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

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

The Ad Tech Company Google Pays Attention To

By Amir Efrati · Feb 4, 2015 10:23am PST · 3 comments

It’s a tall order to compete with Google and Facebook in selling digital ads. That’s especially true for the hundreds of advertising technology firms that sell ads on sites or apps owned by other companies. Many know they face slim odds as standalone entities. So they typically sell themselves to Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and others that... It’s a tall order to compete with Google and Facebook in selling digital ads. That’s especially...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Ad Evolution Leaves Ad Exchange Behind

By Tom Dotan · Feb 4, 2015 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Three years after Facebook launched its Ad Exchange that marked an aggressive entry into the use of real-time bidding technology in ad sales, the social media giant is changing direction, causing waves among both advertisers and ad tech firms. In recent months, as part of its shift in advertising strategy toward mobile, and in particular... Three years after Facebook launched its Ad Exchange that marked an aggressive entry into the use...

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Photo by Bloomberg.

Yahoo’s Product Problem

By Amir Efrati · Feb 3, 2015 10:00am PST · 2 comments

For Yahoo, there are some daunting things about relinquishing its stake in Alibaba Group Holding, not the least of which is this: In the two and a half years since Marissa Mayer became CEO, the company’s product group hasn’t been very productive. To survive after it sheds two-thirds of its value from the upcoming Alibaba stake spin-off, Yahoo... For Yahoo, there are some daunting things about relinquishing its stake in Alibaba Group Holding,...

MongoDB co-founders Dwight Merriman (left) and Kevin Ryan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Taking on Oracle: Inside MongoDB’s Headwinds

By Steve Nellis · Feb 3, 2015 7:01am PST

MongoDB co-founders Dwight Merriman (left) and Kevin Ryan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Taking on Oracle: Inside MongoDB’s Headwinds

By Steve Nellis · Feb 3, 2015 7:01am PST

For the startups vying to attack the $34 billion-plus database market Oracle Corp. has dominated for decades, creating software popular with developers doesn’t guarantee success. Figuring out a sales strategy is crucial. Take MongoDB, so well positioned among the young companies nipping at Oracle’s heels that last summer it was valued at $1.2... For the startups vying to attack the $34 billion-plus database market Oracle Corp. has dominated...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Subscriber Survey

Predicting the Next Batch of Tech IPOs and More

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 2, 2015 10:00am PST

If the early days of 2015 are any indication, we can expect a big year for tech. January saw some exciting product announcements (Microsoft HoloLens), funding news (Uber, again), IPOs (Box) and controversy (continued grumbling about Twitter management).The Information subscribers are still upbeat about the tech sector and the economy, while... If the early days of 2015 are any indication, we can expect a big year for tech. January saw some...

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amid Wireless Shake-Up, Comcast Is Elephant In the Room

By Amir Efrati and Martin Peers · Feb 2, 2015 7:01am PST

Two decades of vacillation within the U.S. pay-TV industry about jumping into wireless telephony is nearing an end, turning up the pressure on traditional carriers like Verizon and AT&T. The latest signal: disclosure on Friday that Dish Network bid $13 billion for extra wireless spectrum in the just-concluded federal auction. The... Two decades of vacillation within the U.S. pay-TV industry about jumping into wireless...

Is Time the New Click Bait?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 30, 2015 2:59pm PST · 1 comment

So Snapchat wants to become a media company. This week it showed off the long-rumored Discover, a way to watch and read stories from publishers like Yahoo and Vice by swiping to a new screen on the messaging service. It’s too early to say what Discover will mean for Snapchat or publishers. (For my suspicions on the latter, see this.) But... So Snapchat wants to become a media company. This week it showed off the long-rumored Discover, a...

With Ad Push, Pinterest Wants To Take On Google

By Tom Dotan · Jan 30, 2015 7:00am PST

With Ad Push, Pinterest Wants To Take On Google

By Tom Dotan · Jan 30, 2015 7:00am PST

Pinterest, with its inspirational picture boards that often feature life-affirming mantras, is sometimes regarded as tech’s most non-threatening giant. But with its recent ad-sales push, gunning squarely for the giant money machine that is Google AdWords, Pinterest is turning that reputation on its head. Not that Google needs to quake in its... Pinterest, with its inspirational picture boards that often feature life-affirming mantras, is...

Younger Tech Firms Learn Art of Control

By Martin Peers · Jan 29, 2015 11:01am PST

As most investors and corporate executives know, Wall Street is driven by short-term expectations. That means any CEO wanting to make big bets that will play out over the long term better have absolute control of his or her company. Otherwise, activist investors are apt to appear. That’s a lesson taken to heart by the generation of tech... As most investors and corporate executives know, Wall Street is driven by short-term...

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos with Tory Bruno from United Launch Alliance. photo by Bloomberg

Bezos’ Steady Selling Leaves Amazon Vulnerable

By Martin Peers · Jan 29, 2015 7:00am PST

In popular imagination, Amazon.com ranks alongside Google and Facebook as a tech giant able to make long-term bets by virtue of a founder who controls the company and a cash-spewing core business. In reality, however, Amazon has never spewed that much cash, and its founder has been slowly liquidating his stake. Since taking the company public in... In popular imagination, Amazon.com ranks alongside Google and Facebook as a tech giant able to...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

GitHub Tries to Grow Up

By Steve Nellis · Jan 28, 2015 10:30am PST

GitHub has become the top destination for developers who want to collaborate on code. It has 8.3 million users who work together on 19.1 million software projects hosted on its site. These range from Bootstrap, a popular framework for building mobile websites, to AngularJS, a Google-backed tool for building web apps. Founded in 2008, GitHub is... GitHub has become the top destination for developers who want to collaborate on code. It has 8.3...

