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

Fab.com CEO Jason Goldberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Sector Spotlight: ‘Flash Sales’ Retailers Look to Regain Their Mojo

By Tom Dotan · Jun 30, 2014 8:04am PDT

Flash sales sites continue to look troubled, with heavily funded outfits like Fab and One Kings Lane shedding employees. The model, in which sites hold regular sales of items such as clothing, shoes and furniture from particular vendors for a limited period of time, is criticized as too expensive and a relic of an era when discount... Flash sales sites continue to look troubled, with heavily funded outfits like Fab and One...

The Real Price of Tech M&A Deals

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 27, 2014 10:49am PDT

A few months ago, I wrote about how private company valuations aren’t always what they appear to be. Of course, the same can be said of acquisition prices. When it comes to deal prices, technology executives and bankers often say something like this: “You basically just make up the number you want reported and separately... A few months ago, I wrote about how private company valuations aren’t always what...

Trulia CEO Pete Flint. Photo by Bloomberg.

Beyond Email: The Push Notification Comes of Age

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 26, 2014 1:14pm PDT

The little messages that are constantly buzzing your smartphone—push notifications—are getting a makeover, one that’s poised to make the sometimes-annoying notices a critical utility for a wide range of mobile marketing efforts. Google and Apple are giving push notifications a much bigger role as they introduce new... The little messages that are constantly buzzing your smartphone—push...

Photo by Shutterstock.

With Secret Contracts, Employees Skirt Bans on Share Sales

By Katie Benner · Jun 26, 2014 7:54am PDT

Photo by Shutterstock.

With Secret Contracts, Employees Skirt Bans on Share Sales

By Katie Benner · Jun 26, 2014 7:54am PDT

Companies like Uber, Airbnb and Dropbox are known for keeping a tight rein on employee stock, essentially prohibiting private share sales of the type that were quite popular among pre-IPO companies just a few years ago. Some say the clampdown is unfair to employees. Others say it’s a prudent way to keep a handle on ownership and prevent... Companies like Uber, Airbnb and Dropbox are known for keeping a tight rein on employee stock,...

Sonos CEO John MacFarlane. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro. Photo by Associated Press.

Q&A

Online Music Business Only Just Getting Started

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 25, 2014 9:15am PDT

John MacFarlane is a man in the middle of the music industry. As the CEO of Sonos, which has been making home speakers for about a decade, he has watched as the music business has wrestled with change—from the fights over digital rights management and piracy to the current debates over business models, compensation for labels and artists, and... John MacFarlane is a man in the middle of the music industry. As the CEO of Sonos, which has been...

Robert Kyncl, head of content and business operations at YouTube. Photo by Bloomberg.

Behind the Battles Over Music, a Bigger Prize

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 25, 2014 7:34am PDT

Google, Amazon and Apple are going head-to-head over streaming music again. And to really understand why, one has to look far deeper than the conventional wisdom that such services are crucial for winning in mobile phones. Google, Amazon and Apple are going head-to-head over streaming music again. And to really...

Google executive Sundar Pichai. Photo by Associated Press.

Google Races to Make Android Work for Businesses

By Amir Efrati · Jun 24, 2014 1:11pm PDT

Google’s Sundar Pichai will take the stage at the company’s annual developer conference this week to show how the Android mobile operating system is being made more compatible with the needs of big businesses—a strategic market where Apple rules. But he’ll need to convince people like James Gordon, chief... Google’s Sundar Pichai will take the stage at the company’s annual developer...

Illustrations by Matthew Vascellaro.

The Tech Industry’s Best Friends in Congress

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 24, 2014 10:00am PDT

Illustrations by Matthew Vascellaro.

The Tech Industry’s Best Friends in Congress

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 24, 2014 10:00am PDT

Silicon Valley has long prided itself on a libertarian attitude towards government. But in truth, the tech industry has always had a big stake in government policies—it was the Department of Defense, after all, that led the creation of the Internet—and its lobbying presence in Washington has grown dramatically in recent years. ... Silicon Valley has long prided itself on a libertarian attitude towards government. But in truth,...

Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam. Photo by Bloomberg.

Verizon Poised for Big Push in Internet Video Services

By Tom Dotan · Jun 23, 2014 12:19pm PDT

As the rise of video streaming vastly increases the amount of data carried across the Internet, major telecom companies are developing a range of back-end service offerings in the hopes of becoming one-stop shops for Internet media companies that need seamless delivery of their content. Verizon is aggressively building its Verizon Digital... As the rise of video streaming vastly increases the amount of data carried across the Internet,...

Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai. Photo by Bloomberg.

At Google, Larry Page Finds His Right-Hand Man

By Amir Efrati · Jun 23, 2014 8:22am PDT · 1 comment

If Larry Page stopped being Google’s CEO today, Sundar Pichai would undoubtedly be his replacement. When Mr. Page tried in vain to convince WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum not to sell the messaging startup to Facebook for $19 billion two months ago, it was Mr. Pichai who accompanied Mr. Page to the high-stakes talks rather than Vic Gundotra, who was in... If Larry Page stopped being Google’s CEO today, Sundar Pichai would undoubtedly be his...

