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 headquarters. Photo by Reuters/ China Daily

Alibaba Plans Niche Approach to U.S. Market

By Eric Newcomer · Mar 18, 2014 12:05pm PDT

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s decision to list its shares in the U.S. doesn’t mean it’s planning a major push into the U.S. online retail business—at least not right away. At the annual Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco two weeks ago, Alibaba executive vice chairman Joe Tsai said the company had... Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s decision to list its shares in the U.S. doesn’t...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

YouTube Sets Sights on Kids

By Amir Efrati · Mar 17, 2014 3:32pm PDT

YouTube is going younger. Google’s online video destination, long a haven for teens, is now developing a version of the site for kids under 10 that would wall off racier videos and comments and be deemed a safe place by parents, according to three people who have been briefed about the move. YouTube is going younger. Google’s online video destination, long a haven for teens, is now...

Matthew Vascellaro

Video Producers Explore Options as YouTube Revenues Disappoint

By Tom Dotan · Mar 17, 2014 7:24am PDT

Online video companies that had once hoped to build robust ad-supported entertainment services on YouTube are now scrambling to find additional revenue sources in the face of stagnant ad rates and a glut of inventory. Subscription services, microtransactions, and new approaches to mobile video are all gaining attention as professional content... Online video companies that had once hoped to build robust ad-supported entertainment services on...

Seduced by Startup Journalism

By Jonathan Weber · Mar 14, 2014 1:24pm PDT

Friday Newsletter

Seduced by Startup Journalism

By Jonathan Weber · Mar 14, 2014 1:24pm PDT

When I told my teenage son that I was considering joining a startup news operation called The Information, his initial response was that it sounded “kind of sketch.” I was taken aback, and asked him why he felt that way. “Well if it’s like New West,” he said, referring to the media company I founded in 2004,... When I told my teenage son that I was considering joining a startup news operation called The...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Google’s Motorola Experiment: The Silver Linings

By Amir Efrati · Mar 14, 2014 7:08am PDT

Google’s strained stewardship of Motorola has been called a failed experiment, but the temporary subsidiary accomplished many things for Google. For starters, Motorola is pushing down prices in the smartphone market with its Moto G device—a less slick version of the flagship Moto X—which retails for less than $200... Google’s strained stewardship of Motorola has been called a failed experiment, but the...

Google CEO Larry Page (Art: Matt Vascellaro)

Google & Motorola: A Match Made in Purgatory

By Amir Efrati · Mar 14, 2014 7:07am PDT

During much of last year, Motorola’s top executives had one message for Google CEO Larry Page: If he didn’t go “all in” on Motorola, the Google-owned handset maker would barely make a dent against industry leaders Samsung Electronics and Apple. In monthly operating meetings with Mr. Page at Motorola’s Silicon Valley office, numerous Motorola... During much of last year, Motorola’s top executives had one message for Google CEO Larry Page: If...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

Amid Cloud Mania, Questions About Salesforce's Growth

By Katie Benner · Mar 13, 2014 3:09pm PDT

Salesforce.com’s many acquisitions and the change-the-business-world gospel preached by chief executive Marc Benioff mask a deterioration in the company's much-touted revenue growth, a worrying development for a bellwether firm whose share price has risen steadily for years. Doubts about Salesforce’s financial... Salesforce.com’s many acquisitions and the change-the-business-world gospel preached...

Matthew Vascellaro

Amazon Eyed Overseas Markets in Smartphone Talks

By Amir Efrati · Mar 13, 2014 7:16am PDT

Matthew Vascellaro

Amazon Eyed Overseas Markets in Smartphone Talks

By Amir Efrati · Mar 13, 2014 7:16am PDT

As Amazon prepares to launch its long-awaited smartphone, opportunities in non-U.S. markets loom large. Amazon executives last spring held talks with possible hardware partners that included detailed discussions on strategies for China and European markets, according to a confidential document produced by a potential partner and two people who... As Amazon prepares to launch its long-awaited smartphone, opportunities in non-U.S. markets loom...

Art: Matt Vascellaro

As Gaming Booms, Microsoft Windows Is Left Behind

By Eric Newcomer · Mar 12, 2014 9:03am PDT

Microsoft’s Xbox video game business is a rare success story for the lumbering software giant—which makes it all the more surprising that the company has largely failed to profit directly from the $18 billion personal computer gaming market. PC games like Battlefield 4, League of Legends and StarCraft 2 are played mostly on Windows... Microsoft’s Xbox video game business is a rare success story for the lumbering software...

Dollar Shave CEO Michael Dubin. Credit: Matthew Vascellaro

Growing Cost of 'Viral' Videos Shows Shift in Marketing Landscape

By Tom Dotan · Mar 11, 2014 11:37am PDT

Dollar Shave Club’s first marketing video was so good some people wondered if the razors by mail service was fake. The 2012 clip featured founder Michael Dubin strolling through the company’s fulfillment center, talking to the camera with an arch bravado. The tone hewed closely to TV spots by brands such as Old Spice and the ad... Dollar Shave Club’s first marketing video was so good some people wondered if the razors by...

