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

Illustration by Matt Vascellaro

Q&A

The Cloud Hanging Over VMWare

By Steve Nellis · Jan 7, 2015 10:03am PST · 1 comment

Before the public cloud, there were hypervisors, and VMware was nearly synonymous with the technology. Now VMware is facing multiple threats to its business. VMware rose to prominence, and its eventual acquisition by storage giant EMC in 2004 for $625 million, by selling hypervisors that helped big companies make more efficient use of their... Before the public cloud, there were hypervisors, and VMware was nearly synonymous with the...

The cast of FX's "The Americans." Photo by Associated Press.

The Pitfalls of TV’s Mixed-Up App World

By Tom Dotan · Jan 7, 2015 7:00am PST · 6 comments

The unbundling of cable and the rise of Internet-enabled streaming was supposed to be the promised land for consumers. While it’s still early in the life of over-the-top video content, the current era is marked more by chaos than a clear view of the future. Thanks to complicated rights agreements, different technical standards and poor... The unbundling of cable and the rise of Internet-enabled streaming was supposed to be the...

Warner Bros chief Kevin Tsujihara; photo by Bloomberg

Hollywood’s Flawed Home Entertainment Numbers

By Martin Peers · Jan 6, 2015 10:00am PST · 2 comments

The final tally on how much consumers spent on home entertainment in 2014 released Tuesday showed a downtick of a couple of percentage points, which given the sharp declines in DVD sales could be seen as hopeful. But the true picture is much worse. That’s because the numbers, released by the industry-funded Digital Entertainment Group to... The final tally on how much consumers spent on home entertainment in 2014 released Tuesday showed...

ARM CEO Simon Segars. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon, Facebook Eye New Chips for Servers

By Steve Nellis · Jan 6, 2015 7:00am PST

ARM CEO Simon Segars. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon, Facebook Eye New Chips for Servers

By Steve Nellis · Jan 6, 2015 7:00am PST

Amazon.com, Google and Facebook are gaining expertise in a closely watched area of the server and microprocessor business, in a potential challenge to Intel. For years, tech giants have built data centers comprised of larger servers that run x86 chips, the same microprocessors that run PCs and are mostly made by Intel. But new types of servers... Amazon.com, Google and Facebook are gaining expertise in a closely watched area of the server and...

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer; photo by AP

Yahoo Prepares Major Mobile Ad Push

By Tom Dotan · Jan 5, 2015 7:00am PST

For some time Marissa Mayer has been hinting that her strategy for turning around Yahoo hinged on bringing mobile expertise into the company. Now she’s about to show her cards on the advertising side. In the past few months, the company has been aggressively hiring for its mobile ads team ahead of a planned revamp of its ad products in the... For some time Marissa Mayer has been hinting that her strategy for turning around Yahoo hinged on...

The Information’s 2015 Book List

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 2, 2015 10:40am PST · 1 comment

The Information subscribers love a good read. So just as we did last year (2014 selections reprised at the end), we asked some of you to suggest the best books you read in 2014. You generated an eclectic list with recommendations on everything from graphic memoirs to management tomes to cookbooks. Here’s the group with notes from the... The Information subscribers love a good read. So just as we did last year (2014 selections...

photo by Bloomberg

Apple No Longer Means Easy To Use

By Martin Peers · Jan 1, 2015 7:01am PST

I recently had what felt like a magical experience activating my new smartphone. After typing in my email address, all my apps automatically downloaded and the phone connected to my home wifi network without needing the password. It’s a reminder of how great technology can be when it works. But, in what may surprise the technopiles out there,... I recently had what felt like a magical experience activating my new smartphone. After typing in...

Tech’s Year of Contemplative Thinking

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 31, 2014 10:00am PST · 1 comment

A Year of Information Exclusives

Tech’s Year of Contemplative Thinking

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 31, 2014 10:00am PST · 1 comment

Something weird happened to tech companies in 2014. They became obsessed with what they want to be when they grow up. Of course, tech giants have always been long-term thinkers. But 2014 saw a far deeper array of soul-searching than years past—and for good reason. Technology companies big and small are at a crossroads; they face greater... Something weird happened to tech companies in 2014. They became obsessed with what they want to...

An episode of HBO's "True Detective." Photo by HBO via Associated Press.

Television’s Great Tech Debate

By Martin Peers and Tom Dotan · Dec 31, 2014 7:00am PST

TV executives are finally embracing the business potential of digital streaming. Now they have to grapple with the next challenge: whether to build the technology internally or outsource it. HBO’s decision to outsource development of its planned over-the-top streaming service to MLB Advanced Media highlights a view among some media... TV executives are finally embracing the business potential of digital streaming. Now they have to...

Photo by Associated Press.

2015 Predictions

An All-In-One Subscription for On-Demand Services

By Jessica Stark · Dec 30, 2014 10:15am PST · 3 comments

The possibilities of the on-demand economy are limitless—limitless in Silicon Valley, anyway, where it feels like thirty new apps or services become available every week. But there’s only so much time, and money, that I want to spend on these services and others that I haven’t tried yet. So, I predict that someone will launch... The possibilities of the on-demand economy are limitless—limitless in Silicon Valley,...

