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

In China’s Internet Sector, a Local-Global Divide

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 13, 2014 9:48am PDT

San Francisco is starting to feel crowded with Chinese Internet companies. This week I learned that Cheetah Mobile, a Chinese maker of mobile security software, has an office just around the corner from The Information. Alibaba is entering our physical and virtual environs too: It’s opening a new office in San Francisco and this week... San Francisco is starting to feel crowded with Chinese Internet companies. This week I...

Richard Yu, head of the consumer business for Huawei. Photo by Bloomberg.

Chinese Smartphone Makers in New Push for U.S. Market

By Amir Efrati · Jun 12, 2014 11:38am PDT

In a move that would have seemed unlikely a year ago, numerous mainland Chinese smartphone makers are placing new and bigger bets on the saturated U.S. market. The efforts are driven by the belief that Samsung Electronics, despite its hefty market share, hasn’t captured the loyalty of its smartphone customers in the way that Apple has, and... In a move that would have seemed unlikely a year ago, numerous mainland Chinese smartphone makers...

GoPro CEO Nick Woodman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech IPO Market Rebounds, with Less Froth

By Katie Benner · Jun 12, 2014 8:01am PDT

Remember when investors shunned tech IPOs? This spring’s tech offering drought felt like a thing of the past when network equipment maker Arista Networks debuted last week at $43 a share, well above its $40 target. Security software maker MobileIron priced at the middle of its range and gained 22.4% to end its first day of... Remember when investors shunned tech IPOs? This spring’s tech offering drought felt like a...

Group M Entertainment CEO Peter Tortorici. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

How Regulation Defines the Evolution of Television

By Tom Dotan · Jun 11, 2014 12:03pm PDT

Group M Entertainment CEO Peter Tortorici. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

How Regulation Defines the Evolution of Television

By Tom Dotan · Jun 11, 2014 12:03pm PDT

Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable might be ringing alarm bells in Washington and Silicon Valley, but it comes as no surprise to Peter Tortorici. From his perspective, it’s all part of a long-running wave of convergence and consolidation in the television industry that he’s been watching since he was president of CBS in the... Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable might be ringing alarm bells in Washington...

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Photo by Bloomberg.

As Revenue Stagnates, Yahoo Bets on Homegrown Ad Tech

By Tom Dotan · Jun 11, 2014 8:33am PDT

Two years into the Marissa Mayer reign at Yahoo, the Internet pioneer is still struggling to find a comprehensive strategy for its core online advertising business. A new effort to build an ad exchange with in-house technology could mark a turning point for Yahoo, but it’s not yet clear if the long-troubled company can make it work. ... Two years into the Marissa Mayer reign at Yahoo, the Internet pioneer is still struggling to find...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg.

Can Microsoft’s Cash Dent Amazon’s Cloud?

By Katie Benner · Jun 10, 2014 7:35am PDT

Amazon Web Services is considered the hands-down winner in the business of renting server and data center space to other companies. But up-and-coming competitor Microsoft has one advantage that shouldn’t be underestimated: lots and lots of cash. AWS has played a big role in the current tech startup boom by providing affordable and... Amazon Web Services is considered the hands-down winner in the business of renting server and...

College students in Mumbai, India check their Facebook accounts. Photo by Bloomberg.

In India, Facebook and Twitter Hope Popularity Converts to Profit

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 9, 2014 7:57am PDT

Within two years, Facebook will have more users living in India than in any other country in the world. Similarly, researchers at eMarketer say Twitter is attracting more new customers in India than in any other large country. India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, is the second most-liked politician on Facebook after President... Within two years, Facebook will have more users living in India than in any other country in the...

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. Photo by Bloomberg.

Netflix War on Internet Providers Shows Cost-Control Strategy

By Tom Dotan · Jun 6, 2014 3:05pm PDT

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. Photo by Bloomberg.

Netflix War on Internet Providers Shows Cost-Control Strategy

By Tom Dotan · Jun 6, 2014 3:05pm PDT

This week’s episode of the ongoing drama over who should shoulder the costs for Internet video featured on-screen messages from Netflix informing its customers that poor video performance was the fault of their Internet service provider. Verizon quickly fired back with a cease-and-desist letter. The latest spat took place days... This week’s episode of the ongoing drama over who should shoulder the costs for...

Apple's Craig Federighi introduces iOS 8. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Apple Could Reinvent the Mobile App

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 6, 2014 8:59am PDT

I’ve swung back and forth all week on whether Apple’s forthcoming iOS 8 mobile software is a major breakthrough or an incremental release with some flashy new features for power users. I’ve heard both views from developers and industry execs, who appear fairly split. I left Monday’s keynote unveiling underwhelmed.... I’ve swung back and forth all week on whether Apple’s forthcoming iOS 8 mobile...

Athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Investors, ‘Cloud Computing’ Moniker Demands Scrutiny

By Katie Benner · Jun 5, 2014 7:46am PDT

Hedge fund manager David Einhorn's 66-slide attack on Athenahealth hasn't done much to change the company's share price, which dipped briefly but is now up nearly 2% from where it traded when Mr. Einhorn called the healthcare tech company wildly overvalued. Investors may be shrugging off the short seller, but he raises... Hedge fund manager David Einhorn's 66-slide attack on Athenahealth hasn't done much to...

