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

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Recent Editions

House of Cards star Kevin Spacey. Photo by Bloomberg.

Despite Hype, Originals Are Still Risky for Netflix and Amazon

By Martin Peers and Tom Dotan · May 12, 2015 10:00am PDT · 8 comments

When CBS CEO Les Moonves took a jab at original shows being made by services like Netflix last week, saying “You need a great explorer like Marco Polo to find the actual audiences” for such shows, it was easy to assume the comment was grounded in some jealousy about the attention the shows are getting. Particularly as he highlighted how well CBS... When CBS CEO Les Moonves took a jab at original shows being made by services like Netflix last...

Data via Mattermark and DataFox

Job Openings Can Predict Money Raisings

By Reed Albergotti and Peter Schulz · May 12, 2015 7:00am PDT

A spurt in job openings can be a sign a company will shortly be raising money, new data shows. The Information sifted through job-opening estimates on dozens of companies collated by research firm Mattermark. Matching that with fund-raising data compiled by DataFox showed a clear pattern where companies started looking to increase their staff... A spurt in job openings can be a sign a company will shortly be raising money, new data shows. ...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Microsoft Office, it’s Uphill All the Way to the Cloud

By Steve Nellis · May 11, 2015 10:00am PDT

Microsoft is hoping to do something that, to date, Oracle, SAP and IBM have each failed to do: transition its customer base to cloud-based subscription services without sacrificing profits. Just how tough that challenge is for the software giant is increasingly clear. The company has set itself the goal of boosting its “commercial cloud” annual... Microsoft is hoping to do something that, to date, Oracle, SAP and IBM have each failed to do:...

Art by Sam Lessin.

The End of the Bazaar

By Sam Lessin · May 11, 2015 7:00am PDT · 7 comments

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

The End of the Bazaar

By Sam Lessin · May 11, 2015 7:00am PDT · 7 comments

The first 20 years of the Internet could be described as a race to build the infrastructure to support a global heterogeneous bazaar—a single “place” where everything was for sale, from entertainment to services to physical goods. But just as such bazaars have largely disappeared from the modern world, I strongly believe that we are currently... The first 20 years of the Internet could be described as a race to build the infrastructure to...

How Snapchat is Killing Social Media

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 8, 2015 11:21am PDT · 2 comments

Is it me, or is “social media” starting to feel different? While browsing Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat these days, I still surf through plenty of content from my friends and famous people I choose to follow. But I’m also getting hit more and more with posts from people I have no connection with, curated by the services themselves.... Is it me, or is “social media” starting to feel different? While browsing Twitter, Facebook,...

Google CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.

On Search Ads, Google Sounding More Like Facebook

By Amir Efrati · May 8, 2015 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Google’s announcement of new search-advertising tools earlier this week must have put a smile on the faces of executives at Facebook. Google’s moves bolstered Facebook’s campaign to lessen the value advertisers place on search ads. At the same time though, Google took steps to limit the fallout by highlighting the usefulness of “display” and... Google’s announcement of new search-advertising tools earlier this week must have put a smile on...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Cash Could Be Better Spent on Research

By Martin Peers · May 7, 2015 7:00am PDT

Many investors are surely applauding Apple CEO Tim Cook’s decision to both institute and then aggressively expand big stock buyback and dividend programs to return cash to shareholders. But what is more creditable is Mr. Cook’s more generous approach to research and development. In the past two years, Apple has sharply boosted its spending on... Many investors are surely applauding Apple CEO Tim Cook’s decision to both institute and then...

Most Valuable Tech Events (Updated)

By The Information Staff · May 6, 2015 3:56pm PDT · 5 comments

The Information Recommends

Most Valuable Tech Events (Updated)

By The Information Staff · May 6, 2015 3:56pm PDT · 5 comments

Tech conferences have become a little overwhelming—in number and in size. As conference season arrives, we wanted to update our list of recommended tech events—this time with a few notes from insiders to help you make the most of your time and money. Even if you don’t plan to attend yourself, the tips provide a peek into what really happens at... Tech conferences have become a little overwhelming—in number and in size. As conference season...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

Moving Up the Labor Value Chain

By Steve Nellis · May 6, 2015 7:00am PDT

When Vishal Sikka last summer became CEO of Bangalore, India-based Infosys, what he found was “extremely depressing.” Infosys, which provides outsourced IT consulting and custom software, has 182,000 employees and $8.2 billion in revenue and is basically India, Inc. But Infosys is facing a big challenge: Cloud-based software and easy-to-use... When Vishal Sikka last summer became CEO of Bangalore, India-based Infosys, what he found was “...

Dave Goldberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Silicon Valley Celebrated Dave Goldberg

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 5, 2015 4:20pm PDT · 1 comment

In recent days there have been lots of wonderful things said about Dave Goldberg, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur, SurveyMonkey CEO, investor and philanthropist who touched a great number of people before his tragic death Friday evening. But it wasn’t until sitting in a private memorial for hundreds of Goldberg’s friends and family at Stanford... In recent days there have been lots of wonderful things said about Dave Goldberg, the Silicon...

