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 Sam Lessin. Charts by Jeff Greco.

Subscriber Survey

The Pros and Cons of the Multitasking Entrepreneur

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 25, 2015 7:00am PST · 3 comments

Entrepreneurs are a busy bunch. In last month’s subscriber survey, we asked how many of you pursued various extracurricular professional activities, including investing and sitting on boards. The results and commentary surprised us; entrepreneurs really are consummate multitaskers. But the activities aren’t without risks. As for... Entrepreneurs are a busy bunch. In last month’s subscriber survey, we asked how many of you...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside the Rush Around Calendar Apps

By Steve Nellis · Feb 24, 2015 10:01am PST · 2 comments

After years of being treated like the backwater of productivity apps by tech giants, calendars are suddenly hot. Both Microsoft and Google are investing in the space, recognizing that calendars hold a rich trove of data that will help build personalized services like suggesting a restaurant for a meeting or hailing a ride to your next event. ... After years of being treated like the backwater of productivity apps by tech giants, calendars...

Sundar Pichai oversees Google's products, including ads. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Display Business Booms, But It’s Complicated

By Amir Efrati · Feb 24, 2015 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Google long ago stopped being a one-trick pony dependent on selling search ads. But having two big advertising businesses—first search, now display—isn’t enough to stop the company’s growth from slowing. Google’s display advertising business is growing much faster than search ads, reaching $10 billion in revenue in 2014, or around 15 percent of... Google long ago stopped being a one-trick pony dependent on selling search ads. But having two...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Why Late-Stage Investing is Becoming More Like Seed-Stage

By Sam Lessin · Feb 23, 2015 11:26am PST · 1 comment

Art by Sam Lessin.

Modest Proposals

Why Late-Stage Investing is Becoming More Like Seed-Stage

By Sam Lessin · Feb 23, 2015 11:26am PST · 1 comment

People often think about venture capital as one homogeneous model. The reality, however, is that the way in which seed investors make money has been dramatically different from how late-stage VCs and growth-equity funds do. Seed investors fundamentally must chase big hits. Because early-stage companies raise relatively small amounts of capital,... People often think about venture capital as one homogeneous model. The reality, however, is that...

Snapchat co-founder Bobby Murphy with Google executive Urs Holzle. Photo by Bloomberg.

Snapchat’s Executive Team Signals Its Future

By Tom Dotan · Feb 23, 2015 7:00am PST · 3 comments

There comes a point during the life of fast-growing tech companies when the early hype around a product’s release starts to ebb and the real company as it will exist for the foreseeable future emerges. Snapchat, the latest and most highly valued unicorn of the mobile messaging world, has arrived at that point. Nearly three years after Evan... There comes a point during the life of fast-growing tech companies when the early hype around a...

Tim Cook and Contradicting the Founder-CEO

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 20, 2015 11:22am PST

In Silicon Valley, people like to talk about there being two types of CEOs: the “visionary founder” who started the company or the “professional manager” who steps in when the founder leaves or is pushed aside. And there’s no doubting which of the two people prefer. Founder-led companies thrive, the stereotype goes (think Google and Facebook).... In Silicon Valley, people like to talk about there being two types of CEOs: the “visionary...

Jessica Lessin, Ali Diab, Jennifer Tye, Jini Kim, Jordan Shlain. Photo by Stephen Nellis.

The Information Events

Reforming the Health Care ‘Freakosystem’

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 20, 2015 7:01am PST · 1 comment

As tech bulldozes its way through various industries, few have posed more obstacles and opportunities than health care. The $3.8 trillion system in the U.S. alone is old, massive and most people agree, in dire need of repair. The structure of the industry and the sensitive nature of health data pose major challenges for small and tech companies... As tech bulldozes its way through various industries, few have posed more obstacles and...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Samsung Goes Loopy On Payments

By Steve Nellis · Feb 19, 2015 12:06pm PST

Photo by Bloomberg.

Samsung Goes Loopy On Payments

By Steve Nellis · Feb 19, 2015 12:06pm PST

In buying LoopPay, Samsung is hoping to counter Apple’s jump into mobile payments. Instead, Samsung may have just acquired a white elephant, mobile payment technology that could become obsolete almost immediately. LoopPay looked attractive to Samsung because its technology doesn’t require merchants to have the same specialized chip readers... In buying LoopPay, Samsung is hoping to counter Apple’s jump into mobile payments. Instead,...

IAC Chairman Barry Diller. Photo by Bloomberg.

As IAC’s Focus Narrows, Diller Era Enters Twilight

By Martin Peers · Feb 19, 2015 7:00am PST

Over more than two decades, Barry Diller has invested in everything from online travel to lending and search. But now, six years after spinning off most of those business into separate companies, the future of his flagship company IAC has narrowed to be almost entirely dependent on its online dating business, particularly Tinder. Given that Mr.... Over more than two decades, Barry Diller has invested in everything from online travel to lending...

Apus Group CEO Tao Li. Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

The Hottest Mobile App Startup in the World?

By Amir Efrati · Feb 18, 2015 10:01am PST · 6 comments

Few mobile app companies have seen faster or more mysterious growth than China-based Apus Group. The company’s “launcher” app for Android phones allows people to customize their phones and search for apps. It received a million users within the first week of its launch last July and had more than 80 million monthly active users as of... Few mobile app companies have seen faster or more mysterious growth than China-based Apus Group....

