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

Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit

Creator Economy

Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 17, 2025 2:53pm PDT

Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making bigger bets on fewer companies, mirroring the broader funding environment for startups.As we outlined in a story earlier today, U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any quarter since 2021, when... Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making...

Creator Economy Database

Creator Startup Funding Hits Highest Level Since 2021

By Kaya Yurieff and Akash Pasricha · Apr 17, 2025 10:44am PDT

U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any quarter since 2021 as investors placed bigger bets on companies tied to music, artificial intelligence and shopping. U.S. creator startups raised $928 million during the first quarter, nearly two and a half times the funds raised in the same period... U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any...

Art by Clark Miller

The 30 Most and Least Common Uses of AI

By Jon Victor · Apr 17, 2025 10:00am PDT

Executives’ growing willingness to say publicly that they are forgoing hiring in favor of artificial intelligence might be a sign of the times. Businesses are facing more uncertainty than they have in years, with tariff-related disruptions and a broader stock market pullback since the start of this year.As my colleague Aaron Holmes reported... Executives’ growing willingness to say publicly that they are forgoing hiring in favor of...

Photo by Getty

Google’s Breakup More Likely After Second Antitrust Loss

By Catherine Perloff · Apr 17, 2025 8:11am PDT

Photo by Getty

Google’s Breakup More Likely After Second Antitrust Loss

By Catherine Perloff · Apr 17, 2025 8:11am PDT

A court in Virginia ruled that Google violated antitrust law by “wilfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” for the sale of ads on independent websites across the internet. Along with an August ruling that Google has an illegal monopoly in search, the decision increases the likelihood that Google will be drastically reshaped by... A court in Virginia ruled that Google violated antitrust law by “wilfully acquiring and...

Dario Amodei. Photo by Getty

Anthropic Invests in Startup That Decodes AI Models

By Rocket Drew · Apr 17, 2025 7:00am PDT

Anthropic has made its first investment in another startup, putting $1 million into Goodfire, a one-year-old startup that helps AI developers understand the inner workings of their AI models, according to a person with direct knowledge of the investment.The check is a small slice of the $50 million raised by the San Francisco-based startup in a... Anthropic has made its first investment in another startup, putting $1 million into Goodfire, a...

Art by Clark Miller.

CEOs Choose More AI, Fewer Jobs

By Aaron Holmes · Apr 17, 2025 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

Advances in artificial intelligence are prompting executives at companies such as PayPal, United Wholesale Mortgage, Shopify and others to move in a direction that has long been a taboo: using AI to fill roles people would have held previously. These firms have either instructed staff to avoid hiring for new roles unless they show the roles can’... Advances in artificial intelligence are prompting executives at companies such as PayPal, United...

Tesla's Robotaxi. Photo: Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty

The Electric: Inside Tesla, Analysts Predicted the Robotaxi Could Lose Money

By Steve LeVine · Apr 17, 2025 4:30am PDT · 2 comments

A little over a year ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk killed the mainstream $25,000 crossover SUV for families and pivoted the company to driverless Robotaxis and other artificial intelligence products. That decision has continued relevance for investors who are looking for Tesla—its share price down 36% this year amid declining vehicle sales—to release... A little over a year ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk killed the mainstream $25,000 crossover SUV for...

Michael Beckerman. Photo by Getty.

TikTok Policy Chief Who Fought Ban to Leave Job

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 16, 2025 6:36pm PDT

Michael Beckerman. Photo by Getty.

TikTok Policy Chief Who Fought Ban to Leave Job

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 16, 2025 6:36pm PDT

TikTok U.S. public policy chief Michael Beckerman, a key architect of TikTok’s efforts to fight a U.S. government ban, has said he is planning to leave Washington and transition to a global advisory role, according to a memo sent to staff viewed by The Information. “Over the coming months, I’ll continue in my current role while leading... TikTok U.S. public policy chief Michael Beckerman, a key architect of TikTok’s efforts to fight a...

David Risher, CEO of Lyft. Photo via Getty

Does Lyft Need a New Engine?

By Martin Peers · Apr 16, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

Does Lyft need a new engine to jump-start its performance? We’re thinking of activist investor Engine Capital, which has taken a stake in the ride-hailing firm and today said it would mount a proxy contest to win seats on Lyft’s board. Lyft’s stock price has been stalled (sorry) for years, trading at roughly 80% below its 2019 IPO price. It’s in... Does Lyft need a new engine to jump-start its performance? We’re thinking of activist investor...

Lukas Ziegler, courtesy of the subject.

Creator Economy

The Robotics Coder Who Became Full-Time Influencer

By Rocket Drew and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 16, 2025 3:03pm PDT

Four years ago, Lukas Ziegler was programming robots at a Polish distributor for Universal Robots, which makes industrial robots that work alongside humans. At night, he started to post about the robotics industry on LinkedIn, eventually traveling around the world to visit robotics companies and give speeches at robotics trade shows.Ziegler’s... Four years ago, Lukas Ziegler was programming robots at a Polish distributor for Universal Robots...

Images via Shutterstock.

