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

Nisa Leung, Managing Partner, Qiming Venture Partners. Photo by Getty.

Top Chinese VC Firm Qiming Plans Leadership Transition

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Nov 20, 2024 4:00am PST

Qiming Venture Partners, one of China’s leading venture firms, is planning a major leadership transition, one of the first of a generation of Chinese VC firms to take this step, according to three people with knowledge of the plan. Nisa Leung and Duane Kuang, two of Qiming’s managing partners, will gradually step back from their... Qiming Venture Partners, one of China’s leading venture firms, is planning a major...

Google Sundar Pichai, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President-Elect Donald Trump via Getty. Art by Clark Miller

Musk Joined Call Between Trump, Google CEO

By Erin Woo · Nov 19, 2024 7:07pm PST · 7 comments

When Google CEO Sundar Pichai called Donald Trump to congratulate the president-elect on winning the election, a guest was on the line: Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, xAI and other companies, according to two people familiar with the situation. Musk’s appearance took Pichai by surprise, one of these people said. When Google CEO Sundar Pichai called Donald Trump to congratulate the president-elect on winning...

Photo via Adobe

Amazon’s Walmart Problem

By Theo Wayt · Nov 19, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Walmart reported solid third-quarter numbers today, driving home what’s surely a sore point for Jeff Bezos: No matter how hard Amazon tries, it can’t conquer Walmart.The Arkansas retailer’s revenue grew 5.5% to $169.6 billion, and the company showed optimism about the holiday season by raising its full-year sales forecast. Investors are happy... Walmart reported solid third-quarter numbers today, driving home what’s surely a sore point for...

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi and ServiceTitan CEO Ara Mahdessian. Photos via Flickr and ServiceTitan.

Databricks’ $8 Billion Ask; ServiceTitan IPO Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 19, 2024 3:00pm PST · 2 comments

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi and ServiceTitan CEO Ara Mahdessian. Photos via Flickr and ServiceTitan.

Databricks’ $8 Billion Ask; ServiceTitan IPO Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 19, 2024 3:00pm PST · 2 comments

Good afternoon from Las Vegas, where I’m writing this newsletter from a hotel room with a Strip view of the Encore, the hotel where bankers, investors and tech executives will slide from meeting to meeting at Goldman Sachs’ annual private tech confab. Say hi if you’re there. (I’ll be one of the many bald guys roaming around, but I’m younger than... Good afternoon from Las Vegas, where I’m writing this newsletter from a hotel room with a Strip...

A mini drama on Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

Serial Shows Make a Comeback on TikTok and Instagram

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 19, 2024 2:03pm PST

Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social media work. Now, a second wave of attempts is coming. As Juro and I reported, TikTok is now considering adding TV-like dramas with minutes-long episodes, which have proven popular on its Chinese sister app Douyin. Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social...

From left, Sara Germano, Sri Muppidi, Catherine Perloff and Kevin McLaughlin.

The Information Hires Four Reporters to Deepen Coverage of Startups, AI and Sports

By The Information Staff · Nov 19, 2024 8:00am PST · 2 comments

The Information is pleased to announce the hiring of three new reporters—Sara Germano, Sri Muppidi and Catherine Perloff—as well as the return of veteran reporter Kevin McLaughlin. Sara Germano will join The Information’s Weekend section from the Financial Times on Dec. 2, covering the business and future of sports—with a... The Information is pleased to announce the hiring of three new reporters—Sara Germano, Sri...

Photo via Getty

Is The End of Prompt Engineering Here?

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 19, 2024 7:00am PST

Techies know well that coaxing a large language model to give you a good answer can feel a bit like tricking a toddler. Developers have been known to write, “if you don’t give me the correct answer, I will be fired” in their prompts—successfully. That led to “prompt engineering,” a side hustle for techies who wanted to make easy money by... Techies know well that coaxing a large language model to give you a good answer can feel a bit...

Soccer players and co-founders of Re-Inc, Tobin Heath (far left) and Megan Rapinoe (center left), celebrate a goal in 2019. Photo via Getty.

Who’s Who Among Sports Media Startups

By Sahil Patel · Nov 19, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

Soccer players and co-founders of Re-Inc, Tobin Heath (far left) and Megan Rapinoe (center left), celebrate a goal in 2019. Photo via Getty.

Who’s Who Among Sports Media Startups

By Sahil Patel · Nov 19, 2024 6:00am PST · 1 comment

The media sector is a no-no for most investors. The exception is sports. As big investors including Ares Management, Apollo Global Management and RedBird Capital Partners pour money into sports teams and leagues, a spate of media startups is emerging to both cover the culture of sports and stream some games. The media sector is a no-no for most investors. The exception is sports. As big investors...

Photos via Getty

Trump’s Tech Haves and Have-Nots

By Martin Peers · Nov 18, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

In tech, the story is going to be very much about the haves and have-nots over the next four years. Some tech firms will have juice with Donald Trump and some won’t. Trump’s Sunday night announcement that Brendan Carr will lead the Federal Communications Commission is more bad news for Meta Platforms, which increasingly looks to be one of the... In tech, the story is going to be very much about the haves and have-nots over the next four...

Ex-OpenAI CTO, Mira Murati. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Female Staff Complain of Gender Disparity After Murati Exit

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 18, 2024 2:32pm PST · 3 comments

OpenAI’s loss of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and safety systems chief Lilian Weng has galvanized concern among some of the remaining women at the firm that the management isn’t doing enough to promote and retain women, two people who have worked at the ChatGPT maker said. One female staffer circulated a memo to other women... OpenAI’s loss of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and safety systems chief Lilian Weng...

