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

The Information You Missed

By The Information Staff · Sep 26, 2015 8:06am PDT

Good Morning!Xi Jinping met with tech executives in Seattle, while the Pope met the masses on the East Coast. And we enjoyed two successful events in New York. We’re looking forward to our first Subscriber Summit in San Francisco on Oct. 8. Good Morning!Xi Jinping met with tech executives in Seattle, while the Pope met the masses on the...

The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Ethical Browsing

By Tom Dotan · Sep 25, 2015 2:04pm PDT

While Uber is waging political and business battles in China, India and Europe, it faces engineering challenges at home. Overcoming those problems is the job of Uber’s CTO, Thuan Pham, who since joining Uber two years ago has taken steps to strengthen the company’s technical infrastructure, according to a profile by Amir Efrati this... While Uber is waging political and business battles in China, India and Europe, it faces...

Photos by Luke Walter.

The Information Events

A Night Out with The Information in New York

By The Information Staff · Sep 25, 2015 11:30am PDT · 1 comment

Neither the Papal visit nor impending iPhone mania kept subscribers from coming out for a party on a warm fall evening in New York last night. Thank you to all who came and to our co-hosts Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co., RRE Ventures and TrueX. We can't wait to see you again soon. Neither the Papal visit nor impending iPhone mania kept subscribers from coming out for a party...

Madison Bumgarner. Photo by AP.

The Saturation Point of Entrepreneurs

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 25, 2015 7:16am PDT · 3 comments

Madison Bumgarner. Photo by AP.

The Saturation Point of Entrepreneurs

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 25, 2015 7:16am PDT · 3 comments

There is no shortage of ways to predict whether the tech boom is waxing or waning. Some of my favorites: traffic on San Francisco’s 101 highway; MBAs heading into tech; or the frequency of headlines about dying unicorns.But one that keeps coming up in conversations is constraints on the supply of good entrepreneurs. If you think leaders... There is no shortage of ways to predict whether the tech boom is waxing or waning. Some of my...

Scott Guthrie, EVP of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group. Photo by Bloomberg.

Microsoft Makes Inroads with Cloud Pitch

By Steve Nellis · Sep 24, 2015 11:36am PDT

Microsoft is in talks to win business of two large banking customers, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, with products that would let the banks keep some data within their own data centers but also interact with data and apps run from Microsoft’s Azure, its competitor to Amazon Web Services.Success would signal that Microsoft is gaining traction... Microsoft is in talks to win business of two large banking customers, Citigroup and Wells Fargo,...

*Calculation: More Optimistic - Less Optimistic = The Information Score

Subscriber Survey

Ad Blocking Usage Grows, Despite Qualms

By Tom Dotan and Peter Schulz · Sep 24, 2015 7:06am PDT · 1 comment

Call it ad-blocker remorse. A growing number of people are blocking ads on websites they visit, our subscriber survey this month confirmed. But they feel a little guilty about it. A little over half of subscribers who responded to our latest survey said they planned to install ad-blocker software in their devices using iOS 9, an increase on the... Call it ad-blocker remorse. A growing number of people are blocking ads on websites they visit,...

EU Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli. Art by Matt Vascellaro, based on a photo by AP.

The Big Interview

EU’s Privacy Monitor Visits U.S. Tech “In Peace”

By Reed Albergotti · Sep 23, 2015 7:08am PDT · 1 comment

After meetings in Silicon Valley last week, the European Union official responsible for monitoring what it sees as the privacy threat posed by new technologies declared that he had encountered “illuminated people and bad guys.”Giovanni Buttarelli, the European Union’s Data Protection Supervisor, was in town as part of his... After meetings in Silicon Valley last week, the European Union official responsible for...

Photo credit Luke Walter.

How To Hire Tech Talent in New York

By Alfred Lee · Sep 22, 2015 10:50am PDT

Photo credit Luke Walter.

The Information Events

How To Hire Tech Talent in New York

By Alfred Lee · Sep 22, 2015 10:50am PDT

NEW YORK, NY—The New York tech industry is getting bigger. But it can still be tough to hire top tech talent in the area, making it hard to scale a business.That was the consensus of founders and managers at some of New York’s highest-profile startups and satellite offices who gathered at an event on Monday hosted by The Information.... NEW YORK, NY—The New York tech industry is getting bigger. But it can still be tough to...

Source: Fiksu

Cost of App Install Ads Soars On and Off Facebook

By Tom Dotan and Peter Schulz · Sep 22, 2015 7:06am PDT

The cost of buying app install ads on social media sites, particularly Facebook, has soared in the past 12 months. But the price of app install ads is rising nearly as fast when bought through automated systems like the one run by Fiksu, new data shows.Since the summer of last year, median prices for app install ads on social sites got as high... The cost of buying app install ads on social media sites, particularly Facebook, has soared in...

Uber CTO Thuan Pham. Photo courtesy of Uber.

Inside Uber’s Engineering Struggles

By Amir Efrati · Sep 21, 2015 7:06am PDT · 2 comments

May 13 was one of Uber’s darkest days. The computer system used by its business-operations employees ground to a halt, for the whole day. The cause: a bug in one of Uber’s databases, which set off a chain reaction that took down other systems and was made worse by human errors in response to the cascading problems, according to... May 13 was one of Uber’s darkest days. The computer system used by its business-operations...

