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

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Recent Editions

Credit: Matt Vascellaro

Facebook Courts Developers with New Approach to Platform

By Eric Newcomer · Apr 7, 2014 8:37am PDT

When Facebook convenes its first developer conference in three years later this month, the social networking giant will be aiming to draw software makers closer to its booming mobile business—and convince them that it has learned from its often-troubled efforts to serve as a platform for third-party developers. Facebook’s new... When Facebook convenes its first developer conference in three years later this month, the social...

Google CEO Larry Page. Credit: Reuters

Google Recently Studied Square Acquisition

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 6, 2014 9:13am PDT

Google recently pondered an acquisition of payment company Square, according to two people briefed on the company’s thinking. The companies aren’t currently discussing a deal, according to another person familiar with the matter, and it is unclear whether Google, which has been on an M&A binge, is continuing to pursue the idea.... Google recently pondered an acquisition of payment company Square, according to two people...

Rubicon Project CEO Frank Addante on the floor of the NYSE. Photo by Reuters/ Lucas Jackson

Ad Tech Sector Sees Solid IPOs, But Threats Loom

By Tom Dotan · Apr 4, 2014 3:03pm PDT

The IPO of the Rubicon Project this week is the latest indication that public markets have warmed to the ad tech sector, a diverse group of companies that has had its ups and downs on Wall Street despite the online advertising boom. But Google and other Internet giants, which operate their own ad networks and control huge swaths of ad inventory,... The IPO of the Rubicon Project this week is the latest indication that public markets have warmed...

Where Have All the Launches Gone?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 4, 2014 12:58pm PDT

Where Have All the Launches Gone?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 4, 2014 12:58pm PDT

When did the technology industry stop launching big new products? I am not talking about iterations on well-established winners, like Microsoft Office for iPad or Android for wearable devices. Nor am I talking about new products in existing categories, like Amazon.com’s Kindle Fire TV. I’m talking about major innovations in hardware,... When did the technology industry stop launching big new products? I am not talking about...

Photo by Reuters/ Ralph Orlowski

IPOs in Focus as High-Flying Stocks Wobble

By Katie Benner · Apr 3, 2014 12:55pm PDT

As investors and tech executives nervously scan the horizon for any signs of bursting bubbles, they may be missing an important indicator that’s sitting in plain sight: The most speculative tech stocks have fallen by double-digit percentages in just the past month, even as broad market indexes have held steady. The incipient correction,... As investors and tech executives nervously scan the horizon for any signs of bursting bubbles,...

Matthew Vascellaro

Google Weighs a Plunge into Mobile Phone Services

By Amir Efrati · Apr 3, 2014 8:04am PDT

After thrusting itself into competition with U.S. cable operators, Google is inching closer to competing with wireless carriers, too. Google executives in recent months discussed their hope to offer a full-fledged wireless service in markets where it offers Google Fiber Internet and TV service, according to two people who have discussed the... After thrusting itself into competition with U.S. cable operators, Google is inching closer to...

Peter Larsen of Amazon shows the new Amazon Fire TV. Photo by Reuters/ Eduardo Munoz.

Amazon TV Box Shows Why Apps are Over

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 2, 2014 11:54am PDT

Amazon.com’s new television box provides yet another way to watch TV shows, movies and Web videos from the comfort of your living room. But it also reinforces a paradigm shift that’s already affecting the entire digital content industry. The so-called Amazon Fire TV supports apps from Hulu, Netflix, MLB.tv and others, just as the... Amazon.com’s new television box provides yet another way to watch TV shows, movies and Web...

Matthew Vascellaro

Bitcoin Promoters See Gold in IRS Ruling

By Eric Newcomer · Apr 2, 2014 7:50am PDT

Matthew Vascellaro

Bitcoin Promoters See Gold in IRS Ruling

By Eric Newcomer · Apr 2, 2014 7:50am PDT

Now that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has declared that it will treat Bitcoin as property rather than currency, Bitcoin enthusiasts are puzzling over a fundamental question: is it more valuable as a store of value, like gold, or as a medium of exchange, like the dollar? On the face of it, Bitcoin would seem to lose a lot of value... Now that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has declared that it will treat Bitcoin as property...

By Matt Vascellaro · Apr 1, 2014 9:25am PDT

Matthew Vascellaro

In Washington, a New Wrangle Over Digital Health Rules

By Katie Benner · Apr 1, 2014 7:59am PDT

Recent moves by the U.S Congress to curtail the Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of medical apps and other digital health products and loosen regulation of the sector is meeting surprising resistance from some entrepreneurs and health startups, who argue that a sound and consistent regulatory regime will be good for the industry. ... Recent moves by the U.S Congress to curtail the Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of...

