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

Source: PitchBook

Indian Tech Boom Lifts More Startups

By Martin Peers and Peter Schulz · Jul 14, 2015 7:01am PDT

It’s not just about Flipkart. Venture capital investment is pouring into increasingly well-known Indian companies like Flipkart and Snapdeal at a rapid rate. But the boom is also fueling the valuations of lesser known companies like Zomato and Quikr India that are poised to become bigger names. It’s not just about Flipkart. Venture capital investment is pouring into increasingly well-known...

Facebook vp of messaging products, David Marcus. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Preps “Moneypenny” Assistant

By Amir Efrati · Jul 13, 2015 6:01pm PDT · 7 comments

Facebook is planning to join an intriguing frontier of the Internet: virtual assistants on mobile devices. The company is working on a feature within Facebook Messenger that allows users to ask real people for help researching and ordering products and services, among other tasks. It’s being referred to internally as “Moneypenny,” according to... Facebook is planning to join an intriguing frontier of the Internet: virtual assistants on mobile...

Welcome Alfred Lee!

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 13, 2015 2:45pm PDT

We are so happy to welcome Alfred Lee to The Information as our seventh reporter, based in New York. Alfred, who comes to us by way of a Knight-Bagehot fellowship at Columbia University, will be covering the growing grey area between the public and private tech markets—the investors (mutual funds, hedge funds) straddling both and deals and deal... We are so happy to welcome Alfred Lee to The Information as our seventh reporter, based in New...

The duck pond where Allen & Co attendees relax and meet. Photo by Amir Efrati.

Our Notes from a Subdued Sun Valley

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 13, 2015 10:47am PDT

The duck pond where Allen & Co attendees relax and meet. Photo by Amir Efrati.

Our Notes from a Subdued Sun Valley

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 13, 2015 10:47am PDT

Sun Valley, Idaho—There was something more mellow about Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley conference this year. Maybe it was the dwindling press corps—whittled down in parallel with reporters’ access to executives over the years. Maybe it was the lack of big deals and news in the press. Last year, attendees were buzzing about Google’s falsely-rumored... Sun Valley, Idaho—There was something more mellow about Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley conference...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Startups Need Shade—Not Just Time—To Grow

By Sam Lessin · Jul 13, 2015 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

I was having breakfast recently with a friend who argued that Nest, the hardware company, only existed because it chose to do something that wasn’t important enough for a company like Apple to do because the market wasn’t big enough to move the needle for it. It reminded me of an old Mark Zuckerberg trope that he has repeated many times in... I was having breakfast recently with a friend who argued that Nest, the hardware company, only...

Tech’s Privilege Barrier

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 10, 2015 6:58am PDT · 2 comments

Behind the articles we write about hot startups and funding rounds is a truth that needs a headline of its own: The technology industry is not as meritocratic as it may seem. For this column, I am focusing specifically on entrepreneurs, the people who found companies and beat the odds to turn them into something big. By many measures, the... Behind the articles we write about hot startups and funding rounds is a truth that needs a...

Huawei device group head Richard Yu with the smartwatch. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Best Android Friend

By Amir Efrati · Jul 9, 2015 12:13pm PDT · 2 comments

When Huawei Technologies releases a smartwatch later this year, there’s a good chance it won’t catch on. Given Huawei’s little known brand name in many markets around the world, the prospects for its Android-powered watch appear bleaker than those of earlier ones from companies like Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics or LG Electronics. But... When Huawei Technologies releases a smartwatch later this year, there’s a good chance it won’t...

Ellen Pao. Photo by Bloomberg.

Gender Not Only Issue In Tech’s Workplace Complaints

By Reed Albergotti and Peter Schulz · Jul 9, 2015 7:00am PDT · 5 comments

Ellen Pao. Photo by Bloomberg.

Gender Not Only Issue In Tech’s Workplace Complaints

By Reed Albergotti and Peter Schulz · Jul 9, 2015 7:00am PDT · 5 comments

When it comes to discrimination complaints in the tech industry, it turns out that gender is far from the only issue. Age and disability were cited nearly as often as gender in California workplace discrimination complaints filed against major tech companies over the past three years. When it comes to discrimination complaints in the tech industry, it turns out that gender is far...

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Comcast, Online Advertising May Be Next Big Play

By Martin Peers · Jul 8, 2015 12:22pm PDT

When Comcast chief Brian Roberts runs into fellow media moguls at Sun Valley this week, he might feel a little defeated. He was forced to abandon the takeover of Time Warner Cable in the face of regulatory opposition, while rival AT&T is expected to complete its DirecTV purchase and surpass Comcast as the biggest pay TV operator. Meanwhile,... When Comcast chief Brian Roberts runs into fellow media moguls at Sun Valley this week, he might...

Q&A

GoDaddy’s Quest to Master the Upsell

By Steve Nellis · Jul 8, 2015 7:00am PDT

Integrating Microsoft Office 365 email with a new domain name used to require clicking through 22 screens. But sign up through GoDaddy, and it’s just one; the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based firm takes care of the rest of the work automatically, says CEO Blake Irving. It’s all part of the Web domain seller’s strategy to draw more revenue from small... Integrating Microsoft Office 365 email with a new domain name used to require clicking through 22...