Canva's new CFO, Kelly Steckelberg. Photo via Getty.

Canva Hires Ex-Zoom CFO but Hedges on IPO Timing

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 18, 2024 11:00am PST

Design software firm Canva has hired Zoom Video’s longtime finance chief, Kelly Steckelberg, as its chief financial officer, filling a 10-month vacancy in which the company prioritized picking an executive who had taken a fast-growing company public. The hiring is important for Canva’s ability to go public, although its co-founder in... Design software firm Canva has hired Zoom Video’s longtime finance chief, Kelly...

Anthropic’s Dario and Daniela Amodei. Photo via Getty.

Anthropic Beat OpenAI in Test of AI That Performs AI Research

By Rocket Drew · Nov 18, 2024 7:00am PST

Anthropic’s Dario and Daniela Amodei. Photo via Getty.

Anthropic Beat OpenAI in Test of AI That Performs AI Research

By Rocket Drew · Nov 18, 2024 7:00am PST

Since the days of Alan Turing, artificial intelligence developers have been captivated by the prospect of AI powerful enough to improve itself. OpenAI, we recently reported, has already developed an internal AI “research assistant” tool to help its researchers work faster, a possible first step in the development of AI that can conduct AI... Since the days of Alan Turing, artificial intelligence developers have been captivated by the...

China tech founder and venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee. Photo via Getty.

China AI Star Kai-Fu Lee Hits Startup Headwinds in U.S.

By Sri Muppidi and Juro Osawa · Nov 18, 2024 6:30am PST

In China, one of the biggest names in tech is Kai-Fu Lee, a Taiwan native and a bestselling author who used to head Google’s operations in the country. When Lee founded an artificial intelligence startup called 01.AI in Beijing in March last year, Chinese investors including Alibaba Group were so eager to back him that the startup became a... In China, one of the biggest names in tech is Kai-Fu Lee, a Taiwan native and a bestselling...

Photos via Getty.

Crypto’s Banking ‘Choke Point’ Could Ease Under Trump

By Yueqi Yang · Nov 18, 2024 6:00am PST

For the past two years, the crypto industry has griped that U.S. regulators are trying to kill it off by curbing its access to banks. That may change under President-elect Donald Trump. Executives and investors are hopeful that the new administration will tell banking regulators to allow banks to expand access to the crypto industry. That could... For the past two years, the crypto industry has griped that U.S. regulators are trying to kill it...

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson. Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Getty

The Electric: Lucid, Rivian Cut Licensing Deals to Save Themselves—and Struggling Rivals

By Steve LeVine · Nov 18, 2024 4:30am PST

Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is hoping to license the technology behind the electric vehicles he is developing as an additional source of revenue beyond the sale of the company’s premium EVs.In interviews I conducted with Rawlinson for a Big Read profile, he said Lucid was developing a drivetrain to power a mainstream $25,000 EV. But he said... Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is hoping to license the technology behind the electric vehicles...

Photo via Getty.

Nvidia Customers Worry About Snag With New AI Chip Servers

By Qianer Liu and Anissa Gardizy · Nov 17, 2024 6:00am PST · 11 comments

Photo via Getty.

Nvidia Customers Worry About Snag With New AI Chip Servers

By Qianer Liu and Anissa Gardizy · Nov 17, 2024 6:00am PST · 11 comments

Nvidia is grappling with new problems related to its much-anticipated Blackwell graphics processing units for artificial intelligence: how to prevent them from overheating when connected together in the customized server racks it has designed. In recent months, Nvidia has asked its suppliers to change the design of the racks several times as it... Nvidia is grappling with new problems related to its much-anticipated Blackwell graphics...

A Trump Goes VC

A Trump Goes VC

By Julia Black · Nov 16, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The frustration behind a beautiful, Tesla-beating EV• The Top 5: The very best personal personal trainers• Plus: A different type of It bag; Keri Russell’s Americans; and a Maine attraction returns. Since the presidential election, much of America’s attention has focused on Mar-a-Lago as... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The frustration behind a beautiful,...

Art by Mike Sullivan

TikTok Considers Quibi-Style Minidramas to Broaden Appeal

By Juro Osawa and Kaya Yurieff · Nov 16, 2024 6:00am PST · 5 comments

Everyone from Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg to Snap and Meta Platforms has tried luring Americans with minuteslong TV-style shows on social media apps. All have failed. But that isn’t deterring TikTok from exploring the concept. The ByteDance-owned video app is considering ways of using such minidramas, which have proved to be a... Everyone from Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg to Snap and Meta Platforms has tried luring...

Art by Clark Miller

The Personal Trainers Tech Execs Trust

By Annie Goldsmith · Nov 16, 2024 5:00am PST · 6 comments

Ozempic be damned. Silicon Valley is holding on tight to its love of the personal trainer. These are people like Matt Dixon, a San Francisco–based trainer and former professional triathlete whose clients include billionaire Max Levchin. After several decades of whipping folks like Levchin into tip-top shape, Dixon has a thesis for why so... Ozempic be damned. Silicon Valley is holding on tight to its love of the personal trainer. These...

Elon to Lead D.O.G.E., Bitcoin Surges & the Trump Alliance

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 15, 2024 3:43pm PST · 2 comments

Elon to Lead D.O.G.E., Bitcoin Surges & the Trump Alliance

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 15, 2024 3:43pm PST · 2 comments

This week on More or Less: A shift in the Silicon Valley narrative and why D.O.G.E. is not X. Plus, Jessica's new investment and Brit's new hair. Apple Podcasts Spotify This week on More or Less: A shift in the Silicon Valley narrative and why D.O.G.E. is not...