Data via 7ParkData

Spotify is Growing Fast on iPhone, For Now

By Amir Efrati and Peter Schulz · May 5, 2015 10:24am PDT

Spotify is the fastest growing music-streaming app on the iPhone in the U.S., new data show, highlighting why it is particularly vulnerable to Apple’s relaunch of rival Beats Music this summer. Prepared by research firm 7ParkData, the data look at the relative strengths of six key music-streaming apps across Apple and Android mobile devices in... Spotify is the fastest growing music-streaming app on the iPhone in the U.S., new data show,...

Google SVP Sundar Pichai, who oversees Android and Google Play. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Sweetens Android for App Developers

By Amir Efrati · May 5, 2015 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Google SVP Sundar Pichai, who oversees Android and Google Play. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Sweetens Android for App Developers

By Amir Efrati · May 5, 2015 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

App stores have hardly been hotbeds of innovation in recent years. But Google is taking some new steps—albeit small ones—to evolve its Android marketplace, Google Play. At the Google I/O conference, scheduled for the end of May in San Francisco, the company is expected to announce several new features for its Google Play mobile app store. Among... App stores have hardly been hotbeds of innovation in recent years. But Google is taking some new...

Oracle chairman Larry Ellison. Photo by Bloomberg

More Deals Are Coming In SaaS

By Steve Nellis · May 4, 2015 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

A takeover battle for Salesforce.com could draw lots of headlines in coming months. But regardless of whether that megadeal happens, one thing is certain: dealmaking throughout the subscription software industry will heat up. To be sure, the subscription software industry has been a hotbed of deal activity for years. But big enterprise companies... A takeover battle for Salesforce.com could draw lots of headlines in coming months. But...

Rapper Action Bronson performs at Vice Media's Newfront show. Photo by Tom Dotan.

Web Video Sites Need New Way To Pitch Advertisers

By Tom Dotan · May 4, 2015 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

The NewFronts aren’t working. Not, of course, the flash-bang sizzle reels that companies like Yahoo, Vice and Maker Studios displayed in the theaters and warehouses around Manhattan last week—and will throughout this week. Those short, slick previews of prospective online shows used to woo marketers always go off without a hitch. But the purpose... The NewFronts aren’t working. Not, of course, the flash-bang sizzle reels that companies like...

The Unbundled Economy

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 1, 2015 7:33am PDT · 2 comments

During a breakfast meeting in New York this week, I couldn’t help admire my dining companion’s shoes—so much so that I tried to buy them on Amazon.com while walking to my next meeting. Sold out. It seemed like a good time to try a personal shopping app, PS Dept, that promises to search the Internet for a variety of fashion items and then deliver... During a breakfast meeting in New York this week, I couldn’t help admire my dining companion’s...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Perils of Unknown for Investors Wading Into Amazon

By Martin Peers · Apr 30, 2015 10:01am PDT · 3 comments

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Perils of Unknown for Investors Wading Into Amazon

By Martin Peers · Apr 30, 2015 10:01am PDT · 3 comments

When Amazon.com reported first-quarter earnings last week, the company surprised investors by revealing that its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services, was making a substantial profit, while its e-commerce business wasn’t as profitable as some thought. It was the opposite of what some had expected and a reminder that the inner workings of... When Amazon.com reported first-quarter earnings last week, the company surprised investors by...

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Photo by Bloomberg.

Next for Comcast: Web Video Outside Cable Footprint

By Amir Efrati · Apr 30, 2015 7:01am PDT

Now that Comcast has abandoned its takeover of Time Warner Cable, the cable company can proceed with its long-planned move to take on YouTube and others with a national online video service offering short-form programs. The proposed video service would mark a brand new chapter for Comcast, which would be able to play in a loosely regulated... Now that Comcast has abandoned its takeover of Time Warner Cable, the cable company can proceed...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Drop in Discover Traffic Poses Questions for Snapchat

By Tom Dotan · Apr 29, 2015 12:03pm PDT

Three months after Snapchat launched Discover, the section of the social networking app where media firms can post short articles and videos, the initial buzz has faded—along with the audience. But some of Discover’s arrangements with media firms are due to expire in June, giving Snapchat an opportunity to tweak both its content lineup and... Three months after Snapchat launched Discover, the section of the social networking app where...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

Lighting a Spark Beneath Big Data

By Steve Nellis · Apr 29, 2015 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

The so-called Big Data industry is a jumble of open-source software projects with such odd mascots that it resembles a box of animal crackers. There’s Hadoop (an elephant), Pig (see Porky, The) and Hive (an elephant’s head and a hornet’s body). The latest flavor is called Spark, whose logo is (mercifully) just a spark. Spark has become wildly... The so-called Big Data industry is a jumble of open-source software projects with such odd...

Data via PitchBook

Tech Deal Activity Drops In Q1 But Still High

By Martin Peers and Peter Schulz · Apr 28, 2015 10:05am PDT · 1 comment

Data via PitchBook

Tech Deal Activity Drops In Q1 But Still High

By Martin Peers and Peter Schulz · Apr 28, 2015 10:05am PDT · 1 comment

After a boom in tech M&A in 2014, the first quarter of this year saw a downturn in deal activity, new data shows. But dealmaking remains elevated when looked at over a longer time frame, suggesting that this year could be another big year for mergers and acquisitions, even if not quite the blockbuster of 2014. As the attached chart shows,... After a boom in tech M&A in 2014, the first quarter of this year saw a downturn in deal...