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

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Credit: TechCrunch.

In Crunch Time, Square Considers Giving Capital to Businesses

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 25, 2014 12:55pm PST

Square is moving further beyond the swipe. The payments company has begun testing a way to give Square merchants thousands of dollars to help them grow, according to three people familiar with the effort. The early-stage test is part of the startup’s push to diversify beyond processing credit cards for small businesses, a competitive and... Square is moving further beyond the swipe. The payments company has begun testing a way to give...

Matt Vascellaro

Bitcoin’s Blame Game

By Eric Newcomer · Feb 25, 2014 7:24am PST

This month’s Bitcoin controversy, following a meltdown at the influential Japan-based Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, underscores a key problem for the virtual currency’s decentralized model. When nobody is in charge, nobody knows who to believe when something goes wrong. For weeks after Mt. Gox stopped letting clients withdraw from their... This month’s Bitcoin controversy, following a meltdown at the influential Japan-based...

Matt Vascellaro

The Crowded Race to See Inside Apps

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 24, 2014 7:09am PST

There is a new arms race to make apps behave like websites—and leading technology companies are making their play. Google, Facebook, Apple, Twitter and a handful of startups are rolling out new ways to link to specific content inside apps, taking aim at one of the trickiest problems in the mobile industry. Unlike websites, apps don’t... There is a new arms race to make apps behave like websites—and leading technology companies...

Platform or Perish

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 21, 2014 12:53pm PST

Friday Newsletter

Platform or Perish

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 21, 2014 12:53pm PST

As Google and Facebook vie to buy fast-growing apps for billions, I have one big question: Where is everyone else? If Google and Facebook believe WhatsApp and messaging are strategic enough to pay $19 billion or more to own them, what are Apple, Amazon, Samsung or Twitter thinking? (Let’s ignore the fact that WhatsApp may not have... As Google and Facebook vie to buy fast-growing apps for billions, I have one big question:...

Matt Vascellaro

The Most Potent Patents

By Amir Efrati · Feb 21, 2014 6:38am PST

If your company sends shipping status notifications or posts digital maps online, beware: More lawsuits were filed using patents on those two features than any other patents during the past decade—and with decent success. That’s some of the information that can be gleaned from a database of U.S. patent-litigation... If your company sends shipping status notifications or posts digital maps online, beware: More...

Matt Vascellaro

Exclusive, Part Two

Google Was Willing to Beat Facebook’s $19B Offer for WhatsApp

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 20, 2014 11:59am PST

Last week, Google CEO Larry Page met with WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum in a last-ditch effort to prevent the rapidly growing messaging app from selling itself to Facebook, according to three people involved in the deal. The Google chief had learned that a few days before, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had made a pitch to Mr. Koum to join his company and... Last week, Google CEO Larry Page met with WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum in a last-ditch effort to prevent...

Google’s Unusual Offer to WhatsApp

By Amir Efrati · Feb 19, 2014 7:43pm PST

More than six months ago, Google approached WhatsApp with an odd offer: It would pay the mobile messaging startup in exchange for the right to be notified if the messaging app entered into acquisition talks with other companies, according to a person involved in the process and two people briefed on it. WhatsApp rebuffed the offer, which could... More than six months ago, Google approached WhatsApp with an odd offer: It would pay the mobile...

Mark Zuckerberg. Credit: TechCrunch

Why Facebook Had to Buy WhatsApp

By Eric Newcomer and Amir Efrati · Feb 19, 2014 4:36pm PST

Mark Zuckerberg. Credit: TechCrunch

Why Facebook Had to Buy WhatsApp

By Eric Newcomer and Amir Efrati · Feb 19, 2014 4:36pm PST

Trying to understand why Facebook will pay as much as $19 billion to acquire messaging service WhatsApp in the biggest acquisition of a venture-backed company in history? Some exclusive data about WhatsApp’s penetration tells the tale. In a number of key countries, WhatsApp trounces Facebook’s messaging service in popularity,... Trying to understand why Facebook will pay as much as $19 billion to acquire messaging service...

Credit: Matt Vascellaro

Venture Debt Boom Belies Risks

By Katie Benner · Feb 19, 2014 9:41am PST

Venture capital funding rounds may tend to get all the attention, but debt financing for technology startups is on the rise again—at least for now. Web survey company SurveyMonkey, hardware maker Jawbone, marketplace Etsy and mobile social network Foursquare have recently chosen to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars collectively in... Venture capital funding rounds may tend to get all the attention, but debt financing for...

Jeff Bezos. Credit: Steve Jurvetson via Flickr

Where Amazon Is Winning in Mobile

By Eric Newcomer and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 18, 2014 12:21pm PST

Amazon.com has minuscule market share in selling mobile apps, and the company’s long-awaited phone has yet to appear after years of work. But Amazon is nevertheless becoming a mobile juggernaut in an increasingly important realm: services that store and process data for apps. Despite competition from Google and Microsoft, Amazon dominates... Amazon.com has minuscule market share in selling mobile apps, and the company’s...

