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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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Recent Editions

Photo by Bloomberg.

New Subscription IPOs Pose Test for Sector

By Steve Nellis · Nov 12, 2014 7:00am PST
Valuing subscription businesses is always challenging for investors, given the sector’s reliance on obscure and non-standard financial metrics that companies release selectively. Two young and fast-growing cloud software companies that filed to go public this week, both of which rely on such metrics, will test investor appetite. New Relic... Valuing subscription businesses is always challenging for investors, given the sector’s...
Art by Sam Lessin.
Subscriber Survey

The Information Subscribers Say…

By Eric Newcomer and Sam Lessin · Nov 11, 2014 10:35am PST · 1 comment
The Information subscribers are nine times more optimistic about the tech sector than they are about the overall economy, according to The Information’s first monthly Subscriber Viewpoint survey.And they’re increasingly optimistic about the long-term prospects of Apple, Alibaba and Airbnb. They’re far less bullish on Square and... The Information subscribers are nine times more optimistic about the tech sector than they are...
Time Warner Cable CEO Rob Marcus. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Cable Companies Prop Up Subscriber Numbers

By Martin Peers · Nov 11, 2014 7:00am PST
In the debate around cord cutting, one reality is often overlooked: Aggressive price promotions are helping prop up the number of video subscribers among cable and phone companies. And that appears to be creating a false sense of security throughout the TV industry. With cord cutting not taking off as expected, there’s less pressure on... In the debate around cord cutting, one reality is often overlooked: Aggressive price promotions...
Native Apps: A Game Startups Can’t Win
By Sam Lessin · Nov 10, 2014 11:05am PST · 6 comments
Modest Proposals

Native Apps: A Game Startups Can’t Win

By Sam Lessin · Nov 10, 2014 11:05am PST · 6 comments
Any software startup launching in 2014 has to abide by two rules.The product must be mobile-first, if not mobile-only. The desktop, at least from a consumer perspective, is on its way to extinction.Secondly, developers must build native apps for Android and iOS. A few years ago, there was hope that HTML5 would deliver a viable cross-platform... Any software startup launching in 2014 has to abide by two rules.The product must be...
Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech Companies Eye Credit to Fuel Customer Growth

By Tom Dotan · Nov 10, 2014 7:00am PST
There are few large technology companies that haven’t taken a stab at payments. Between Apple, Amazon, Google and offerings from countless varieties of startups, the desire for Silicon Valley to assert its control over the flow of commerce has been fully expressed in 2014. But if payments is an abiding interest for tech, credit is only... There are few large technology companies that haven’t taken a stab at payments. Between...
The Takeaway

The Truth About Tech Companies and Professional Content

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 7, 2014 9:18am PST · 4 comments
It’s time to question the Faustian bargain big and small media companies keep making with fast-growing technology platforms. This week, reports surfaced that publishers including BuzzFeed, CNN, Time and ESPN are in talks to contribute to a new part of Snapchat that will showcase professional content. Snapchat is wise to court... It’s time to question the Faustian bargain big and small media companies keep making with...
Oracle founder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison. Photo by Bloomberg.

Database Startups Nip at Oracle

By Steve Nellis · Nov 7, 2014 7:00am PST
A sleepy corner of the technology world is getting a shakeup. For years, the database industry has been dominated by Oracle, with IBM, Microsoft and SAP rounding out the big players. But now investors and customers like eBay, LinkedIn and Netflix are flocking to new database firms trying to get an edge over incumbents by lowering costs and... A sleepy corner of the technology world is getting a shakeup. For years, the database industry...
Media Cos. Should Stop Milking and Start Investing
By Martin Peers · Nov 6, 2014 10:36am PST
Data Point

Media Cos. Should Stop Milking and Start Investing

By Martin Peers · Nov 6, 2014 10:36am PST
If there were ever a time when traditional media companies should be investing in growth, this should be it. Given weak TV ratings and ad revenues, and a pay-TV market that is only likely to decline, businesses built on pay television need to diversify. Instead, as this week’s Data Point chart shows, most traditional media companies are... If there were ever a time when traditional media companies should be investing in growth, this...
Tiger Global Management partner Feroz Dewan.

Technology Investors Chase a Tiger in India

By Amir Efrati · Nov 6, 2014 7:01am PST
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son last week grabbed headlines for his sudden, aggressive promise to invest $10 billion in Indian Internet startups, but he’s treading on the turf of a prowling tiger. Tiger Global Management, the secretive investment firm that was started as a hedge fund in 2001, began investing in Indian startups nearly a decade... SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son last week grabbed headlines for his sudden, aggressive promise to...
Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.
Q&A

Box’s Aaron Levie: We’re Misunderstood

By Steve Nellis · Nov 5, 2014 11:15am PST
Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, wants you to know that his company is not a storage company and that a partnership announced by two of his biggest rivals—Microsoft and Dropbox—is a great thing for Box’s future. In an interview with The Information, the 29 year old also discussed “misunderstandings” around the... Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, wants you to know that his company is not a storage company and that a...
NBC folded its one-time digital gem iVillage into Today.com. Photo by Bloomberg.
Exclusive

Media Sells Off Digital Assets, For Now

By Tom Dotan · Nov 5, 2014 7:00am PST · 2 comments
Call it the great digital housecleaning of digital media. Six or seven years ago, media companies were scrambling to buy digital assets. Properties like MySpace, IGN, Fandango, iVillage and DailyCandy were gobbled up by media conglomerates who wanted to stake an online claim and appear, at least to their shareholders, like they had a read on the... Call it the great digital housecleaning of digital media. Six or seven years ago, media companies...
Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin. Photo by Associate Press.
Crowdfunding Gets Crowded
By Eric Newcomer · Nov 4, 2014 1:01pm PST · 3 comments
Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin. Photo by Associate Press.

