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

Art by Clark Miller

How Deel’s Combative Father-Son Duo Sparked a Spy Scandal

By Michael Roddan and Cory Weinberg · Apr 4, 2025 4:52pm PDT · 5 comments

Philippe Bouaziz has always expected his only son to fight—and to fight alongside him. He made his hope plainly apparent on the day he chose his son’s name: Alexandre, a deliberate homage to Alexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian conqueror, Philippe has told people with evident pride. The name tied Alex closely together with his... Philippe Bouaziz has always expected his only son to fight—and to fight alongside him. He...

Photo via Getty

Klarna and StubHub Offerings Become Tariff Casualties

By Ken Brown · Apr 4, 2025 4:00pm PDT

That was fast. The window for technology company stock offerings slammed shut less than a week after it opened, dashing hopes that the moribund market would come to life this year.CoreWeave, the deal that was supposed to lead the pack in a reopened market, got done on Friday. StubHub and Klarna were waiting in the wings, until President Donald... That was fast. The window for technology company stock offerings slammed shut less than a week...

Can Tesla Survive? And the Future of OpenAI

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 4, 2025 3:50pm PDT

On this week’s More or Less: The battle lines are drawn on OpenAI. Apple Spotify On this week’s More or Less: The battle lines are drawn on OpenAI. Apple Spotify

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. Photo via Getty

Tether Eyes Issuing New Stablecoin for U.S. Market

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 4, 2025 2:21pm PDT

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. Photo via Getty

Tether Eyes Issuing New Stablecoin for U.S. Market

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 4, 2025 2:21pm PDT

Tether, by far the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, says it plans to create a new stablecoin for the U.S. market this year if Congress passes crypto legislation. In an interview with The Information, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company “will move fast” to create a new token once the expected stablecoin legislation passes. Tether, by far the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, says it plans to create a new stablecoin...

A Seattle Orcas Major League Cricket game. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella co-owns the team. Photo via MLC.

Pro Weekly: Upstart Sports Leagues Gain Momentum

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 4, 2025 8:00am PDT

A few weeks ago, we published one of my favorite additions to The Information Pro, our Sports Team Owners Database. My colleague Sara Germano logged more than 50 sports franchises across nearly a dozen sports leagues that count tech entrepreneurs, executives and investors among their owners. I was struck by how many of these people have... A few weeks ago, we published one of my favorite additions to The Information Pro, our Sports...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Meta Nears Release of New AI Model After Performance Hiccups

By Kalley Huang · Apr 4, 2025 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Last spring, Meta Platforms was on a tear. It had just released Llama 3, a new generation of its large language model, to much praise from developers and independent reviewers. Almost a year later, though, that model’s successor, Llama 4, is running behind schedule. Meta has pushed back the release date of Llama 4 at least twice and could do so... Last spring, Meta Platforms was on a tear. It had just released Llama 3, a new generation of its...

Photo via Getty

What the Wall Street Bloodbath Reveals About Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 3, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Wall Street wisdom says when a recession is on the horizon, investors should flock to defensive companies that sell things people always need, like groceries and healthcare. At the same time, they should flee cyclical firms that sell optional stuff cash-strapped shoppers will avoid or put off buying, like luxury goods and furniture. Which... Wall Street wisdom says when a recession is on the horizon, investors should flock to defensive...

Photo by Getty

How the Tariffs Will Roil Venture Capital

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Sri Muppidi · Apr 3, 2025 3:22pm PDT

Photo by Getty

How the Tariffs Will Roil Venture Capital

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Sri Muppidi · Apr 3, 2025 3:22pm PDT

President Donald Trump’s decision to impose big tariffs on imported goods may feel like an issue for supply chain managers or chip developers. But the stock market’s decline today shows that all markets are interconnected. For venture capital, the impact may be more indirect. Asked if the tariffs would affect venture investors, Tomasz... President Donald Trump’s decision to impose big tariffs on imported goods may feel like an issue...

Photo via Getty

Creator Economy

White House’s TikTok Proposal Raises Big Questions

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 3, 2025 1:03pm PDT

What a wild 24 hours it’s been! Everyone and their mother, including Amazon, AppLovin and the founder of OnlyFans, threw their hat in the ring at the last minute to try to acquire TikTok’s U.S. assets.And as we first scooped on Wednesday, the White House is finalizing its proposal for a deal aimed at keeping TikTok alive in the U.S. On Thursday... What a wild 24 hours it’s been! Everyone and their mother, including Amazon, AppLovin and the...

Photos via Getty

Intel, TSMC Recently Discussed Agreement to Form Chipmaking Joint Venture

By Qianer Liu · Apr 3, 2025 11:48am PDT · 3 comments

Intel’s financial crisis may be over—with support from its biggest rival. Executives from Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. recently discussed a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture to operate Intel’s chipmaking facilities, with TSMC taking a 20% stake in the new company, according to two people involved in some of... Intel’s financial crisis may be over—with support from its biggest rival. Executives from...

Photo via Shutterstock

Why Customers Let Workday Train AI on Their Data

By Jon Victor · Apr 3, 2025 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Workday, a human resources software provider, is the latest example of a large public company using information from customers to improve its artificial intelligence.To develop AI that lets customers generate and analyze legal contracts, Workday has been using its customers’ own contracts as part of the training data, Chief Technology Officer... Workday, a human resources software provider, is the latest example of a large public company...