Bull Market Spurs a Rush to Raise Money

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 10, 2014 5:34pm PDT

A message to startups is echoing across Silicon Valley: Raise cash now, whether you need it or not. In recent weeks DocuSign, Lyft, Jawbone, Flipagram and others have closed—or are close to closing—big funding rounds. Others, like payments darling Square, are considering them. Valuations are sky-high. The race to raise now is being... A message to startups is echoing across Silicon Valley: Raise cash now, whether you need it or...

By Matt Vascellaro · Mar 10, 2014 11:20am PDT

By Matt Vascellaro · Mar 10, 2014 11:20am PDT

Credit: Matt Vascellaro

Supply Chain Guru Emerges as a Valley Mr. Fixit

By Katie Benner · Mar 10, 2014 9:30am PDT

As an investor and board member at GoPro, the camera-maker that recently filed for an IPO, Michael Marks has been busy: He brought in his friend Terry Gou, the chief executive of Apple supplier Foxconn, as a key investor, handpicked top managers with expertise in manufacturing and supply chain management and offered operational advice to... As an investor and board member at GoPro, the camera-maker that recently filed for an IPO,...

Friday Newsletter

Board Conflicts Deserve a Closer Look

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 7, 2014 12:38pm PST

Cover the technology industry for long enough and you’ll see it again and again: A company board member facing an awkward conflict when the company wants to do business with–or compete against–another company in which the director also has an interest. The director’s response to this problem is always the same: “I... Cover the technology industry for long enough and you’ll see it again and again: A company...

Credit: FireEye

Revolving Door Links Cybersecurity Firms and Spy Agencies

By Katie Benner · Mar 6, 2014 6:18am PST

Amanda Stewart took the stage at last week’s RSA cybersecurity conference with her presentation stored on a silver USB drive that hung from a delicate necklace. In heels and an elegant black and white dress, she seemed like an unlikely soldier in the war against cybercrime–until she unleashed a highly technical talk on the challenges... Amanda Stewart took the stage at last week’s RSA cybersecurity conference with her...

Apps Emerge as Key Battleground in Mobile Search

By Amir Efrati · Mar 5, 2014 6:16am PST

Apps Emerge as Key Battleground in Mobile Search

By Amir Efrati · Mar 5, 2014 6:16am PST

As Apple, Google, Microsoft and others race to build powerful voice-driven search capabilities for mobile devices, they’re zeroing in on a surprisingly thorny problem: enabling people to access the content and capabilities of mobile apps in their searches. This contest to be smart about apps—call it the app IQ test—is being... As Apple, Google, Microsoft and others race to build powerful voice-driven search capabilities...

Berlin Cathedral. Credit: Philippe Amiot via Flickr

The Information’s Cost Ranking of Cities for Founders

By Eric Newcomer · Mar 4, 2014 8:47am PST

San Francisco and New York are known for drawing legions of entrepreneurs. But frugal founders should look elsewhere. The Information ranked 11 major cities based on the cost of starting a technology company in each. We tallied the annual salaries for two software engineers and a designer as well as the annual lease on a 1,000 square-foot... San Francisco and New York are known for drawing legions of entrepreneurs. But frugal founders...

Matt Vascellaro

Comcast Prepares New Fight Against YouTube

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 3, 2014 7:23am PST

In recent months, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his father, Comcast co-founder Ralph Roberts, saw a demonstration of a new Comcast video service that aims to outflank Internet video rivals like Google’s YouTube. The offering combines the type of shorter Web video programming that YouTube is known for with live and on-demand... In recent months, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his father, Comcast co-founder Ralph Roberts, saw...

Friday Newsletter

The Hardest Hire

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 28, 2014 12:24pm PST · 3 comments

The award for hiring coup of the month goes to Drew Houston at Dropbox, who nabbed outgoing Motorola chief Dennis Woodside as his first COO. Woodside’s résumé is impressive. He ran Google’s U.S. sales arm before CEO Larry Page tapped him to save Motorola Mobility. While the ending wasn’t pretty—a sale to... The award for hiring coup of the month goes to Drew Houston at Dropbox, who nabbed outgoing...

Ben Ling, Keith Rabois, Vinod Khosla and David Weiden. Art: Matt Vascellaro

In Shift, Khosla Puts Energy into Consumer Tech

By Eric Newcomer · Feb 27, 2014 11:12am PST

Ben Ling, Keith Rabois, Vinod Khosla and David Weiden. Art: Matt Vascellaro

In Shift, Khosla Puts Energy into Consumer Tech

By Eric Newcomer · Feb 27, 2014 11:12am PST

Startups with wild dreams of repurposing carbon dioxide or forever replacing the egg have long sought out one man: self-made billionaire and the Valley’s most contrarian venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. But startups hoping to create the next big app, social network or consumer Internet company have largely passed Mr. Khosla and his namesake firm... Startups with wild dreams of repurposing carbon dioxide or forever replacing the egg have long...