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

State senate candidates Jane Kim and Scott Wiener debating in early October. Photo by Flickr/Racquel Gonzales.

Tech Donors Split Over California Senate Race

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 24, 2016 6:45am PDT

There’s no doubt which presidential candidate the vast bulk of the tech industry supports and why. But in the tense state senate race between two San Francisco city supervisors, Jane Kim and Scott Wiener, the tech industry is more divided.Mr. Wiener has the support of big donors such as Ron Conway, who pumped $200,000 into an anti-Jane Kim... There’s no doubt which presidential candidate the vast bulk of the tech industry supports...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Oct 22, 2016 8:02am PDT

So it looks like AT&T is buying Time Warner. The phone company wants to prove it's a dumb pipe! So it looks like AT&T is buying Time Warner. The phone company wants to prove it's a...

Attendees at Friday's Subscriber Summit in San Francisco. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Subscriber Summit

Who Owns Tech Workers’ After-Hours Projects?

By Reed Albergotti · Oct 21, 2016 7:15pm PDT

Can startup employees get around prohibitions that prevent them from selling their shares on the secondary market? That was the intriguing legal question posed to Dan McCoy, co-chair of Fenwick & West LLP’s employment practice, at a roundtable discussion Friday.Mr. McCoy, who has represented hundreds of tech companies, said employees... Can startup employees get around prohibitions that prevent them from selling their shares on the...

The Information’s 411 — Inefficiencies are Rampant

By Tom Dotan · Oct 21, 2016 6:02pm PDT

The Information’s 411 — Inefficiencies are Rampant

By Tom Dotan · Oct 21, 2016 6:02pm PDT

Amir talks about his profile of Ed Baker, the man behind Uber's growth efforts. Then Amir and Tom talk about the possibility of Amazon offering broadband in Europe and its growing ambitions with Prime Video. Amir talks about his profile of Ed Baker, the man behind Uber's growth efforts. Then Amir...

The Information's Jessica Lessin with Freenome CEO Gabe Otte, Counsyl Software Engineering Director Kevin Haas and Color Genomics co-founder Othman Laraki. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Biotech Wants to Exit the Theranos Shadow

By Tom Dotan · Oct 21, 2016 5:39pm PDT

The Theranos scandal that has unwound one of the most high profile biotech companies has hurt the image of the sector, according to several executives at biotech startups. At a time when many companies are trying to raise awareness about their technology, it’s likely to make the public doubt the validity of genetic and medical testing, one... The Theranos scandal that has unwound one of the most high profile biotech companies has hurt the...

The Information's Jessica Lessin with Asana co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. Photo by Julie Mikos.

How Asana Co-Founder Sees Slack, Comp and Diversity

By Steve Nellis · Oct 21, 2016 5:26pm PDT · 2 comments

Right now, Facebook Workplace isn’t a direct competitor to Slack, but it probably will be, Facebook co-founder and Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz told The Information’s second annual subscriber conference.“We think the key difference between a Facebook group or a Yammer group and something like Slack is that Slack is a synchronous,... Right now, Facebook Workplace isn’t a direct competitor to Slack, but it probably will be,...

The Information's Jessica Lessin, Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha and Y Combinator president Sam Altman. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Sequoia’s Botha: ‘Tourist Money’ Keeping Weak Firms Afloat

By Reed Albergotti · Oct 21, 2016 5:12pm PDT · 1 comment

Venture capitalists Roelof Botha and Sam Altman make a living putting money into technology startups. But they both think one of the problems facing Silicon Valley is there’s too much money pouring into tech startups.Tech companies that shouldn’t exist continue to exist, said Mr. Botha, a partner at Sequoia Capital, and that means... Venture capitalists Roelof Botha and Sam Altman make a living putting money into technology...

Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz with The Information's Tom Dotan. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Eventbrite Nears ‘Self-Funded’ Status

By Amir Efrati · Oct 21, 2016 4:49pm PDT

Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz with The Information's Tom Dotan. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Eventbrite Nears ‘Self-Funded’ Status

By Amir Efrati · Oct 21, 2016 4:49pm PDT

Online event ticketing is “unsexy” and the business is a long grind, but after 10 years, venture-funded Eventbrite is about to become “self-funded,” said Julia Hartz, Eventbrite CEO, at The Information’s San Francisco Subscriber Summit on Friday.That means by next year Eventbrite will be breaking even on a cash-flow... Online event ticketing is “unsexy” and the business is a long grind, but after 10...

Dropbox COO Dennis Woodside with The Information's Amir Efrati. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Dropbox Exec Says Profits Are Within Sight

By Steve Nellis · Oct 21, 2016 4:19pm PDT

Dropbox isn’t yet earning a profit, but it’s on track to do so and is open to going public, Chief Operating Officer Dennis Woodside said in an on-stage interview at The Information’s San Francisco Subscriber Summit. He declined to give a timeframe for either, however.“We’ve been cashflow positive all year. …... Dropbox isn’t yet earning a profit, but it’s on track to do so and is open to going...

Lyft CTO Chris Lambert with The Information's Amir Efrati. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Lyft CTO on Autonomous Vehicles, Outsourcing Tech and a GM Takeover

By Amir Efrati and Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 21, 2016 3:08pm PDT

Lyft outsources three key technologies that its rival Uber does not. Amazon Web Services powers its cloud-computing. Google runs its maps. And GM’s Cruise is developing autonomous vehicles for Lyft. Chris Lambert, the company’s CTO, said that outsourcing was “a deliberate choice,” not due to a lack of resources. ... Lyft outsources three key technologies that its rival Uber does not. Amazon Web Services powers...