Max Levchin, Sebastian Thrun, Howard Lerman, Amol Sarva and Tony Conrad. Art: Matt Vascellaro

When One Company Is Not Enough

By Eric Newcomer · Feb 17, 2014 7:41am PST

What do the CEO of a consumer credit company, the chairman of a review website and the chairman of a fertility company have in common? They’re all named Max Levchin. Mr. Levchin holds top roles at Affirm, Yelp and Glow, and also satisfies his entrepreneurial itch by running a fourth venture: HVF Labs, which he started in 2011 as a hub for... What do the CEO of a consumer credit company, the chairman of a review website and the chairman...

Tech's Duopoly Moment

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 14, 2014 9:44am PST

Friday Newsletter

Tech's Duopoly Moment

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 14, 2014 9:44am PST

As everyone wonders whether regulators will bless Comcast’s $45.2 billion megamerger with Time Warner Cable, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. It isn’t just the cable industry consolidating. It’s the technology industry. Just a day or so before news broke about that deal, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son reminded us of... As everyone wonders whether regulators will bless Comcast’s $45.2 billion megamerger with...

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO. Source: Flickr

Where Online Users Are Worth the Most

By Katie Benner · Feb 13, 2014 10:25am PST

The conventional wisdom about social networks and the ultra-competitive world of Internet engagement is that upstarts are always on the verge of unseating stalwarts like Yahoo and Google. So The Information compiled metrics about key players to go beyond the top-line numbers. This scorecard paints a more nuanced picture. More... The conventional wisdom about social networks and the ultra-competitive world of Internet...

The Man Behind Google’s Latest Ventures

By Amir Efrati · Feb 12, 2014 3:02pm PST

Bill Maris doesn’t Tweet. Even at the helm of Google’s venture capital arm, he seldom attends technology conferences or networking events hosted by his own firm. But the low public profile belies the fact that the boyish-looking, dogged investor has made a big impact on the direction of Google and on the venture capital industry that Google... Bill Maris doesn’t Tweet. Even at the helm of Google’s venture capital arm, he seldom attends...

Bruno François presenting his app Cycloramic. Credit: Ergos Ventures

Why Murky Analytics Hurt Mobile

By Eric Newcomer · Feb 12, 2014 7:21am PST

As founder of app maker Egos Ventures, Bruno François worries a lot about keeping his photography app Cycloramic among the most popular 100 in Apple’s App Store. Like many developers, he turns to data to make sure people are using the app. He monitors Flurry (for monthly active users), Google Analytics (for daily usage), and App... As founder of app maker Egos Ventures, Bruno François worries a lot about keeping his...

Source: Wikimedia

Why Investors Still Believe In Twitter

By Katie Benner · Feb 11, 2014 1:15pm PST

Source: Wikimedia

Why Investors Still Believe In Twitter

By Katie Benner · Feb 11, 2014 1:15pm PST

Twitter’s earnings results last week knocked 20% off the stock price. Slim sequential monthly active user growth of 3% in the U.S. and 5% overseas, and a decline in overall user engagement, raised questions about how widely used the service can become. But the most interesting puzzle about the company right now is why investors still have... Twitter’s earnings results last week knocked 20% off the stock price. Slim sequential...

Inside the Tower: Samsung’s Mobile Power Brokers

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 10, 2014 1:39pm PST

Samsung Electronics’ slow-going push to invest in mobile software is drawing attention throughout the technology industry. The company has vowed to better partner with app developers. But Samsung remains one of the most opaque companies in business, with Samsung employees often calling its close-knit leadership “The Tower” or the “Invisible... Samsung Electronics’ slow-going push to invest in mobile software is drawing attention throughout...

Matt Vascellaro

Software Saps Samsung’s Might

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 10, 2014 1:37pm PST

The last week in January, Google chief executive Larry Page met with Samsung Electronics vice chairman and heir apparent Jay Y. Lee at Google's Mountain View campus to discuss the relationship between the technology giants, according to several people briefed on the meeting. The agenda for the conversations, which included other... The last week in January, Google chief executive Larry Page met with Samsung...

Friday Newsletter

Will Mobile App Preloads Disappear?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 7, 2014 12:56pm PST

In the race for mobile distribution and revenue, there's been a under-the-radar development worth watching. A new set of guidelines in South Korea will soon require wireless carriers and handset makers to allow consumers to delete many of those pesky apps that come preloaded on phones, like music and messaging services. In the race for mobile distribution and revenue, there's been a under-the-radar development...

Google CEO Larry Page Source: Wikimedia

Google Ventures: A Closely-Watched Wildcard

By Katie Benner · Feb 6, 2014 1:23pm PST

Google CEO Larry Page Source: Wikimedia

Google Ventures: A Closely-Watched Wildcard

By Katie Benner · Feb 6, 2014 1:23pm PST

The next venture capital era may be defined by an unusual player, and Silicon Valley isn’t sure what to think. Google Ventures—with only one investor and a seemingly limitless supply of cash to play with—was the third most active venture capital investor last year, with 73 investments, according to DJX VentureSource. No other... The next venture capital era may be defined by an unusual player, and Silicon Valley isn’t...