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

Chris Altchek, left, and Jake Horowitz, right. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Big Interview

Is Mic for Real?

By Tom Dotan · Nov 25, 2015 7:00am PST

In the ever-growing crowd of news sites trying to win over young audiences, Mic thinks it can stand out with an appealingly simple premise: focus on college educated readers and present them only with serious news.The packaging of the site—with big graphics and catchy headlines—may look familiar to competitors like Fusion, Mashable... In the ever-growing crowd of news sites trying to win over young audiences, Mic thinks it can...

Law360 Founder May Start Rival to WSJ

By Reed Albergotti and Tom Dotan · Nov 24, 2015 1:10pm PST

Marius Meland, co-founder and CEO of legal news site Law360, may take on The Wall Street Journal as his next act. Mr. Meland is contemplating launching a new subscription-news publication to directly compete with the WSJ. His thinking is still in its early stages but it’s known he recently tried to acquire the domain Memo.com, which is... Marius Meland, co-founder and CEO of legal news site Law360, may take on The Wall Street Journal...

Source: Signalfire

‘Smart Money’ Pulls Back From Early-Stage Startups

By Amir Efrati and Peter Schulz · Nov 24, 2015 7:01am PST · 2 comments

The smart money is betting less on early-stage tech startups.Blue chip venture capitalists accounted for 5.3% of series A funding in the first nine months of this year, down from 6.1% last year and 7.5% in 2013, according to a new study of private tech investments. The smart money is betting less on early-stage tech startups.Blue chip venture capitalists...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Kodak’s Lesson for Detroit

By Sam Lessin · Nov 23, 2015 7:02am PST · 4 comments

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Kodak’s Lesson for Detroit

By Sam Lessin · Nov 23, 2015 7:02am PST · 4 comments

The downfall of Kodak is one of the best known cautionary tales in technology. A dominant and well respected company, Kodak in the early 1990s was well aware of a major shift about to happen in its industry—the transition from film to digital.But unwilling to bear-hug the obvious future, the company proceeded with half measures such as... The downfall of Kodak is one of the best known cautionary tales in technology. A dominant and...

Alphabet CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside the Problem with Alphabet

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 22, 2015 12:16pm PST

Alphabet CEO Larry Page was in recent discussions to hire Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, to lead Andy Rubin’s former robotics unit, say people briefed on the discussions. The appointment would have ended an almost year-long search for a leader to wrangle Alphabet’s messy group of robotics startups.But the discussions fell through for a... Alphabet CEO Larry Page was in recent discussions to hire Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, to lead...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Nov 21, 2015 8:00am PST

Good morning! You may be looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving week, after the deluge of tech news in recent days. And we’re not just thinking of the Tinder CEO’s headline-making interview. The ups and downs of the Square and Match IPOs were enough. Good morning! You may be looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving week, after the deluge of...

The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — The Pop

By Tom Dotan · Nov 20, 2015 3:38pm PST

Depending on whom you ask, Square’s IPO earlier this week was either a sign of investment banking ineptitude or savvy. In dropping the price below the expected offering range, only to see the stock jump on the first day of trading, the banks behind the deal either misjudged demand or cleverly priced the offering to ensure a first day pop... Depending on whom you ask, Square’s IPO earlier this week was either a sign of investment...

Rent The Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Problem with Reporting About Startups

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 20, 2015 7:57am PST · 4 comments

Rent The Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Problem with Reporting About Startups

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 20, 2015 7:57am PST · 4 comments

Startup cultures make easy media targets. They’re messy and not often well understood—and lately, there’s been a lot of misleading reporting around them.On Twitter this week, I picked on Fortune a bit for its look at Rent the Runway. The piece lead with the revelation that the fashion startup’s high executive turnover has... Startup cultures make easy media targets. They’re messy and not often well...

Square's opening trading day on the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by AP.

VC Winnings on Square’s First Trading Day

By Alfred Lee · Nov 19, 2015 2:00pm PST

Square’s pre-IPO investors scored paper returns after the first day of trading, but some are doing better than others.The biggest winner was Khosla Ventures, whose $30 million stake across three rounds was worth $660 million after closing, filings say. Sequoia’s $15 million Series B-2 investment was worth $206 million, while Kleiner... Square’s pre-IPO investors scored paper returns after the first day of trading, but some...

Square CEO Jack Dorsey at the New York Stock Exchange for Square's opening day on the stockmarket. Photo by Bloomberg.

This Week in Private Market Scuttlebutt

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 19, 2015 12:56pm PST

It’s been a big week for private tech. Those Square employees on pins and needles last night are breathing a bit easier. And questions about the state of the late-stage investing, the higher bar for A rounds, and LP appetite are running rampant. I had a bunch of meetings with investors and startup founders this week and pulled together... It’s been a big week for private tech. Those Square employees on pins and needles last...

Square board member Ruth Simmons. Photo by Bloomberg.

