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

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Buzzfeed Faces Challenges in Video Push

By Tom Dotan · Dec 7, 2015 8:30am PST

At the 2014 Newfronts, Buzzfeed made a big splash with its plans to dive headlong into branded video. It was a well-timed announcement; video would soon be dominating Facebook’s news feeds as well as other fast growing apps like Snapchat.It was also an ambitious add-on to Buzzfeed’s offering to brands and a major piece of its... At the 2014 Newfronts, Buzzfeed made a big splash with its plans to dive headlong into branded...

Jonah Peretti. Photo by AP.

Q&A

Buzzfeed’s Next 10 Years

By Tom Dotan · Dec 7, 2015 8:29am PST · 5 comments

Buzzfeed became famous for its GIFs and lists, expanded into serious news and now is trying to turn itself into a video powerhouse. In the view of co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti, video is vital for Buzzfeed to draw increased spending from major advertisers. But competition for video advertising is much tougher than branded articles [see... Buzzfeed became famous for its GIFs and lists, expanded into serious news and now is trying to...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

The Good Enough Stuff Revolution

By Sam Lessin · Dec 7, 2015 7:01am PST · 17 comments

Are Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club razors better than Gillette? What about Honest Co. soap versus Dial soap? I have no idea, and I don’t have any interest in figuring it out. They are good enough and generally easier to buy, and so they win.There is, in my mind, a major revolution underway in most consumer hard and soft goods which I... Are Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club razors better than Gillette? What about Honest Co. soap...

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Dec 5, 2015 8:02am PST

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Dec 5, 2015 8:02am PST

Good morning!What with the latest rumors about Yahoo, Uber’s fundraising and Zuckerberg’s stock giveaway news, there was plenty of tech news to chew on this week. Here at The Information, where we celebrated our second anniversary on Friday, we’re looking forward to Thursday’s holiday party. It’s our last event of... Good morning!What with the latest rumors about Yahoo, Uber’s fundraising and...

From left to right: Jessica Lessin, Ben Medlock, Herman Narula and Julien Codorniou.

The Information Events

Stories from the U.K. Startup Scene

By The Information Staff · Dec 4, 2015 2:45pm PST · 2 comments

Earlier this week, we held a subscriber event in London, our ninth and second-to-last event of 2016. Big thanks to everyone who attended and to our co-hosts Atomico, Airbnb and Klarna. Edited excerpts below. Earlier this week, we held a subscriber event in London, our ninth and second-to-last event of...

The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Bezos v. Kalanick

By Tom Dotan · Dec 4, 2015 2:10pm PST

With the year all but wound down, we decided to look ahead to 2016. Earlier this week we named Jeff Bezos our “Person of 2016,” based on Amazon’s expected rollouts of same day delivery, the Internet of Things, media and other strands of the Seattle company’s empire. Travis Kalanick was our second place pick.But... With the year all but wound down, we decided to look ahead to 2016. Earlier this week we named...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Encryption, Uber and What I Learned in London

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 4, 2015 8:01am PST

I’ve never enjoyed writing about “tech scenes.” You may remember I have ranted about the tendency to judge a city’s techiness based on how it compares to San Francisco and the Bay Area before. I’ve never felt that approach revealed much of value. So, I went to London determined not to fall into the comparison trap.... I’ve never enjoyed writing about “tech scenes.” You may remember I have ranted...

Travis Kalanick. Photo by Flickr/Adam Tinworth.

Inside Uber’s Private Roadshows

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 3, 2015 12:52pm PST

Travis Kalanick. Photo by Flickr/Adam Tinworth.

Inside Uber’s Private Roadshows

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 3, 2015 12:52pm PST

Uber is raising billions more at a valuation north of $60 billion. The New York Times reported the round in October, and Bloomberg followed up Thursday. But the most interesting thing about this financing is not the astronomical valuation; it’s how Uber has been pitching it. In recent weeks, a number of folks who have been pitched by... Uber is raising billions more at a valuation north of $60 billion. The New York Times reported...

NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson. Photo by Bloomberg.

NetSuite Marketing Execs to Depart

By Steve Nellis · Dec 3, 2015 11:44am PST

Three marketing executives at subscription software firm NetSuite are leaving after a year or less on the job, according to people briefed on the matter.Chief Marketing Officer Fred Studer, Chief Creative Officer Morgan Norman and Vice President of Global Marketing Gladys Lau all joined the company in the past year, from Microsoft, Zuora and... Three marketing executives at subscription software firm NetSuite are leaving after a year or...

Art by Ady Kurniawan.

The Information’s Person of 2016: Jeff Bezos

By The Information Staff · Dec 3, 2015 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Jeff Bezos is our person of 2016.That might sound like a surprising choice. Mr. Bezos has been one of the most famous tech CEOs since the start of the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s. But we believe that 2016 will be a bigger year for Mr. Bezos than years’ past—and a decisive year for Amazon.com. Those were two of our three criteria... Jeff Bezos is our person of 2016.That might sound like a surprising choice. Mr. Bezos has been...

Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

Runner Up for Person of 2016: Travis Kalanick

By Amir Efrati · Dec 3, 2015 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Travis Kalanick came in a very close second as The Information’s Person of 2016. The scales tipped towards Jeff Bezos because he’s making moves across a variety of industries from commerce to media to software. But the case for Mr. Kalanick being the leader to watch in tech next year is very strong. It’s been apparent for... Travis Kalanick came in a very close second as The Information’s Person of 2016. The scales...

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Kalanick is Subscribers’ Pick

By Peter Schulz and Martin Peers · Dec 3, 2015 7:00am PST

Art by Matt Vascellaro

Subscriber Survey

Kalanick is Subscribers’ Pick

By Peter Schulz and Martin Peers · Dec 3, 2015 7:00am PST

Travis Kalanick got the most Information subscriber nominations for person of 2016, while Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey ranked second and third.The voting was fragmented across a couple of hundred people, as we asked subscribers to nominate up to three people. Others at the top of the list included Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Satya Nadella (see... Travis Kalanick got the most Information subscriber nominations for person of 2016, while Elon...

Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Andy Rubin, Android Comes Calling Again

By Amir Efrati · Dec 2, 2015 12:42pm PST · 1 comment

Andy Rubin, the father of Google's Android smartphone operating system, has recently talked about getting back in the Android phone business after more than two years away from it.People in the mobile industry say Mr. Rubin has tried to recruit personnel to help build a new phone company, likely through Playground Fund, his vehicle for... Andy Rubin, the father of Google's Android smartphone operating system, has recently talked...

Photo by Flickr/Ann Oro.

SolarCity’s Holiday Grinching

By Tom Dotan · Dec 2, 2015 10:53am PST

Holiday parties have long been a good indicator of which companies are cutting costs and this year is no exception. We reported today how Jawbone has downgraded its annual event to a floor of its office building. Now there’s news that SolarCity has also pared back its company-wide holiday celebration in San Francisco into a smaller... Holiday parties have long been a good indicator of which companies are cutting costs and this...

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by AP.

Investors Take Big Markdowns on Jawbone Stakes

By Alfred Lee and Reed Albergotti · Dec 2, 2015 7:00am PST

Two investors in Jawbone are now valuing their shares in the fitness device maker at less than half their original purchase price, after taking big new writedowns on their stakes in recent months, according to public filings.The investors, BlackRock and Firsthand Technology Value Fund, are among several shareholders in Jawbone that have marked... Two investors in Jawbone are now valuing their shares in the fitness device maker at less than...

Source: Quettra

What Makes Indians Tick

By Amir Efrati and Peter Schulz · Dec 1, 2015 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Source: Quettra

What Makes Indians Tick

By Amir Efrati and Peter Schulz · Dec 1, 2015 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Android smartphone owners in India use shopping apps, news apps and mobile websites a lot more than their American counterparts. But one thing is common to both countries: Facebook Inc. owns two of the top three apps in terms of time spent per month.These are some of numerous insights from exclusive data about one of the most important... Android smartphone owners in India use shopping apps, news apps and mobile websites a lot more...

Jeff Bezos. Photo by AP.

Amazon’s AWS Conundrum

By Steve Nellis · Nov 30, 2015 7:02am PST

Amazon Web Services is by far the dominant cloud computing company, so far leaving rivals like Google and Microsoft in the dust. As it gets bigger, the question of whether it fits within Amazon.com is likely to loom larger.Breaking apart Amazon would be complicated, for various operational and financial reasons. It likely isn’t something... Amazon Web Services is by far the dominant cloud computing company, so far leaving rivals like...

Angry Birds float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Nov 28, 2015 8:01am PST

Good morning! We hope you enjoyed your turkey. We can’t believe it is almost December. Next month, we’re planning our person of 2016 announcement. We’ll also report on the candidates that you, our subscribers, picked. Good morning! We hope you enjoyed your turkey. We can’t believe it is almost December....

Bracing for the Shakeout in Digital Video

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 27, 2015 9:00am PST

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was back East for the holiday, where I spent the week catching up with digital media executives from Yahoo, CNBC and various startups. Most conversations turned to video, which wasn’t surprising. Publishers have been obsessed with video since at least 2007 (that’s the year a fledgling Wall... I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was back East for the holiday, where I spent the week...

GoTenna co-founder Daniela Perdomo. Photo by GoTenna.

Hardware Startups Pursue Network Effects

By Reed Albergotti · Nov 25, 2015 10:48am PST · 6 comments

GoTenna co-founder Daniela Perdomo. Photo by GoTenna.

Hardware Startups Pursue Network Effects

By Reed Albergotti · Nov 25, 2015 10:48am PST · 6 comments

Apple customers are famously loyal to the brand. But deep down, a lot of them may be just practical. They know Apple's products will all work well together. That single attribute has helped Apple defend its turf from hordes of would-be competitors. Some liken it to the network effect that has made social media firms like Facebook so... Apple customers are famously loyal to the brand. But deep down, a lot of them may be just...