Reuters

Masters of the App Preload

By Amir Efrati · Mar 31, 2014 12:59pm PDT

For mobile app developers, there is one good way to avoid costly ad campaigns and still gain the attention of millions of customers: Persuade handset vendors and wireless carriers to preload the app on their phones. More often than not, developers pay for that privilege, though some say it isn’t worth it. And as competition among... For mobile app developers, there is one good way to avoid costly ad campaigns and still gain...

Matthew Vascellaro

Mobile Advertising Crunch Hits App Developers

By Eric Newcomer · Mar 31, 2014 7:34am PDT

Matthew Vascellaro

Mobile Advertising Crunch Hits App Developers

By Eric Newcomer · Mar 31, 2014 7:34am PDT

Mobile app developers that rely on highly targeted ad campaigns to bring in new business are facing rising rates and inventory shortages as they compete to reach a small group of desirable, free-spending customers. Companies including SGN, Groupon and Big Fish Games all say the supply of desirable mobile advertising options can run... Mobile app developers that rely on highly targeted ad campaigns to bring in new business are...

When $3 Billion is Not $3 Billion

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 28, 2014 12:46pm PDT

It is time for the technology industry to change how it discusses company valuations. The press, investors and entrepreneurs have been fixated on some eye-popping numbers. $10 billion for Dropbox. $10 billion for Airbnb. Larger than some large hotel chains! Approaching American Airlines! But those numbers don’t represent the actual value... It is time for the technology industry to change how it discusses company valuations. The press,...

Matthew Vascellaro

Yahoo Struggles in Push for Mobile Deals

By Amir Efrati · Mar 28, 2014 9:55am PDT

As CEO Marissa Mayer labors to revive Yahoo, the inability to get Yahoo apps onto more smartphones has become one of her biggest problems. After revamping the company’s suite of mobile apps, from Web search and email to weather, sports and Flickr, Ms. Mayer has focused on striking deals with handset manufacturers and wireless carriers to... As CEO Marissa Mayer labors to revive Yahoo, the inability to get Yahoo apps onto more...

Matthew Vascellaro

Defending the World from Evil Robots

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 27, 2014 11:17am PDT

As technologists race to build computers that think like humans, Luke Muehlhauser is playing safety cop. The 28-year-old cognitive scientist runs the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, which is backed by tech heavyweights including venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Jaan Tallinn, who helped build Skype. Its mission is "artificial... As technologists race to build computers that think like humans, Luke Muehlhauser is playing...

For Startup Investors, Flood of Growth Capital Changes the Math

By Katie Benner · Mar 27, 2014 8:38am PDT

For Startup Investors, Flood of Growth Capital Changes the Math

By Katie Benner · Mar 27, 2014 8:38am PDT

The arrival of hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity firms as major players in startup investing is one of the primary reasons that tech company valuations have soared over the past several years—and new data suggest that these non-traditional sources of money are changing the tech investing landscape in other ways too. Late-stage... The arrival of hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity firms as major players in startup...

Matthew Vascellaro

With Maker Acquisition, Disney Takes on a Tough Challenge

By Tom Dotan · Mar 26, 2014 2:38pm PDT

Walt Disney Co.'s $500 million buyout of Maker Studios has been described as many things: An endorsement of the YouTube economy, an admission by a media giant that it can’t build digital properties in-house, and a seminal moment for Los Angeles’ startup scene. What it isn’t, though, is the acquisition of a... Walt Disney Co.'s $500 million buyout of Maker Studios has been described as many...

Matt Vascellaro

Crunch Time Coming in Online Storage Race

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 26, 2014 7:44am PDT

The online storage business is one of the hottest niches in Silicon Valley, with upstart Box unveiling its IPO plans this week and rivals Dropbox and Evernote boasting multibillion-dollar private market valuations. Just don’t call it the online storage business. The startups bristle at the label, insisting they’re... The online storage business is one of the hottest niches in Silicon Valley, with upstart Box...

Matthew Vascellaro

Uber Mulls a Move to Android

By Katie Benner and Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 25, 2014 12:29pm PDT

Uber, which has purchased tens of thousands of iPhones for its drivers, has been talking to Samsung and other Android hardware manufacturers about equipping drivers with Android phones, according to people involved in the discussions. It’s unclear whether the discussions are part of a broader strategic shift by the red-hot... Uber, which has purchased tens of thousands of iPhones for its drivers, has been talking to...

Matthew Vascellaro

Parrying Apple, Google Pushes Android into the Office

By Amir Efrati · Mar 25, 2014 6:58am PDT

Matthew Vascellaro

Parrying Apple, Google Pushes Android into the Office

By Amir Efrati · Mar 25, 2014 6:58am PDT

Behind the glitzy ad campaigns and massive product development efforts that dominate the consumer smartphone business, Apple and Google are quietly squaring off in a battle for BlackBerry’s old turf. Google is now embarking on a major effort to make its Android software more attractive to businesses and blunt Apple’s growing success among... Behind the glitzy ad campaigns and massive product development efforts that dominate the consumer...