on public disclosures, an in-depth analysis by The Information shows.Questions about governance of... Despite their enormous size and influence, the biggest privately held technology companies eschew...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Board Diversity Still Stumbling Block to Good Governance

By Sukhinder Singh Cassidy · Nov 28, 2017 6:45am PST · 1 comment

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Board Diversity Still Stumbling Block to Good Governance

By Sukhinder Singh Cassidy · Nov 28, 2017 6:45am PST · 1 comment

These days, there is a lot of discussion happening, in Silicon Valley and in other business environments, about building diverse boards. Yet far too often, if companies consider this issue at all, it is by “checking the box” after including one independent director or one woman on the board. What CEOs and boards instead should be... These days, there is a lot of discussion happening, in Silicon Valley and in other business...

Rush hour traffic on the 110 freeway in Los Angeles. Photo by AP.

Tech Firms See Opening to Tackle L.A. Traffic

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 27, 2017 10:01am PST · 4 comments

Travis VanderZanden, an investor in autonomous car companies like General Motors’ Cruise and a former executive at Lyft and Uber, wants to get people out of cars. After moving to Southern California last year—and confronting the city’s notorious traffic—he began work on a startup called Bird. The company recently launched... Travis VanderZanden, an investor in autonomous car companies like General Motors’ Cruise...

The seafood section of Alibaba's Hema grocery store in Shanghai. Photo by Juro Osawa.

Inside Alibaba’s Big Bet on Offline Retail

By Juro Osawa · Nov 27, 2017 7:01am PST · 4 comments

A grocery store in the basement of an unremarkable suburban mall in Shenzhen may not sound like one of Alibaba's hottest battlegrounds. But the e-commerce giant is using the store in the next phase of its expansion, aimed at transforming brick-and-mortar retail all over China.Hundreds of people crowded the Alibaba-owned store, called Hema,... A grocery store in the basement of an unremarkable suburban mall in Shenzhen may not sound like...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Nov 25, 2017 8:01am PST

Good Morning!This week Uber's new CEO revealed the company had previously covered up a massive data breach that affected millions of users. In a related story, we now know what Meg Whitman and Jeff Immelt said they were thankful for when they went around the table this Thanksgiving. Good Morning!This week Uber's new CEO revealed the company had previously covered up a...

The Information’s 411 — Meg’s Work Is (Finally) Done

By Tom Dotan · Nov 24, 2017 3:18pm PST

The Information’s 411 — Meg’s Work Is (Finally) Done

By Tom Dotan · Nov 24, 2017 3:18pm PST

Priya explains how Walmart and Amazon try to manage inventory in retail stores and what that means for Whole Foods. Kevin talks about the legacy of Meg Whitman at HP. Tom talks about how Snap's product changes will affect influencers and publishers. Priya explains how Walmart and Amazon try to manage inventory in retail stores and what that...

A Walmart employee restocking shelves. Photo by Bloomberg.

Walmart and Amazon Vie to Solve Retail Problem: What’s on the Shelf

By Priya Anand · Nov 24, 2017 7:01am PST · 4 comments

If, while visiting a store this holiday weekend, you pick up an item and then discard it in a different aisle, you’ve contributed to a big problem for the retailer. That is the challenge of tracking its inventory accurately. It’s a particular issue for delivery services like Instacart, which fulfill online orders from stock in retail... If, while visiting a store this holiday weekend, you pick up an item and then discard it in a...

Snapchat's app. Photo by AP.

How Snap’s Redesign Could Help, and Hurt, Publishers

By Tom Dotan · Nov 22, 2017 7:02am PST · 1 comment

When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel this month revealed plans to redesign the Snapchat app, he outlined a strategy to help celebrities and digital publishers get better distribution and make more money on the app. But while some new features could accomplish that goal, others could hurt traffic for media companies on the platform.The mixed impact of the... When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel this month revealed plans to redesign the Snapchat app, he outlined a...

Photo by Angie Silvy

Jobs@TheInformation

Join The Information as our Business Analyst

By The Information Staff · Nov 21, 2017 4:59pm PST

The Information is a San Francisco-based subscription 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 business, plenty of capital and... The Information is a San Francisco-based subscription publication known for original, in-depth...

Photo by AP.

KKR Faces Turmoil at Optiv, Its Big Security Bet

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 21, 2017 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Photo by AP.