Tencent president Martin Lau. Photo by Bloomberg.

2015 Predictions

Chinese Internet Giants Grow Their Own Data Tools

By Steve Nellis · Dec 30, 2014 7:01am PST

Smart observers have stopped thinking about Chinese tech firms as copycats. Microsoft executive Qi Lu, who oversees Microsoft Office and Skype, recently said he thinks WeChat-maker Tencent is the best product company in the world, not just China. And it won’t be long before Chinese firms’ back-end services are as advanced as those of... Smart observers have stopped thinking about Chinese tech firms as copycats. Microsoft executive...

Art by Sam Lessin.

My 2020 Predictions: A Reality Check

By Sam Lessin · Dec 29, 2014 11:45am PST · 2 comments

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

My 2020 Predictions: A Reality Check

By Sam Lessin · Dec 29, 2014 11:45am PST · 2 comments

On the eve of New Year 2010, I published a set of predictions about what the technology industry would look like a decade later, in 2020. Since we are now halfway through that decade, I thought it would be a good time to check in to learn some lessons from how they are shaping up. I had some big misses. I thought that data and platforms... On the eve of New Year 2010, I published a set of predictions about what the technology...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

2015 Predictions

Why I’m Betting on a Yahoo-CNN Marriage

By Tom Dotan · Dec 29, 2014 7:01am PST · 5 comments

Next year will mark the 15th anniversary of the AOL-Time Warner merger, a deal infamous for destroying shareholder value. But 15 years is also a long time and enough for many of the lessons from the debacle to be overwhelmed by a genuine belief that this time will be different. And as it becomes more likely that some tech company will shack up... Next year will mark the 15th anniversary of the AOL-Time Warner merger, a deal infamous for...

Why Uber and Google Will Become Big Rivals

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 26, 2014 9:23am PST · 3 comments

Anyone who has been in Silicon Valley long enough knows all big tech companies eventually encroach upon each other’s turf. And I think 2015 will be the year we see the early signs of a new tech battle for the ages: Uber vs. Google. Both companies would have you believe they are more friend than foe. After all, Google senior vice president... Anyone who has been in Silicon Valley long enough knows all big tech companies eventually...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

2015 Predictions

TV Networks Will Emerge From Dark on Streaming

By Martin Peers · Dec 26, 2014 7:40am PST

After years of keeping their heads firmly planted in the sand, in 2015, media executives are likely to respond more forcefully to the growth of the digital streaming market, fueled by new data clarifying just how big that market is. Until now, a lack of precise information on how viewership habits are changing has forced TV executives to dance... After years of keeping their heads firmly planted in the sand, in 2015, media executives are...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Facebook’s Path to China

By Amir Efrati · Dec 24, 2014 7:01am PST

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Facebook’s Path to China

By Amir Efrati · Dec 24, 2014 7:01am PST

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg intends to develop a consumer business in China. In 2015, we’ll learn more about how he might do so. For political reasons, the core Facebook service has been blocked by the Chinese government for the past six years or so, and that doesn’t seem likely to end in the near term. But current and former... Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg intends to develop a consumer business in China. In 2015,...

Workers install a billboard for GitHub. Photo by Bloomberg.

How to Make Money from Free Software

By Steve Nellis · Dec 23, 2014 11:11am PST

For years, open-source software was a backwater in venture investing because of the belief that it’s hard to make money from free code. Red Hat, the North Carolina-based firm that sells support contracts to companies like IBM for server software, is an oft-cited success story. Yet its entire $12.8 billion market capitalization pales in... For years, open-source software was a backwater in venture investing because of the belief that...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

2015 Predictions

The Best VR Startups in 2015 Will Go Pro

By Pius Uzamere · Dec 23, 2014 7:00am PST · 6 comments

What comes to mind when you hear "virtual reality?" For most people, the idea of strapping on a headset that transports the wearer into an alternate reality conjures up amazing possibilities for gamers and movie buffs. Those people are not wrong: VR will eventually change the way we experience entertainment. But in a way, those... What comes to mind when you hear "virtual reality?" For most people, the idea of...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Technology, Taxi Medallions and the Ancien Régime

By Sam Lessin · Dec 22, 2014 10:00am PST · 1 comment

It is common to talk about the ways that technology is disrupting governments, and everything else for that matter. But there is one timely topic that illustrates how technology could help governments more efficiently capture value for themselves. Specifically, taxi medallions, which give their owners the right to operate taxicabs. Taking New... It is common to talk about the ways that technology is disrupting governments, and everything...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Tech’s Next Battleground: The NBA

By Karan Lodha · Dec 22, 2014 7:00am PST · 5 comments

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

2015 Predictions

Tech’s Next Battleground: The NBA

By Karan Lodha · Dec 22, 2014 7:00am PST · 5 comments

Technology has been revolutionizing how sports teams evaluate their players and make decisions in crucial situations. But 2015 will be the year that hardware takes center stage in the battle for the wallets of NBA owners and their customers. Tech giants like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft will vie for their share of the pie. Why the NBA? Yes,... Technology has been revolutionizing how sports teams evaluate their players and make decisions in...