Zuckerberg Says Meta’s Share of Time People Spend on Social Media Has Declined

By Kalley Huang · Apr 16, 2025 2:31pm PDT · 1 comment

Facebook’s and Instagram’s share of the amount of time people spend on social media apps has “gone down meaningfully,” Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Wednesday, saying that “a lot of the interaction” people have directly with their friends has shifted to messaging apps such as Apple’s iMessage and its own WhatsApp. Zuckerberg’s... Facebook’s and Instagram’s share of the amount of time people spend on social media apps has “...

Photo by Shutterstock

Pinterest Went on Acquisition Hunt To Fulfill Ad Dreams

By Catherine Perloff · Apr 16, 2025 12:42pm PDT · 1 comment

Photo by Shutterstock

Pinterest Went on Acquisition Hunt To Fulfill Ad Dreams

By Catherine Perloff · Apr 16, 2025 12:42pm PDT · 1 comment

Pinterest in January considered spending hundreds of millions on an acquisition to supercharge its ad sales, said a person familiar with its plans, underlining its ambition to compete more effectively with bigger firms like Meta Platforms. The company, which hasn’t bought a business of any size before, contemplated buying one of five ad tech... Pinterest in January considered spending hundreds of millions on an acquisition to supercharge...

Photo by Getty

OpenAI’s ‘Yeet’ Social Feed Aims to Fix ChatGPT Usability

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 16, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

If you didn’t think OpenAI had enough on its plate already, you might now. Yesterday we got news—confirmed by my colleague Amir—that the company is developing an X-like social feed within ChatGPT, in part so that users can share how they’re using the chatbot to solve problems or create images.There are a couple reasons why this sort of product... If you didn’t think OpenAI had enough on its plate already, you might now. Yesterday we got news—...

Sundar Pichai at Google I/O 2024. Photo by Getty

Google’s Search for Its AI Future

By Erin Woo · Apr 16, 2025 6:00am PDT

Next week, a federal judge will start the process of determining how to fix Google’s search engine, which he ruled last summer was an illegal monopoly. No matter what he decides, though, artificial intelligence is already upending the future of Google Search. Over the past two years, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT has grown more popular, Google has... Next week, a federal judge will start the process of determining how to fix Google’s search...

Daniel Matheson, lead attorney for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, exits court today. Photo via Getty.

Could Meta Have Made Snap a Success?

By Martin Peers · Apr 15, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Mark Zuckerberg is very confident in his own abilities. His testimony in the government’s antitrust trial today—as reported by my colleague Kalley Huang—made clear his belief that both Twitter and Snap would have been better off if they had accepted the buyout bids he made early in their lives. By the same token, he believes Instagram today is... Mark Zuckerberg is very confident in his own abilities. His testimony in the government’s...

Coachella 2025's first weekend. Photo via Getty.

Figma IPO Filing Defies Economic Gloom

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 15, 2025 3:45pm PDT · 1 comment

Coachella 2025's first weekend. Photo via Getty.

Figma IPO Filing Defies Economic Gloom

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 15, 2025 3:45pm PDT · 1 comment

Figma on Tuesday threw a bone to the bankers, lawyers and other advisers who make their living by taking tech companies public. The software firm, which we have reported was planning to list this year, announced it had confidentially filed for an initial public offering. The listing, of course, won’t be for months. There are rounds of... Figma on Tuesday threw a bone to the bankers, lawyers and other advisers who make their living by...

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri exiting federal court on April 4 after a tutorial ahead of the FTC case. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

Instagram’s Influencer Dilemma Reaches Back Years

By Kalley Huang · Apr 15, 2025 2:40pm PDT

Instagram users have long complained that the app, which in the early 2010s became a must-have social network for millennials, has lost its way as it prioritizes creators. Emails from this week’s trial to determine whether Instagram-parent Meta Platforms violated antitrust law show how the company’s top executives debated the topic as far... Instagram users have long complained that the app, which in the early 2010s became a must-have...

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaving a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Photo via Getty

Zuckerberg Considered Instagram Spinoff, Court Hears

By Kalley Huang · Apr 15, 2025 12:01pm PDT

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested spinning off Instagram seven years ago, in part because Instagram’s growth was eroding Facebook’s edge and he worried about an eventual breakup by regulators, according to newly disclosed emails shown in court on the second day of an antitrust trial between the Federal Trade Commission and Meta. The... Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested spinning off Instagram seven years ago, in part...

Photo by Getty

At LinkedIn, the Line Between Engineer and Designer Is Blurring

By Jon Victor · Apr 15, 2025 10:05am PDT

In an era of vibe coding and artificial intelligence that can build a professional-looking webpage based on a simple prompt, the lines separating software engineers, designers and product managers are getting blurry.At LinkedIn, for example, company leaders are encouraging engineers to use AI to speed up design work and designers to use AI to... In an era of vibe coding and artificial intelligence that can build a professional-looking...

Why VC Investors and Startups Should Be Worried About the Bond Market

By Anita Ramaswamy · Apr 15, 2025 10:00am PDT · 2 comments

Why VC Investors and Startups Should Be Worried About the Bond Market

By Anita Ramaswamy · Apr 15, 2025 10:00am PDT · 2 comments

Last week’s surge in interest rates, sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariff moves, might end a recent uptick in venture capital investing. Global VC deal value hit $126.3 billion in the first quarter, its highest level in nearly three years, according to data provider PitchBook. The rebound came as the Federal Reserve started cutting... Last week’s surge in interest rates, sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariff moves, might end...