Crowdfunding Gets Crowded

By Eric Newcomer · Nov 4, 2014 1:01pm PST · 3 comments
When “Life Itself,” the documentary about deceased film critic Roger Ebert, aired at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it marked a big win for Indiegogo. The online crowdfunding site helped its producers find 1,657 backers who gave more than $150,000 to finish the film, partly in exchange for the chance to watch a live... When “Life Itself,” the documentary about deceased film critic Roger Ebert, aired at...
eBay CEO John Donahoe. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Spin Around Spinoffs

By Martin Peers · Nov 4, 2014 7:01am PST
You know the corporate spinoff craze may be nearing its peak when talk surfaces that a previously divorced corporate couple should get back together. Last week’s suggestion by Gabelli analyst Brett Harriss that Viacom and CBS recombine nearly nine years after breaking up highlights a little-discussed reality about corporate breakups:... You know the corporate spinoff craze may be nearing its peak when talk surfaces that a previously...
In Brief

Exclusive: Jawbone To Broaden Wearables Lineup

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 3, 2014 5:41pm PST
Jawbone is the latest wearable company to try to go where Apple is not going, with plans for two new activity trackers aimed at the low and mid-tiers. With the $349 Apple Watch hitting shelves next year, Jawbone is set to announce two new fitness trackers soon, according to people briefed on the matter. The news follows wearables announcements... Jawbone is the latest wearable company to try to go where Apple is not going, with plans for two...
Modest Proposals

Big Brands Have Become Liabilities

By Sam Lessin · Nov 3, 2014 9:31am PST · 6 comments
In the sea of food pictures your friends post on Instagram, how many McDonald’s Big Macs have you seen? How many Starbucks cups, Sheraton Hotel lobbies or Budweiser beers? Perhaps a few. But, in general, mainstream brands are dramatically under-represented in social media—a fact that illustrates a big challenge facing mass consumer... In the sea of food pictures your friends post on Instagram, how many McDonald’s Big Macs...
Time executives on the company’s first day of trading this year. Photo by Associated Press.
Free of Time Warner, Time Inc. Finds Itself in a Bind
By Tom Dotan · Nov 3, 2014 6:00am PST · 2 comments
Time executives on the company’s first day of trading this year. Photo by Associated Press.

Free of Time Warner, Time Inc. Finds Itself in a Bind

By Tom Dotan · Nov 3, 2014 6:00am PST · 2 comments
If you talk to the people at Time Inc., the future hasn’t seemed this bright in over a decade. The massive publishing company, which owns Time, People and InStyle, among others, is now freed from the shackles of its big media owner Time Warner and finally able to control its destiny. What that destiny is and how exactly it will get there... If you talk to the people at Time Inc., the future hasn’t seemed this bright in over a...
The Takeaway

Why Twitter’s Latest Narrative Concerns Me

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 31, 2014 11:11am PDT · 3 comments
I have been scratching my head all week about what’s going on at Twitter, and I’m worried. I’m not concerned that it posted a $175 million quarterly loss or that company executives issued lower-than-expected guidance for next quarter. What worries me is the confusing story it is telling. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and CFO Anthony... I have been scratching my head all week about what’s going on at Twitter, and I’m...
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon, Remember Your Roots

By Amir Efrati · Oct 31, 2014 7:00am PDT
Amazon.com’s unveiling this week of a video “streaming stick” that attaches to TVs was a refreshing break from its recent, troubled hardware strategy. The $39 Fire TV Stick, while essentially the same as other devices made by rivals like Google, played more to Amazon’s strength as a “horizontal” company... Amazon.com’s unveiling this week of a video “streaming stick” that attaches to...
In Brief

Google Exec Andy Rubin Leaving Google

By Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati · Oct 30, 2014 5:22pm PDT
Long-time Google exec and former Android boss Andy Rubin told his team today that he’s leaving Google, according to people close to the company.  Mr. Rubin has been working on a slew of secret robotics projects over the past year, after handing over the reins at Android to Sundar Pichai. The precise reason for his departure... Long-time Google exec and former Android boss Andy Rubin told his team today that he’s...
Sridhar Sudarsan, chief technology officer of IBM Watson. Photo by Bloomberg.
Artificial Intelligence’s Legal Gray Area
By Steve Nellis · Oct 30, 2014 12:00pm PDT
Sridhar Sudarsan, chief technology officer of IBM Watson. Photo by Bloomberg.

Artificial Intelligence’s Legal Gray Area

By Steve Nellis · Oct 30, 2014 12:00pm PDT
The arms race around artificial intelligence is continuing among big Internet companies, with Google recently acquiring Dark Blue Labs and Vision Factory to complement its $500 million purchase of DeepMind, which Facebook also eyed. But there’s a big legal gray area over the sector when it comes to patents—which could make some... The arms race around artificial intelligence is continuing among big Internet companies, with...