Jessica Lessin and Sam Altman at The Information's event in New York.

The Information Events

The Takeaway: Sam Altman on the New World of Startup Funding

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 20, 2014 1:27pm PDT · 2 comments

We often talk about how hedge funds and crowdfunding are rewriting the rules of startup investing. Last night, when I interviewed Y Combinator President Sam Altman at an event for a group of Information subscribers in New York, I got a look at the new environment from the company founders’ point of view. I was struck by Altman’s candid take on... We often talk about how hedge funds and crowdfunding are rewriting the rules of startup...

Associated Press photo.

Sector Snapshot: The Scramble for Local Services

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 20, 2014 8:02am PDT

Associated Press photo.

Sector Snapshot: The Scramble for Local Services

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 20, 2014 8:02am PDT

The Internet has changed just about every industry, making it easy to order ramen from across the globe and hail a car from your phone. But it hasn't altered one fundamental truth: When your sink is leaking, you want to find a plumber nearby who can fix it straight away. In 2012, repair and maintenance alone was a $174 billion... The Internet has changed just about every industry, making it easy to order ramen from...

Chelsea Handler. Photo by Associated Press.

Chelsea Handler Deal Portends New Directions for Netflix

By Tom Dotan · Jun 19, 2014 2:23pm PDT

Netflix announced today that it wants to be in the Chelsea Handler business. And in picking up Ms. Handler in a multi-pronged deal that includes some version of her topical E! talk show, Netflix sent another message: it’s moving closer to being a real-time television network. By extension, it’s also setting itself up to be... Netflix announced today that it wants to be in the Chelsea Handler business. And in...

JD.com founder Richard Liu Qiangdong. Photo by Bloomberg.

Soaring Chinese Tech IPOs Show Big Shift in Sentiment

By Katie Benner · Jun 19, 2014 7:48am PDT

As the world awaits Alibaba’s public offering with a fervor not seen since the Nintendo 64, the iPhone and the birth of Christ, it’s hard to remember that just a few years ago Chinese companies were toxic. A series of scandals dogged Chinese stocks starting in 2011, when software maker Longtop Financial Technologies was caught... As the world awaits Alibaba’s public offering with a fervor not seen since the Nintendo 64,...

Jason Schultz. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

Building on the Tesla Approach to Patents

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 18, 2014 12:32pm PDT

In a blog post titled “All Our Patents Are Belong To You,” Tesla Motors last week declared that it would not mount patent lawsuits against anyone who uses their technology “in good faith.” While the company stated that it was doing so “in the spirit of the open source movement,” it offered few specifics. Jason Schultz, a law professor and... In a blog post titled “All Our Patents Are Belong To You,” Tesla Motors last week declared that...

A scene from the AMC hit "Mad Men." Courtesy photo.

AMC Plans Novel Move into Online TV

By Amir Efrati · Jun 18, 2014 8:14am PDT

A scene from the AMC hit "Mad Men." Courtesy photo.

AMC Plans Novel Move into Online TV

By Amir Efrati · Jun 18, 2014 8:14am PDT

AMC Networks, which has vaulted into the first tier of TV programmers in recent years with shows such as “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad,” is preparing to break from the long-established cable television business model and launch several subscription video websites, according to two people who have been involved in the... AMC Networks, which has vaulted into the first tier of TV programmers in recent years with shows...

Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Math Behind Uber’s $18 Billion Valuation

By Katie Benner · Jun 17, 2014 8:11am PDT

When the ride-dispatching company Uber announced recently that it had raised $1.2 billion in a deal that valued that company at $18.2 billion, a casual observer might have assumed that the company would need to be worth that much or more for the investors to make money. In fact, an analysis of Uber’s multiple rounds of financing shows... When the ride-dispatching company Uber announced recently that it had raised $1.2 billion in a...

Guests at the Google booth at an advertising conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google, AOL Up the Stakes in Battle with Ad Agencies

By Tom Dotan · Jun 16, 2014 12:36pm PDT

As ad agencies descend on Cannes this week for the annual advertising festival, the mortal threat they face from Google and other digital media firms is growing more frightening every day. The latest battle for control of digital advertising is over an arcane set of technologies for what’s known in the industry as “ad... As ad agencies descend on Cannes this week for the annual advertising festival, the mortal threat...

Parse co-founder and Facebook executive Ilya Sukhar. Photo by Bloomberg.

Behind Facebook’s Mobile Platform, a Driven Young Entrepreneur

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 16, 2014 7:56am PDT

When Facebook purchased the mobile services company Parse for $85 million a little more than a year ago, one key to the deal was convincing the Parse team, led by Ilya Sukhar, that it would be able to stay together and keep building its business within Facebook. Mr. Sukhar, a mobile programming prodigy, had already rejected offers from... When Facebook purchased the mobile services company Parse for $85 million a little more than a...

By Matt Vascellaro · Jun 13, 2014 10:34am PDT

By Matt Vascellaro · Jun 13, 2014 10:34am PDT