KKR Faces Turmoil at Optiv, Its Big Security Bet

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 21, 2017 7:01am PST · 1 comment

When private equity giant KKR spent an estimated $2 billion to buy consulting firm Optiv Security in February, it said it hoped to build Optiv into one of the “most valuable security companies to their customers.” But this year, Optiv has repeatedly missed quarterly sales targets as it has struggled with changes in its sales approach... When private equity giant KKR spent an estimated $2 billion to buy consulting firm Optiv Security...

Snap's stock at the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by AP.

Another Female Executive Leaves Snap

By Tom Dotan · Nov 20, 2017 1:11pm PST · 3 comments

A senior Snap human resources executive, Kathy Mandato, abruptly left the company earlier this month, just five months after joining, said several people familiar with the situation. Ms. Mandato is the latest in a string of female executives who didn’t last long at Snap, including three others in HR roles as well as former COO Emily White.... A senior Snap human resources executive, Kathy Mandato, abruptly left the company earlier this...

Art: Scotty Reifsnyder

China Has a New Super App

By Yunan Zhang · Nov 20, 2017 10:02am PST · 1 comment

Meituan-Dianping, the world’s fourth-largest startup by valuation, is hardly known outside its native China. But Chinese consumers rely on it for everything from ordering lunch at the office to booking an overseas vacation. With 290 million monthly active users, it has reached a scale that sets it on a path to challenge larger rivals such... Meituan-Dianping, the world’s fourth-largest startup by valuation, is hardly known outside...

Benchmark partner Sarah Tavel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch

VC Firms Try New Recruiting Tactics to Hire Women

By Serena Saitto · Nov 20, 2017 7:02am PST · 6 comments

Venture capital firms typically recruit new partners by turning to people who have prior connections to existing partners. But amid an intensified push to find more women, some firms are trying a different tack.Some VC firms are using executive search firms to identify qualified female candidates who may not already be known by the existing... Venture capital firms typically recruit new partners by turning to people who have prior...

Modest Conversations: Runaway Objective Functions & Human Agency with Tim O’Reilly

By Sam Lessin · Nov 19, 2017 6:51pm PST

Modest Conversations

Modest Conversations: Runaway Objective Functions & Human Agency with Tim O’Reilly

By Sam Lessin · Nov 19, 2017 6:51pm PST

Tim and I discuss some of the thinking around his new book WTF - What’s The Future and Why It’s Up To Us. We talk in particular about our world of runaway objective functions, and the role human agency must play to manage to a future we want vs. one we do not. Tim and I discuss some of the thinking around his new book WTF - What’s The Future and Why...

An Alibaba-owned Hema grocery store in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

Alibaba to Invest $2.9 Billion in Chinese Retail Megastore Operator

By Juro Osawa · Nov 19, 2017 9:00am PST

Alibaba Group has agreed to invest about $2.9 billion in one of China’s largest operators of retail megastores, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investment in Sun Art Retail Group, one of Alibaba’s biggest deals to date, accelerates the e-commerce giant’s expansion into the offline retail world. The deal... Alibaba Group has agreed to invest about $2.9 billion in one of China’s largest operators...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

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

Good Morning!Twitter announced it will be punishing bad behavior by removing an account's blue “verified” checkmark. Further offenses get you lowered back to 140 characters and, finally, transform you back into a Russian bot. Good Morning!Twitter announced it will be punishing bad behavior by removing an account's...

The Information’s 411 — Who Is Ironman?

By Tom Dotan · Nov 17, 2017 2:08pm PST · 1 comment

Cory talks about Airbnb's cultural shift as it prepares the business for an eventual IPO. Kevin explains why Amazon Web Services is pushing into AI with "Ironman. Cory talks about Airbnb's cultural shift as it prepares the business for an eventual IPO....

Jessica Lessin interviews Twitter co-founder Ev Williams at The Information’s Silicon Valley Meets Hollywood event in Los Angeles. Photo: Angie Silvy

Ev Williams Predicts Tech Firms Will Compete on Trust

By Martin Peers · Nov 17, 2017 7:00am PST · 7 comments

Jessica Lessin interviews Twitter co-founder Ev Williams at The Information’s Silicon Valley Meets Hollywood event in Los Angeles. Photo: Angie Silvy

Silicon Valley Meets Hollywood

Ev Williams Predicts Tech Firms Will Compete on Trust

By Martin Peers · Nov 17, 2017 7:00am PST · 7 comments

Major tech companies are going to start competing on whose brand can be trusted the most, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams said, by seeking to limit misinformation from spreading in an unverified way on the internet.“Silicon Valley was kind of caught with their pants down” by the revelations of “manipulation and the degree of... Major tech companies are going to start competing on whose brand can be trusted the most, Twitter...