The Information You Missed

By The Information Staff · Sep 19, 2015 8:06am PDT

Good Morning!What a strange week. The fashionistas swarmed New York for Fashion Week while the techies descended upon San Francisco for Dreamforce. Now, we're heading to NY for two subscriber events in the Big Apple this week. Look for recaps, and we're very excited to see everyone planning to attend. Good Morning!What a strange week. The fashionistas swarmed New York for Fashion Week while the...

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Fires Chief Talent Officer

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Sep 18, 2015 5:30pm PDT · 4 comments

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Fires Chief Talent Officer

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Sep 18, 2015 5:30pm PDT · 4 comments

Snapchat has fired its Chief Talent Officer, Simmi Singh, just seven months after she joined, according to a person familiar with the matter.Snapchat confirmed Ms. Singh had departed but declined to comment further. Snapchat has fired its Chief Talent Officer, Simmi Singh, just seven months after she joined,...

The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Some Dreamers of the Dreamforce Dream

By Tom Dotan · Sep 18, 2015 10:50am PDT

As anyone who’s seen the masses of crumpled suits and skewed lanyards wandering through the streets of San Francisco this week can attest, another Dreamforce is winding down.As the last tarp on the circus tent comes down, Stephen Nellis makes his first appearance on the podcast to talk about what he learned about the future of Salesforce.... As anyone who’s seen the masses of crumpled suits and skewed lanyards wandering through the...

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

Ride-Sharing’s Tempestuous Teens

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 18, 2015 7:44am PDT

Don't let the escalating Uber-Lyft-Didi Kuaidi battle make you think otherwise. Ride-sharing is very much in its adolescent years. The current state of play—companies dominating specific markets—seems set, but it’s delicate. The status quo is being propped up by sloshing of loose capital that’s fueling a race for... Don't let the escalating Uber-Lyft-Didi Kuaidi battle make you think otherwise. Ride-sharing...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, left, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, middle, at Dreamforce on Wednesday. Photo by Bloomberg.

Risks in Salesforce’s Reliance on Outside Tech

By Steve Nellis · Sep 17, 2015 3:00pm PDT

Salesforce.com has long relied on technology from others, including its competitors, to power its subscription sales software and app-building platforms. But given its stated ambition to overtake SAP as the third biggest software firm in the world, its reliance on others represents major risks.This issue came to the surface again at... Salesforce.com has long relied on technology from others, including its competitors, to power its...

Apple's senior vp for worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple’s Payment Plan Affects Revenue

By Alfred Lee · Sep 17, 2015 7:06am PDT

Apple's senior vp for worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple’s Payment Plan Affects Revenue

By Alfred Lee · Sep 17, 2015 7:06am PDT

Since Apple unveiled its monthly payment plan for iPhones, the consensus on Wall Street is that it could help sustain strong sales of the high-priced devices. On the flip side: Apple may be required to defer into the future some of the revenue it receives from phones sold under the plan instead of recognizing it all upfront, according to several... Since Apple unveiled its monthly payment plan for iPhones, the consensus on Wall Street is that...

Photo by Flickr/Yusuke Kawasaki. Data based on WeWork projections obtained by The Information, prepared on a per-square foot basis. Art by Myk Klemme.

Keeping a Lid on Labor Costs: WeWork’s Example

By Alfred Lee · Sep 16, 2015 7:06am PDT

One of the biggest questions hanging over tech is how fast-growing companies manage their labor costs. This is an acute issue in the on-demand world, where labor is a major portion of costs. Uber, for instance, has fought legal battles over whether its drivers are employees or independent contractors. Lyft has faced similar pressures.Then... One of the biggest questions hanging over tech is how fast-growing companies manage their labor...

Source: CB Insights

The Make-Or-Break Series C

By Steve Nellis and Peter Schulz · Sep 15, 2015 10:03am PDT

When Uber raised its Series C round in 2013, its value soared by 10 times, from about $347 million to $3.5 billion. But companies that raised C rounds after Uber also experienced sharp increases in valuation, suggesting the Uber round reset valuation levels broadly.The Information asked CB Insights for historical fundraising and valuation data... When Uber raised its Series C round in 2013, its value soared by 10 times, from about $347...

Eddy Cue. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Unifies Cloud Services Platform Amid Open-Source Push

By Amir Efrati · Sep 15, 2015 7:15am PDT

Like other tech companies that run Web services, Apple has long relied on open source software. But unlike most others, Apple has largely done so secretly, hampering its hiring and causing other problems. Now some within Apple are hoping that is going to change.The tech firm is developing a technology platform that can power all of its Web... Like other tech companies that run Web services, Apple has long relied on open source software....

Art by Sam Lessin.

Paying Up Front is a Legacy Concept

By Sam Lessin · Sep 14, 2015 10:06am PDT · 6 comments

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Paying Up Front is a Legacy Concept

By Sam Lessin · Sep 14, 2015 10:06am PDT · 6 comments

Last week Apple announced that they were taking a step towards a subscription model around the iPhone. Rather than paying upfront for the hardware, you pay each month and get access to iPhone as a product — effectively whatever is the ‘best’ version of the product at any given moment.This is thematically quite consistent... Last week Apple announced that they were taking a step towards a subscription model around the...