Alibaba founder Jack Ma. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Red-Hot Race for the Next Alibaba

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 18, 2015 7:01am PST · 2 comments

The race among investors to find the next Alibaba is looking a little frenzied. Investors have driven up the price of fast-growing mobile companies in India and China, hoping to find the next breakout company from Asia with global potential. The latest example: mobile shopping service Koudai, which late last year closed a roughly $500 million... The race among investors to find the next Alibaba is looking a little frenzied. Investors have...

Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Murky Economics of Food-Delivery Apps

By Steve Nellis · Feb 17, 2015 10:35am PST

Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Murky Economics of Food-Delivery Apps

By Steve Nellis · Feb 17, 2015 10:35am PST

Hundreds of millions of dollars are chasing the question of how to order food from a smartphone. Success will depend on which service can maximize revenue and profits through a combination of charging restaurants and diners. Different services are taking different approaches. Hundreds of millions of dollars are chasing the question of how to order food from a smartphone....

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Xiaomi Worries Google

By Amir Efrati · Feb 17, 2015 7:01am PST

Of all the Android smartphone manufacturers with global ambitions, Xiaomi stands out from the pack. Xiaomi’s founders say they run an “Internet company” that just happens to produce solid hardware at low prices. Thus the company is a new kind of potential rival to Google. Over the years, the search and mobile giant has been “frenemies” with many... Of all the Android smartphone manufacturers with global ambitions, Xiaomi stands out from the...

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. Photo by Bloomberg.

Twitter Eyes Originals for Mobile Video

By Tom Dotan · Feb 16, 2015 7:00am PST

As far as social networks are concerned, the most contested digital battle at the moment may be the land grab over mobile video. And while Facebook and YouTube are arguably better positioned because they’re bigger, Twitter is scrambling not to be left behind. Twitter has been developing relationships with short-form video creators, hoping to... As far as social networks are concerned, the most contested digital battle at the moment may be...

Why There Will Never Be Another Google

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 13, 2015 10:39am PST · 2 comments

The talent shortage in the technology industry has been creating headaches for years, driving up compensation and the time managers spend recruiting engineers and business leaders. But another consequence of the crunch is less discussed: its impact on the size and structure of companies. The difficulty of finding key people to fill certain jobs... The talent shortage in the technology industry has been creating headaches for years, driving up...

Google's Sundar Pichai, who oversees Android. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Next Bid to Lower Mobile Data Costs: Zero Rating

By Amir Efrati · Feb 13, 2015 7:01am PST

Google's Sundar Pichai, who oversees Android. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Next Bid to Lower Mobile Data Costs: Zero Rating

By Amir Efrati · Feb 13, 2015 7:01am PST

Global Web companies like Google and Facebook know that most of their future growth will need to come from emerging markets. But as smartphones continue to bring more people online, data-plan costs and other hurdles are preventing those people from using mobile Web services. In response, Google engineers in recent months have talked to select... Global Web companies like Google and Facebook know that most of their future growth will need to...

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. Photo by Bloomberg.

Glut of Ad-Buying Services Roils Industry

By Tom Dotan · Feb 12, 2015 10:01am PST · 3 comments

Any advertiser that wants to run a digital campaign faces a complex collection of ad-buying software and exchanges. That conflict has brought the industry to a stalemate, with a dividing line drawn between the tools built by the big tech companies and those sold by smaller ad tech firms. Whatever advantages of scale enjoyed by big tech firms,... Any advertiser that wants to run a digital campaign faces a complex collection of ad-buying...

Apple CEO Tim Cook this week in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Tech Sector’s Debt Craze Won’t Last

By Martin Peers · Feb 12, 2015 7:01am PST

The view from the corporate treasury office in many tech companies recalls the Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Cash, cash everywhere and not a penny to spend. As big tech companies continue to leave cash overseas rather than pay taxes to bring it back, they’ve increasingly resorted to borrowing money. This trend, fueled by record-low interest... The view from the corporate treasury office in many tech companies recalls the Rime of the...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Q&A

GrubHub CEO: What It Will Take to Win the Delivery Wars

By Steve Nellis · Feb 11, 2015 10:01am PST · 2 comments

Chicago-based GrubHub has become the biggest and best-known restaurant takeout app. But it’s under attack from above and below amid nearly $300 million in recent deals in the delivery space. On Tuesday, Yelp acquired GrubHub competitor Eat24 for $134 million. Last year, payments startup Square bought Caviar, which delivers from high-end... Chicago-based GrubHub has become the biggest and best-known restaurant takeout app. But it’s...

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

As Apple Payments Strategy Takes Shape, Google and Square Respond

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 11, 2015 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

As Apple Payments Strategy Takes Shape, Google and Square Respond

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 11, 2015 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Apple rattled tech rivals like Google last year when it entered brick-and-mortar retail with Apple Pay, which lets people use their iPhone to pay for goods in stores. Now Google, which has long offered a similar product for Android phones that hasn’t become widely used, and Square, which helps small businesses accept credit card payments, are... Apple rattled tech rivals like Google last year when it entered brick-and-mortar retail with...