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

Recruiting’s Moneyball Moment

By Eric Newcomer · Jan 8, 2014 6:41pm PST

New data-crunching startups are turning recruiting software engineers into something akin to the Major League Baseball draft. Just as wealthy teams look for an edge by tracking data on players across the globe, technology companies are going to great lengths to identify top talent by tapping large databases of engineers. Some relatively new... New data-crunching startups are turning recruiting software engineers into something akin to the...

Shutterstock

Facing Shortage of Mobile Engineers, Companies Look Inward

By Eric Newcomer · Jan 8, 2014 8:33am PST

Technology companies are racing to hire more mobile engineers–and training their own when they come up short. Top engineers are relatively scarce in the technology industry. But mobile programming experts have become particularly difficult to recruit, companies say, just as consumers are gravitating to mobile services. These programmers... Technology companies are racing to hire more mobile engineers–and training their own when...

Source: Shutterstock

Technology’s Profit Picture

By Katie Benner · Jan 7, 2014 3:50pm PST

Profitability became the holy grail for tech investors after the last dotcom collapse, when people got burned for piling into companies that didn’t make a dime, and in some cases didn’t even generate revenue. Analysts proclaimed the sector in the midst of a healthy recovery in the mid-2000s partly because people favored the... Profitability became the holy grail for tech investors after the last dotcom collapse, when...

Bumps in the Road for Apple's iWatch

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 7, 2014 1:04pm PST

Bumps in the Road for Apple's iWatch

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 7, 2014 1:04pm PST

There’s been a parade of new smart TVs, toys and washing machines at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But this year’s most anticipated gadget is still MIA. That’s Apple’s iWatch. When Apple plans to start selling the device remains unclear. But a look behind the scenes shows a few apparent... There’s been a parade of new smart TVs, toys and washing machines at this week’s...

By Matt Vascellaro · Jan 7, 2014 12:40pm PST

Mark Fischer

A Patent Battle Silicon Valley Can’t Ignore

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 6, 2014 2:10pm PST

Technology companies are taking sides in a big legal debate taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court: Can software be patented? It’s a complicated question, but it boils down to whether software is an idea, like pure math, or processes that must run on a machine. If the latter, the law is clearer that it can be patented. Technology companies are taking sides in a big legal debate taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court:...

Terry Myerson, who oversees Microsoft's Windows Phone software, in 2012. Credit: Microsoft

Inside Microsoft’s Android Battle Plan

By Amir Efrati · Jan 6, 2014 7:23am PST

Behind closed doors, Microsoft recently considered unconventional tactics to shrink the competitive gap between its Windows Phone software and Google’s Android, which powers the vast majority of smartphones in the world. In one scenario, a smartphone buyer would be able to walk into a wireless carrier store, find a phone they like and only... Behind closed doors, Microsoft recently considered unconventional tactics to shrink the...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

What You Should Know About a Bitcoin Collapse

By Eric Newcomer · Jan 2, 2014 12:31pm PST

Art: Matt Vascellaro

What You Should Know About a Bitcoin Collapse

By Eric Newcomer · Jan 2, 2014 12:31pm PST

If it turns out that Bitcoin is a flash in the pan and the value of the cryptocurrency collapses, what would that look like? Who would get back some of the money they invested in Bitcoin and who would be left with nothing? What are the most likely events that would send the price spiraling downward? We posed these questions to academics and... If it turns out that Bitcoin is a flash in the pan and the value of the cryptocurrency collapses,...

The Information’s ‘Year’ in Review

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 1, 2014 11:22am PST

2013 lasted just 27 days at The Information, which we launched in December. But what a 27 days it was. We broke exclusive news about robots, phones and set-top boxes and told you why the developments mattered. We profiled under-the-radar investors, startup therapists and coaches rarely written about. We probed trends in... 2013 lasted just 27 days at The Information, which we launched in December. But what a 27...

Mozilla

Android Phone Makers’ Backup Plans Get an ‘F’

By Amir Efrati · Dec 31, 2013 8:30am PST

For years, Android handset makers have been trying to reduce their dependence on Google’s mobile software. So far, they get a failing grade. After years of leaning on Android to power almost all their smartphones, manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, Sony and HTC are dipping their toes into alternatives from Microsoft, Mozilla and... For years, Android handset makers have been trying to reduce their dependence on Google’s...

Kārlis Dambrāns

Microsoft Phones Up Sony, ZTE For Mobile Boost

By Amir Efrati · Dec 31, 2013 8:30am PST

Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has struggled to make gains against Google and Apple. But it may soon get a shot in the arm from an old partner and rival: Sony. Sony, whose mobile unit has exclusively made smartphones powered by Google’s Android software for nearly four years, has considered launching a Windows... Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has struggled to make gains against...

