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

Alibaba founder Jack Ma. Photo by Bloomberg.

How China Leapfrogged the U.S. in Mobile Payments

By Jessica E. Lessin and Eric Newcomer · Aug 21, 2014 7:49am PDT

Turn the clock back a few years and everyone was talking about how “backwards” Asia was when it came to digital payments. E-commerce was booming in the rest of the world, thanks to the prevalence of credit cards and other online payment options. But that wasn’t the case in Asia—and especially not in China, the... Turn the clock back a few years and everyone was talking about how “backwards” Asia...

Ebay CEO John Donahoe. Photo by Bloomberg.

PayPal’s Future Still in Play

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 21, 2014 7:09am PDT

Activist investor Carl Icahn’s quest to compel eBay to spin off its PayPal unit ended with a whimper in April. But the maneuvering over PayPal, a giant in the red-hot payments sector, seems to be just beginning. Ebay has been telling potential recruits for the position of PayPal CEO that it’s considering spinning off the payments... Activist investor Carl Icahn’s quest to compel eBay to spin off its PayPal unit ended with...

Jake Schwartz and Brad Hargreaves of General Assembly. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

Building Offline Education for an Online World

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 20, 2014 11:28am PDT

The tech industry is awash in software and services designed to improve how we learn everything from Ruby on Rails to the piano. But one upstart that’s trying to rethink education is pretty old school. General Assembly opened in New York in 2011, in part to offer cheap office space to startups. Today, it’s a school that offers... The tech industry is awash in software and services designed to improve how we learn everything...

Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam. Photo by Bloomberg.

Verizon Preps Challenge to Google’s App Store

By Amir Efrati · Aug 20, 2014 7:03am PDT · 2 comments

Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam. Photo by Bloomberg.

Verizon Preps Challenge to Google’s App Store

By Amir Efrati · Aug 20, 2014 7:03am PDT · 2 comments

After years of watching Google and Apple dominate the business of selling smartphone software to consumers, Verizon Communications is aiming to alter the playing field by building an industry coalition to launch a new, global online store for mobile applications. The company hopes to create a different kind of app store, one that would... After years of watching Google and Apple dominate the business of selling smartphone software to...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Mobile Software Makers Flying Blind After Facebook Deal

By Eric Newcomer · Aug 19, 2014 6:59am PDT

In television, there are the “Nielsen families,” who track their TV viewing and report back on what shows are popular and what shows aren’t. On the Web, there’s comScore and its army of panelists, who agree to let the research firm track their browsing habits and create a picture of what’s hot and what’s... In television, there are the “Nielsen families,” who track their TV viewing and...

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick with DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Video Game Leader Plots Foray into Movies

By Tom Dotan · Aug 18, 2014 1:48pm PDT

Activision Blizzard has been famously averse to adapting its hit video games for the big screen, but that could soon change. The publisher of blockbuster games including “Call of Duty” and “Skylanders” is currently mulling a plan to launch an entertainment studio, where it would produce its own movies and TV shows rather... Activision Blizzard has been famously averse to adapting its hit video games for the big screen,...

Google CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Seeks New Customers: Kids

By Amir Efrati · Aug 18, 2014 7:40am PDT · 3 comments

Google has been working to overhaul its Web services so it can legally allow children to use them, as it becomes more willing to tolerate hairy legal requirements in exchange for growth. The contemplated features include a dashboard for parents to oversee their kids’ activities, a child-safe version of YouTube and requiring people who... Google has been working to overhaul its Web services so it can legally allow children to use...

Goodbye, “Everything Store.” Hello, “Everything City.”

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 15, 2014 10:12am PDT · 3 comments

Goodbye, “Everything Store.” Hello, “Everything City.”

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 15, 2014 10:12am PDT · 3 comments

There are many ways to think about technology companies these days, but lately all the literal descriptions tend to fall short. Calling Google a “search giant” or Facebook a “social network” doesn’t capture how these companies think and act today—or will in the future. For example, in predicting... There are many ways to think about technology companies these days, but lately all the...

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by TechCrunch.

BuzzFeed’s Emerging Threat to Ad Agencies

By Tom Dotan · Aug 14, 2014 3:22pm PDT · 2 comments

Among the new initiatives mentioned in BuzzFeed’s latest funding news was that the fast-growing online publisher will build out its in-house creative agency for advertisers. In doing so, BuzzFeed, which investors say is on track to generate at least $100 million in revenue this year, is also engaging in a creeping turf war with traditional... Among the new initiatives mentioned in BuzzFeed’s latest funding news was that the...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a champion of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Photo by Bloomberg.

Risks Loom Large as Financial Innovation Accelerates

By Katie Benner · Aug 14, 2014 7:13am PDT · 6 comments

Travel back in time a decade and you’ll find a world awash in game-changing innovation that was supposed to make life less expensive, more efficient and better for all. Instead of apps and data analytics there were mortgage-backed securities, credit default swaps and other derivatives. There were specialty lenders. And there were massive... Travel back in time a decade and you’ll find a world awash in game-changing innovation that...