Medium CEO and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams talking with The Information's Jessica Lessin on Friday. Photo by Julie Mikos.

Evan Williams Talks Advertising, Snapchat and Twitter

By Martin Peers · Oct 21, 2016 1:00pm PDT · 6 comments

Twitter is “bigger than it’s ever been and it’s growing,” said co-founder Evan Williams, pushing back on what he said was a misperception about the company, while acknowledging it faced “business challenges.”Speaking in an on-stage interview at The Information’s San Francisco Subscriber Summit on Friday,... Twitter is “bigger than it’s ever been and it’s growing,” said co-founder...

Tune in to Hear Where The Information is Headed Next

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 21, 2016 7:00am PDT

Tune in to Hear Where The Information is Headed Next

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 21, 2016 7:00am PDT

Today is a big day for The Information. It’s our San Francisco Subscriber Summit and I can’t wait to hear from some of the biggest names in tech on our stage. I’ve also decided to take my column live this week and will be giving a keynote presentation at our Summit that talks about our business over the past year, our views... Today is a big day for The Information. It’s our San Francisco Subscriber Summit and I...

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Despite Challenges, Jawbone’s Rahman Still Upbeat

By Reed Albergotti · Oct 20, 2016 12:48pm PDT · 1 comment

It’s been a tough 18 months for Jawbone. A new president hired from Google last year, Sameer Samat, returned to Google after just six months. It laid off 15% of its workforce. The company told one of its business partners it couldn’t make an August payment deadline. Jawbone breached covenants on its $300 million loan from BlackRock,... It’s been a tough 18 months for Jawbone. A new president hired from Google last year,...

Ford senior technical leader Jim McBride. Photo by Ford.

Q&A

How Ford is Making Cars Drive Themselves

By Amir Efrati · Oct 20, 2016 7:00am PDT · 4 comments

Ford has made a flurry of self-driving car announcements in recent months, after lying low for years. It said it would launch an autonomous vehicle service for riders in 2021 and a self-driving car that people could buy for themselves later in the decade. Last month it acquired Chariot, which lets people share shuttles for their commutes, to... Ford has made a flurry of self-driving car announcements in recent months, after lying low for...

A Snap billboard in San Francisco. Photo by Tom Dotan.

Snap Poaches Engineering Exec from Amazon

By Tom Dotan · Oct 19, 2016 2:30pm PDT · 1 comment

Snap has hired a senior Amazon engineering executive, Jerry Hunter, to help manage the company's engineering teams, according to a person familiar with the matter. Snap confirmed the hiring.Mr. Hunter will serve as a VP of engineering, reporting to Snap engineering chief Tim Sehn. Mr. Hunter has been at Amazon since 2007, most recently as... Snap has hired a senior Amazon engineering executive, Jerry Hunter, to help manage the...

Ivy Ross, Google’s vice president of design and user experience for hardware products. Photo by Flickr/Sebastiaan ter Burg.

Who’s Who in Google’s New Hardware Team

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 19, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Ivy Ross, Google’s vice president of design and user experience for hardware products. Photo by Flickr/Sebastiaan ter Burg.

Who’s Who in Google’s New Hardware Team

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 19, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Apple has Jony Ive and Samsung has Lee Don-tae, both top industrial design executives charged with turning out devices that get consumers excited. At Google, their closest counterpart now may be Ivy Ross, a marketing and product design veteran promoted last month to lead the company’s industrial design teams.Ms. Ross’ promotion, to... Apple has Jony Ive and Samsung has Lee Don-tae, both top industrial design executives charged...

Amazon Video VP Michael Paull. Photo by Getty Images.

The Big Interview

Amazon Lures Hollywood with Channels

By Tom Dotan · Oct 18, 2016 12:56pm PDT

As Netflix was trumpeting its better than expected earnings on Monday afternoon, an analyst chimed into the company’s conference call to ask about the competitive threat posed by Amazon.com. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings brushed the issue aside, declaring that “Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook video” all likely account for more viewing... As Netflix was trumpeting its better than expected earnings on Monday afternoon, an analyst...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon Eyes Internet Service Offering

By Amir Efrati and Martin Peers · Oct 18, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Amazon.com is considering offering internet service directly to consumers in Europe, said a person briefed on the discussion. That would allow Amazon to bundle internet access with its Prime streaming video offering, the person said, making it more competitive with cable operators which already offer a similar broadband-video package.Amazon is... Amazon.com is considering offering internet service directly to consumers in Europe, said a...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Why Today’s Tech Narrative is Way Ahead of Reality

By Sam Lessin · Oct 17, 2016 10:00am PDT · 18 comments

When I worked at Facebook, I used to give a talk to all the incoming product managers about science fiction. My message was that the role of product managers—and tech companies broadly—isn't to come up with new ideas. The ideas and inspiration needed are readily available in literature. Instead, as tech practitioners, our role... When I worked at Facebook, I used to give a talk to all the incoming product managers about...

Uber's growth chief Ed Baker and his viral growth formula. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Man Driving Growth at Uber

By Amir Efrati · Oct 17, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Uber's growth chief Ed Baker and his viral growth formula. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Man Driving Growth at Uber

By Amir Efrati · Oct 17, 2016 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Last winter and spring, two teams of Uber executives faced off over the company’s strategy in China—specifically, how to attract more drivers than Didi Chuxing, the local leader in on-demand rides. One side was led by Uber’s finance chief Gautam Gupta, which wanted to keep on matching or beating Didi’s financial bonuses... Last winter and spring, two teams of Uber executives faced off over the company’s strategy...