Inside the Gulf: The FDA vs. Silicon Valley

By Katie Benner · Dec 30, 2013 6:21am PST

Inside the Gulf: The FDA vs. Silicon Valley

By Katie Benner · Dec 30, 2013 6:21am PST

Federal regulators have begun to transform the way they evaluate new high-tech health products, but it would be difficult to know from talking to technology entrepreneurs. The recent high-profile dust-up between genetic test maker 23andMe and the Food and Drug Administration reflects the growing divide between tech firms and regulators in... Federal regulators have begun to transform the way they evaluate new high-tech health products,...

Mathieu Thouvenin via Flickr

YC’s Paul Graham: The Complete Interview

By Eric Newcomer · Dec 26, 2013 11:10am PST

Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham isn’t your typical startup guru. For eight years he’s been at the helm of what's now the industry’s most prominent accelerator and a lightning rod for frustrations with entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley. The Information recently sat down with Mr. Graham. We covered a wide range of topics... Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham isn’t your typical startup guru. For eight years...

Wesley Chan of Google Ventures. Credit: Google Ventures

VCs Split on Crowdfunding Tool

By Eric Newcomer · Dec 24, 2013 1:32pm PST

Venture capital firms are divided over how to deal with a possible existential threat. The debate involves AngelList’s Syndicates program, launched this fall. AngelList lets companies raise money online from backers, a process known as crowdfunding. The Syndicates offshoot lets any person or venture-capital firm raise a pool of money... Venture capital firms are divided over how to deal with a possible existential threat. The debate...

An HP Palm Pre, circa 2011. Credit: Ken Hawkins

HP Makes Another Phone Call

By Amir Efrati · Dec 23, 2013 1:11pm PST

Hewlett-Packard is entering the consumer mobile-handset market, again. HP’s last two smartphone efforts flopped, first with its “iPaq” devices and more recently with phones made by Palm, the handset maker it acquired in 2010. Now CEO Meg Whitman is taking another stab at the crowded mobile-phone industry as she tries to turn... Hewlett-Packard is entering the consumer mobile-handset market, again. HP’s last two...

MLG

Looks Like TV, Online

By Eric Newcomer · Dec 23, 2013 8:04am PST

MLG

Looks Like TV, Online

By Eric Newcomer · Dec 23, 2013 8:04am PST

Online video’s newest hope may revolve around an old idea: live broadcasts and programming that airs at set times. It was an approach popular five or so years ago, with “webisodes” that aired at regularly scheduled times. Now, online appointment viewing is coming back in vogue, led by companies like Major League Gaming. MLG,... Online video’s newest hope may revolve around an old idea: live broadcasts and programming...

Arthur Patterson

The Information Ahead

2014: The Beginning of the End of the Tech Boom

By Amir Efrati · Dec 20, 2013 9:22am PST

This article is part of an ongoing series about major themes for the technology business in 2014. Predicting when the technology boom will end may be a fool’s errand. Arthur Patterson, a 42-year veteran of the venture-capital industry, isn’t afraid to say we’re in the last innings. He has long pointed to 2014 as... This article is part of an ongoing series about major themes for the technology...

Source: Shutterstock

New Apple of Hedge Funds’ Eye: Facebook

By Katie Benner · Dec 19, 2013 5:54pm PST

Hedge funds are seeking a new Apple, and Facebook is a likely contender. For years, Apple outperformed the stock market and buoyed hedge-fund returns so much that investors gushed about the “Apple Effect.” But as the company’s growth has slowed, investors are hunting for a new killer tech stock. Many of those firms have been... Hedge funds are seeking a new Apple, and Facebook is a likely contender. For years, Apple...

By Matt Vascellaro · Dec 19, 2013 9:32am PST

Source: Flickr

Telecom Deal Mania Yields Profits for Paulson

By Katie Benner · Dec 19, 2013 7:10am PST

Source: Flickr

Telecom Deal Mania Yields Profits for Paulson

By Katie Benner · Dec 19, 2013 7:10am PST

The housing bust may have made John Paulson rich and famous, but the global wave of M&A activity in the wireless industry is propelling his portfolio now. Smart investments in telecoms including Sprint, Clearwire, MetroPCS and Leap Wireless have helped part of his $6.7 billion Merger Fund beat the S&P 500. The fund, which invests in... The housing bust may have made John Paulson rich and famous, but the global wave of M&A...