Craig Hatkoff. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

Heaven and Hell and the Ethics of Disruption

By Katie Benner · Jun 4, 2014 11:10am PDT

Craig Hatkoff isn’t a famous guy. But the Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded with his wife Jane Rosenthal and friend Robert DeNiro, is pretty well known. So too is his friend Clayton Christensen, the Harvard professor with whom he founded the Disruptor Foundation in 2009. Mr. Hatkoff, 60, had been a banker at Chemical Bank (now JPMorgan... Craig Hatkoff isn’t a famous guy. But the Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded with his...

Vevo CEO Rio Caraeff. Photo by Bloomberg.

Vevo on the Block after Failed Bid for Independence

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Jun 4, 2014 8:38am PDT · 1 comment

Vevo CEO Rio Caraeff. Photo by Bloomberg.

Vevo on the Block after Failed Bid for Independence

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Jun 4, 2014 8:38am PDT · 1 comment

Vevo, the leading purveyor of online music videos and one of the largest Web video services in the world, is for sale: the company and its bankers have begun taking meetings with a veritable who’s who of media and tech companies that have signaled they could be buyers. It’s a disappointing turn of events for a company that once had... Vevo, the leading purveyor of online music videos and one of the largest Web video services in...

Naval Ravikant of AngelList.

Unease Mounts Over New Rules for Angel Investing

By Eric Newcomer · Jun 3, 2014 8:19am PDT

The booming business of angel investing is about to get more complicated. U.S. regulators are working to relax the rules limiting individual investments in early-stage companies, which is expected to open the door wider to crowdfunding and other early-stage financing innovations. But angel investors in Silicon Valley and around the... The booming business of angel investing is about to get more complicated. U.S. regulators are...

Apple software boss Craig Federighi at the 2014 WWDC. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Software Moves Send a Message to Google

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 2, 2014 2:01pm PDT

Apple’s Monday preview of upcoming software for the iPhone, the iPad and the Mac was full of announcements that should make Apple's competitors a little antsy. Software chief Craig Federighi showed off new file storage and syncing features to challenge companies like Dropbox and Microsoft; new voice and video messaging seem to make... Apple’s Monday preview of upcoming software for the iPhone, the iPad and the Mac was full...

Proteus Digital Health's ingestible sensor system.

Proteus Funding Shows Big Dreams for Digital Health

By Katie Benner · Jun 2, 2014 6:33am PDT

As technology companies large and small circle the burgeoning business of personal health monitoring, one the pioneers in the field, Proteus Digital Health, has raised another $120 million in funding in one of the largest venture rounds of the year. The company’s ingestible sensors, which track the efficacy of drugs from inside the body,... As technology companies large and small circle the burgeoning business of personal health...

Megadeal Time Arrives for Media and Tech Companies

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 30, 2014 1:01pm PDT

Megadeal Time Arrives for Media and Tech Companies

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 30, 2014 1:01pm PDT

In the media and tech industries, the companies that create movies and TV shows have had an on-again, off-again relationship with the companies that pipe that content into our homes. In some eras, like the early 1990s, they enjoyed living under the same roof. (Think Time Warner and Time Warner Cable, or John Malone’s cable and content... In the media and tech industries, the companies that create movies and TV shows have had an...

Apple senior vice president and music honcho Eddy Cue. Photo by Bloomberg.

Pandora in the Crosshairs as Apple Boosts iTunes Radio

By Amir Efrati · May 30, 2014 8:34am PDT

As the online music world focuses on Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics, a series of new initiatives at Apple’s iTunes Radio service could also have a significant impact on the digital music business and especially the market leader, Pandora Media. In a move that strikes at the heart of Pandora’s advertising business,... As the online music world focuses on Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics, a series of...

Poster for DramaFever's Korean melodrama Angel Eyes.

Video Startups Find Profit in Foreign Programming

By Tom Dotan · May 29, 2014 12:13pm PDT

Call it the “Moneyball” approach to the online video business. While companies like Netflix and Amazon pay millions for the rights to top-shelf television content, a set of lesser known sites are accumulating relatively inexpensive and overlooked programming from around the world and finding audiences for it both in the U.S. and... Call it the “Moneyball” approach to the online video business. While companies like...

Square founder Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

A New Skillset for Tech Startups: Managing Credit Risk

By Katie Benner · May 29, 2014 7:58am PDT

When Cafe Grumpy, the coffee shop featured in the HBO series Girls, needed money to open up a Grand Central Station outpost, it got funds from Square as part of an initiative to give capital to small businesses. Square Capital, which gives cash advances to companies in exchange for a flat fee and was formally introduced this week after a trial... When Cafe Grumpy, the coffee shop featured in the HBO series Girls, needed money to open up a...

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Photo by Associated Press.

Why Beats is a Great Buy for Apple

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 28, 2014 2:13pm PDT

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Photo by Associated Press.

Why Beats is a Great Buy for Apple

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 28, 2014 2:13pm PDT

Apple finally announced it is buying Beats Electronics for $3 billion, ending speculation about one of the most dissected tech deals in recent memory. Since word of the deal leaked in recent weeks, many tech and media observers have been a scratching their heads: Why would the world’s most profitable hardware company spend $3 billion... Apple finally announced it is buying Beats Electronics for $3 billion, ending speculation about...