Workday co-founders David Duffield and Aneel Bhusri. Photo by Bloomberg.

Microsoft Should Buy Workday

By Steve Nellis · Jul 7, 2015 9:01am PDT · 5 comments

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has done a lot to shake up Microsoft, cutting executives and staff and shedding business units deemed non-essential. But if he wants to transform Microsoft into a company that can withstand increasing attacks from Google and others in its traditional stronghold among corporate IT departments, there’s one thing... Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has done a lot to shake up Microsoft, cutting executives and staff...

Data via Spiceworks

The Great File Sharing Scramble

By Steve Nellis and Peter Schulz · Jul 7, 2015 7:02am PDT

Data via Spiceworks

The Great File Sharing Scramble

By Steve Nellis and Peter Schulz · Jul 7, 2015 7:02am PDT

When it comes to file-sharing services used at work, Dropbox looks to be the winner by a hair. But in the race to win approval from IT departments, it faces stiff competition from Google Drive. Spiceworks, an Austin, Texas, startup with a social network for IT professionals, asked its members what file-sharing services are used at their... When it comes to file-sharing services used at work, Dropbox looks to be the winner by a hair....

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and husband Zachary Bogue at last year's Sun Valley. Photo by Bloomberg.

Sun Valley: The Real Agenda

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 6, 2015 11:32am PDT · 1 comment

Starting Tuesday, a parade of images and rumors will emerge from Sun Valley, Idaho where Allen & Company is hosting its annual media and tech conference. As a veteran of the media side of this confab, I can honestly say: you don’t have to pay attention to most of the noise. The shots of vest-clad moguls trudging to and from the Sun Valley... Starting Tuesday, a parade of images and rumors will emerge from Sun Valley, Idaho where Allen...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Information’s Newest Free Agents

By The Information Staff · Jul 6, 2015 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

In the latest installment of The Information’s Free Agents series, we highlight several people who learned a tough lesson when someone who lured them into a big new job was ousted. That includes two people from Twitter and one at Yahoo. Twitter continues to be the most reliable feeder to Free Agents and doesn’t seem like it’s about to stop. (See... In the latest installment of The Information’s Free Agents series, we highlight several people...

The Who and Why of the YC Venture Fund

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 2, 2015 7:13am PDT · 1 comment

I recently heard that Twitter’s former chief operating officer Ali Rowghani is going to play a big role in the new Y Combinator venture fund. I suspect he’s running it, based on the fact that multiple LPs who have been doing diligence about the fund have been asking about him, but that still may be up in the air. Regardless, we can expect... I recently heard that Twitter’s former chief operating officer Ali Rowghani is going to play a...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Meet the Man Amazon Fears in India

By Amir Efrati · Jul 1, 2015 10:31am PDT

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

Meet the Man Amazon Fears in India

By Amir Efrati · Jul 1, 2015 10:31am PDT

The horse race in India’s online retail market is a fascinating show of investor faith. Investors have bet more than $5 billion on the notion that, despite fierce competition, a group of Web retailers will ride the growth in India’s mobile-Internet users and eventually generate big profits. That group includes Snapdeal, Amazon India and... The horse race in India’s online retail market is a fascinating show of investor faith. Investors...

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Information Series

Four Questions for Dropbox

By Steve Nellis · Jul 1, 2015 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

It has been a tough few months for Dropbox’s leaders. They have been questioned by reporters and analysts over their efforts to build an enterprise business, faced executive departures as well as mounting competition from Google and Facebook, both of which have introduced new photo-organizing apps overshadowing Dropbox’s Carousel. But bad buzz... It has been a tough few months for Dropbox’s leaders. They have been questioned by reporters and...

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

Subscriber Survey

Messaging Unmasked: Subscribers’ App Habits

By Jessica E. Lessin and Peter Schulz · Jun 30, 2015 10:02am PDT

Adoption doesn’t equal usage. That’s the lesson of June’s subscriber survey which asked subscribers about their mobile messaging habits. One takeaway: Facebook Messenger, while one of the most used messaging services among subscribers, still has a way to go to catch up to some others on daily usage. And overall, respondents were slightly more... Adoption doesn’t equal usage. That’s the lesson of June’s subscriber survey which asked...

Data via Quettra

For Uber, a Global Race From Behind

By Amir Efrati and Peter Schulz · Jun 30, 2015 7:01am PDT

As we pointed out yesterday, Uber’s core business won’t win every market it enters outside the U.S. Already, the company is trailing home-grown rivals in many parts of the world. New data from Quettra, which looked at what taxi apps are installed on tens of millions of Android phones across Asia, show how far behind Uber is right now and how... As we pointed out yesterday, Uber’s core business won’t win every market it enters outside the...

Four Questions for Uber

By Amir Efrati · Jun 29, 2015 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

The Information Series

Four Questions for Uber

By Amir Efrati · Jun 29, 2015 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

Earlier this year, when news broke about Google internally testing a ride-sharing service of its own, some tech executives joked at an event that night that Uber had little to fear; one day it would be able to buy Google outright. The rapid growth of Uber is difficult to grasp. Five years after launching its taxi app, Uber has entered more than... Earlier this year, when news broke about Google internally testing a ride-sharing service of its...