Square’s Price Pop Good News for Employees

By Alfred Lee · Nov 19, 2015 8:35am PST

Square employees are breathing easier–for now–after the payment company’s IPO pop this morning. Square’s IPO pricing at $9 a share Wednesday night put 37% of all options underwater, according to filings. But with the stock trading above $13 by late morning eastern time, about half of those underwater options were back in... Square employees are breathing easier–for now–after the payment company’s IPO...

Couchbase CEO Bob Wiederhold. Photo by Couchbase.

The Mobile Database Race Heats Up

By Steve Nellis · Nov 19, 2015 7:02am PST · 1 comment

Couchbase CEO Bob Wiederhold. Photo by Couchbase.

The Mobile Database Race Heats Up

By Steve Nellis · Nov 19, 2015 7:02am PST · 1 comment

If you want to book a flight on Irish airline Ryanair using its mobile app, it now takes a lot less time. The reason: The old version of the app had to ping a server for straightforward information like seat maps or flight schedules, bogging searches down if the connection was slow.The new version of the app runs faster by storing any... If you want to book a flight on Irish airline Ryanair using its mobile app, it now takes a lot...

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by AP.

Square’s Big Value Gap is in Options

By Alfred Lee · Nov 18, 2015 7:03am PST

When payments company Square prices its initial public offering late Wednesday, there’s sure to be plenty of analysis comparing its new public market valuation with its most recent private valuation of $6 billion. If its preliminary IPO price range is any guide, Square is expected to be worth only about $3.9 billion when it starts trading.... When payments company Square prices its initial public offering late Wednesday, there’s...

Traders on the floor of the NYSE on the day Fitbit went public. Photo by Bloomberg.

Fitbit’s Stock Slump a Lesson for Square

By Alfred Lee · Nov 18, 2015 7:02am PST

When Square starts trading on the public market later this week, how the stock fares will get an enormous amount of attention as a sign of public investors’ attitudes to tech startups. But for investors, founders and employees, it may be more meaningful to think about the share prices at which they can cash out.And that’s not for at... When Square starts trading on the public market later this week, how the stock fares will get an...

Art by Tom Dotan. Photos by Bloomberg. Data by Nielsen.

Tech Executives Make Lousy Guests

By Tom Dotan · Nov 17, 2015 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Tech companies like Apple, Snapchat and Netflix may be household names across America, but that doesn’t translate to interest in their top executives—at least when they’re late night talk show guests.Half a dozen top-tier tech executives have appeared on CBS’ new “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” since it... Tech companies like Apple, Snapchat and Netflix may be household names across America, but that...

Photo by Flickr/Sancho McCann

S’More Is Less, Tech Execs Say

By Tom Dotan · Nov 16, 2015 3:31pm PST

Photo by Flickr/Sancho McCann

S’More Is Less, Tech Execs Say

By Tom Dotan · Nov 16, 2015 3:31pm PST

Fast Company’s revelation on Monday that Mark Zuckerberg is able to toast a perfect marshmallow while making s‘mores prompted some reaction from fellow tech rivals, as imagined by Tom Dotan.Jack Dorsey: The important thing to recognize here is that s'mores are fundamentally a piece of content. I like to consider myself less a... Fast Company’s revelation on Monday that Mark Zuckerberg is able to toast a perfect...

Tony Fadell. Photo by Bloomberg

Google Glass Successor Dumps Some Glass

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 16, 2015 11:26am PST

So much for the screen. We’ve learned that Google's revamped Google Glass project, dubbed Project Aura, is working on a wearable with a screen—and at least one without.People tell us there have been three versions of the head-mounted device in development, although the three may be consolidated into two. One version, targeted at... So much for the screen. We’ve learned that Google's revamped Google Glass project,...

Zirx CEO Sean Behr. Photo by Zirx.

On-Demand Dilemma: Profitability Versus Growth

By Amir Efrati · Nov 16, 2015 7:01am PST · 1 comment

When Zirx, an on-demand valet parking app, raised series B financing in April of this year, it was clear to CEO Sean Behr that a series C round “would never happen without positive unit economics.” In other words, the ability to show profit from each parking job.At the time, Zirx was planning to double the number of cities where it... When Zirx, an on-demand valet parking app, raised series B financing in April of this year, it...

The Weekly Digest

The Information You Missed This Week

By The Information Staff · Nov 14, 2015 8:01am PST

Good Morning! More signs this week that the narrative in tech has turned negative. Twitter’s brief post-Dorsey stock rally has dissipated and the stock is back below its IPO price. And then there’s the private tech sector’s much-publicized issues, including new reports of mutual fund writedowns. Good Morning! More signs this week that the narrative in tech has turned negative....

The Information’s 411 - Bedlam

By Tom Dotan · Nov 13, 2015 2:21pm PST

The Information’s 411 - Bedlam

By Tom Dotan · Nov 13, 2015 2:21pm PST

It was a tough week for the public’s view of private tech companies. A spate of stories came out about mutual funds marking down the value of their holdings in big private tech firms like Snapchat and Zenefits. It was the topic of Jessica’s column this week and as she explained on the podcast, there’s a much more nuanced... It was a tough week for the public’s view of private tech companies. A spate of stories...