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal. Photo via Wikipedia.

To Fight Amazon in India, Flipkart Borrows Advertising Playbook

By Amir Efrati · Jan 28, 2015 7:00am PST

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal. Photo via Wikipedia.

To Fight Amazon in India, Flipkart Borrows Advertising Playbook

By Amir Efrati · Jan 28, 2015 7:00am PST

Both Amazon and Alibaba have demonstrated that selling digital ads can be a profitable antidote to the low margins inherent in selling goods online. Now Flipkart, India’s e-commerce leader whose backers include Yuri Milner and Tiger Global, is trying to follow suit. Flipkart already sells basic sponsored listings and home page ads to marketers... Both Amazon and Alibaba have demonstrated that selling digital ads can be a profitable antidote...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Asked and Answered

Our Views on the Apple Watch, a Facebook Video Service and More

By The Information Staff · Jan 27, 2015 12:21pm PST

This month we asked you to ask us questions about the technology industry. And ask you did. You asked us to handicap the Apple Watch launch, which company will be next to suffer the same fate as Fab.com and about trends in public ad tech stocks, among others. Here are responses to a bunch we thought would be broadly interesting to subscribers.... This month we asked you to ask us questions about the technology industry. And ask you did. You...

DST founder Yuri Milner. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Outsider Yuri Milner Built an Inside Track

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 27, 2015 7:01am PST

In early December, the founders of several fast-growing Asian startups drove up a steep hill to a stately mansion in Los Altos Hills, California. For hours, they dined in a lavish room with round banquet tables and mingled with executives from JD.com, Huawei, Google, Airbnb, Box and their host—Yuri Milner. Years after the Russian... In early December, the founders of several fast-growing Asian startups drove up a steep hill to a...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Labor Economics and How Uber is Going to Disrupt Starbucks

By Sam Lessin · Jan 26, 2015 11:23am PST · 5 comments

The other morning I woke up, bought a coffee at a fancy coffee shop, hopped in an Uber and went to a SoulCycle class. I started thinking about how in just a few moments, I had bought services from people representing three very different and rapidly changing models of employment—the coffee shop’s hourly scheduled employee, a contract Uber driver... The other morning I woke up, bought a coffee at a fancy coffee shop, hopped in an Uber and went...

Warner Bros. executive Ron Sanders at CES in 2013 when UltraViolet was announced. Photo by AP.

As UltraViolet Fades, Studios Ponder Options

By Martin Peers · Jan 26, 2015 7:01am PST

Warner Bros. executive Ron Sanders at CES in 2013 when UltraViolet was announced. Photo by AP.

As UltraViolet Fades, Studios Ponder Options

By Martin Peers · Jan 26, 2015 7:01am PST

In hindsight, it was probably an impossible task: Getting major Hollywood studios, technology companies and retailers to agree on a way to sell movies that consumers could watch on lots of devices. And three years after just such an initiative launched, a reaction to the dominance of Apple’s iTunes, its time may be running out. Known as... In hindsight, it was probably an impossible task: Getting major Hollywood studios, technology...

The crowd at last night's subscriber event. Photo by Sam Lessin.

The Information Events

Is Google Playing Fair with Android Developers?

By Amir Efrati, Steve Nellis and Martin Peers · Jan 23, 2015 12:27pm PST

Two very different views about Android are emerging among mobile leaders, and they have big ramifications for the technology industry. On one hand, some see Android as an open platform that lets app makers take advantage of more of a phone’s capabilities than on the iPhone. Others see it as under the thumb of Google, whose power needs to be... Two very different views about Android are emerging among mobile leaders, and they have big...

Why YouTube is a Bigger Deal Than I Thought

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 23, 2015 7:03am PST · 3 comments

Rest assured. This is not a “Gee, YouTube is going to be big” column. That would be nearly a decade late. But I recently realized that, despite appreciating the sheer volume of videos watched on YouTube, I’ve missed something big about the site’s potential to disrupt the media business. One of the most impressive things about YouTube isn’t just... Rest assured. This is not a “Gee, YouTube is going to be big” column. That would be nearly a...

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Viacom Ponders Rollup of Comedy Sites

By Tom Dotan and Martin Peers · Jan 22, 2015 1:46pm PST

Through its ownership of Comedy Central, Viacom has a lock on the television funny space. Now the company is contemplating whether to extend that presence in the digital realm. The New York-based media company is considering whether to buy a trio of Web video comedy sites that started looking for buyers late last year—CollegeHumor, The Onion and... Through its ownership of Comedy Central, Viacom has a lock on the television funny space. Now the...

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos; photo by Bloomberg

Why Tech Companies Should Consider Tracking Stocks

By Martin Peers · Jan 22, 2015 7:01am PST

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos; photo by Bloomberg

Why Tech Companies Should Consider Tracking Stocks

By Martin Peers · Jan 22, 2015 7:01am PST

When investing in big successful, founder-controlled companies like Google and Amazon.com, investors have to take the good with the bad—the hugely profitable core business along with the whimsical, money-losing efforts to find new opportunities. But given that stocks of both have underperformed the market in the past 12 months, it’s clear that... When investing in big successful, founder-controlled companies like Google and Amazon.com,...