Si Shen, CEO of PapayaMobile. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

How Chinese Mobile Companies Chase Global Growth

By Eric Newcomer · Aug 13, 2014 11:47am PDT

Chinese Internet companies are spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising campaigns to get people to download their mobile applications in countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Egypt. In these Android-dominated markets, companies like Qihoo 360, Baidu and Cheetah Mobile have figured out how to build a relationship with overseas customers... Chinese Internet companies are spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising campaigns to...

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google, H-P Discuss Android Assistant for the Workplace

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 13, 2014 6:57am PDT

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google, H-P Discuss Android Assistant for the Workplace

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 13, 2014 6:57am PDT

As the smartphone battle between Google and Apple moves into the corporate world, Google’s Android unit has been talking to Hewlett-Packard and others about enabling the Google Now “virtual assistant” to be used as a new type of search tool for corporate data, according to three people who have been involved or briefed on... As the smartphone battle between Google and Apple moves into the corporate world, Google’s...

Rubicon Project CEO Frank Addante. Photo by Reuters.

Investors Sour on Ad Tech Sector

By Tom Dotan · Aug 12, 2014 7:40am PDT

The spring selloff of tech stocks has subsided, but the ad tech sector is still struggling. Across the board, ad tech companies that filed to go public in the last year are well below their 52-week highs, with some seeing their valuations cut in half. The negative sentiment is affecting private, venture-backed ad tech companies too, with... The spring selloff of tech stocks has subsided, but the ad tech sector is still struggling....

Eric Giler, board member and former CEO of WiTricity. Photo by Bloomberg.

Sector Spotlight

Wireless Power Poised for Takeoff Despite Standards Fight

By Eric Newcomer · Aug 11, 2014 2:36pm PDT · 2 comments

More than a century after Nikola Tesla showed the world that he could light up a phosphorescent lamp without using any wires, even the most cutting-edge consumer electronics products remain tethered to their power cords. Wireless cellphone charging pads from companies like Samsung and Duracell have been around for a few years, but those... More than a century after Nikola Tesla showed the world that he could light up a phosphorescent...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

The Information’s Next Free Agents

By Amir Efrati, Eric Newcomer and Tom Dotan · Aug 11, 2014 6:20am PDT · 2 comments

The fourth installment of our Free Agents series, which highlights prominent business leaders between full-time jobs, comprises a range of executives looking for their next acts. The list has some executives who were shown the door—the latest sign of how unforgiving it can be to run big tech and media companies today.The list also includes... The fourth installment of our Free Agents series, which highlights prominent business leaders...

‘Everforce’ and Other Tech M&A Predictions

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 8, 2014 11:45am PDT

‘Everforce’ and Other Tech M&A Predictions

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 8, 2014 11:45am PDT

Dear Subscribers, If you believe that we’re a few innings into some dramatic new technological developments (which I do) and that big tech companies are going to be eager to defend their turf (which I do), you’d be wise to predict more tech M&A, big and small. With that in mind, I set out over the past few weeks to ask around... Dear Subscribers, If you believe that we’re a few innings into some dramatic new...

Margo Georgiadis, Google's Americas sales chief. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Sales Leaders Vie for Top Post

By Amir Efrati · Aug 8, 2014 7:01am PDT

The race is on for one of the most important non-product jobs in tech: chief of sales and business development at Google. Nikesh Arora, who shocked much of Google’s 15,000-plus sales organization two weeks ago by announcing his departure from the position, leaves behind a critical job opening as the unit tackles new challenges like mobile... The race is on for one of the most important non-product jobs in tech: chief of sales and...

A user trying the Oculus Rift developer kit headset. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook in Talks with Hollywood on ‘Oculus Experiences’

By Tom Dotan · Aug 7, 2014 12:17pm PDT · 3 comments

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset’s first target market might have been video games—an obvious area of interest for new parent company Facebook. But it may soon go Hollywood too. In recent weeks, Facebook representatives have been meeting with executives at all the major film studios as well as with individual directors about... The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset’s first target market might have been video...

Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg.

What’s a Subscription Software Company Worth?

By Katie Benner · Aug 7, 2014 7:40am PDT · 3 comments

If you remember Enron, Worldcom and the dot-com 1.0 preference for eyeballs over revenue, you can understand why people are wary about the unfamiliar accounting metrics used to justify big valuations for subscription software companies. Salesforce.com, Jive Software, Dropbox and Evernote don’t need profits to be worth billions, the... If you remember Enron, Worldcom and the dot-com 1.0 preference for eyeballs over revenue, you can...

Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Why the App World is Breaking Apart

By Eric Newcomer · Aug 6, 2014 10:54am PDT · 4 comments

Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Q&A

Why the App World is Breaking Apart

By Eric Newcomer · Aug 6, 2014 10:54am PDT · 4 comments

Facebook has unleashed a horde of standalone applications, including Messenger, Paper and Slingshot. Dropbox rolled out a cloud photo-storage app, called Carousel. Evernote has had some success with a suite of apps that are individually crafted to help people create documents of different kinds. These moves have spurred intense analysis of... Facebook has unleashed a horde of standalone applications, including Messenger, Paper and...