Rodney Brooks. Photo by Getty

Roomba Creator Says Humanoid Robots Are Overhyped

By Rocket Drew · Apr 3, 2025 7:46am PDT · 3 comments

Rodney Brooks. Photo by Getty

Roomba Creator Says Humanoid Robots Are Overhyped

By Rocket Drew · Apr 3, 2025 7:46am PDT · 3 comments

It’s not every day you hear a robotics founder trying to cool the hype surrounding their industry, but Rodney Brooks has seen it all before. Speaking at a conference Tuesday hosted by Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, Brooks, a founder of multiple robotics companies including the one behind Roomba vacuums, showed attendees a slide... It’s not every day you hear a robotics founder trying to cool the hype surrounding their...

Left to right: Jeremi Gorman, Anoushka Vaswani, Everett Randle, Delian Asparouhov and Dan Levine.

Catching Up With The Next GPs: Backing Brex Alumni, Rollups and AI Apps

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 3, 2025 6:00am PDT

Last March, our inaugural list of The Next GPs highlighted investors that could be calling the shots at major venture capital firms in the coming years. Today, as we unveil a new list of up-and-comers, we’re also checking in on our 2024 cohort. Some of their investments have already paid off handsomely. Stripe bought Bridge, a stablecoin startup... Last March, our inaugural list of The Next GPs highlighted investors that could be calling the...

Announcing The Information’s 2025 List of Next General Partners

By Sri Muppidi and Natasha Mascarenhas · Apr 3, 2025 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Amid a prolonged slump in initial public offerings, venture capital firms are shrinking planned funds and abandoning once-promising strategies. That’s heightened competition for the premier positions at venture firms—the general partners who make investment decisions and get a share of the firm’s gains. But some people are navigating the... Amid a prolonged slump in initial public offerings, venture capital firms are shrinking planned...

Byd founder Wang Chuanfu. Photo: Getty

The Electric: Battery Hands Are Skeptical of Byd’s Claim of Five-Minute Charging

By Steve LeVine · Apr 3, 2025 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

Last month, China’s Byd said it would soon release two electric vehicles capable of charging in five minutes—not much longer than the time it takes to fill a gas tank. The assertion caught rivals uncomfortably off guard, especially companies in the West, where the fastest competing EVs charge to 80% of capacity in roughly 20 minutes. Last month, China’s Byd said it would soon release two electric vehicles capable of charging in...

Photo via Getty

Musk Heading Home

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 2, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo via Getty

Musk Heading Home

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 2, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Is Elon Musk’s run as a government cost cutter coming to an end? According to a new Politico report, President Donald Trump has been telling members of his inner circle that Musk will step back in the coming weeks and return to his businesses, most notably his struggling electric vehicle maker, Tesla. The White House has downplayed the... Is Elon Musk’s run as a government cost cutter coming to an end? According to a new Politico...

Chart by Shane Burke

Creator Economy

Now Hiring: Seasoned Creator Economy Staffers

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 2, 2025 2:28pm PDT

Keep your eyes peeled on Wednesday for an announcement from President Trump about his plan to keep TikTok alive in the U.S. As I scooped earlier today, Trump plans to announce a proposal for a new company expected to be called TikTok America, which would be roughly 50% owned by new U.S. investors and license TikTok’s algorithm from its Chinese... Keep your eyes peeled on Wednesday for an announcement from President Trump about his plan to...

Google campus photo by Getty. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Google in Advanced Talks to Rent Nvidia AI Servers From CoreWeave

By Aaron Holmes, Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · Apr 2, 2025 12:32pm PDT · 1 comment

Google is in advanced talks to rent state-of-the-art Nvidia Blackwell chips for running artificial intelligence from CoreWeave, an upstart cloud provider, according to two people briefed about the situation. The potential deal shows how major Nvidia customers like Google are struggling to get enough of its chips to meet rising demand from... Google is in advanced talks to rent state-of-the-art Nvidia Blackwell chips for running...

Photo by Getty

Trump to Outline TikTok Deal Proposal, With ByteDance Retaining Stake

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 2, 2025 12:12pm PDT · 1 comment

President Donald Trump plans to announce later on Wednesday his plan for a new company called TikTok America, part of his efforts to broker a deal to keep TikTok alive in the U.S., according to a person close to the discussions. It’s unclear whether the Trump administration has approval for the proposed structure from the Chinese... President Donald Trump plans to announce later on Wednesday his plan for a new company called...

Paul Kotas, senior vice president of Amazon Ads, in 2024. Photo via Getty

Why Amazon’s Biggest Ad Business Could Be Maxing Out

By Catherine Perloff and Theo Wayt · Apr 2, 2025 11:43am PDT · 1 comment

Paul Kotas, senior vice president of Amazon Ads, in 2024. Photo via Getty

Why Amazon’s Biggest Ad Business Could Be Maxing Out

By Catherine Perloff and Theo Wayt · Apr 2, 2025 11:43am PDT · 1 comment

Over the last several years, advertisements have seemingly begun creeping into nearly every crevice on Amazon. They populate carousels of products promising to show shoppers what other “customers frequently viewed” on search results. They also appear on pages where shoppers can find deals on Amazon. And they pop up on the checkout page when a... Over the last several years, advertisements have seemingly begun creeping into nearly every...