The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica E. Lessin and the team at The Information

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica E. 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

A rendering of DayOne's offices in Singapore. Image courtesy of DayOne

Singapore’s DayOne Pushes Ahead With Data Center IPO Tied to TikTok

By Claudia Chong and Juro Osawa · Oct 16, 2026 9:00am PDT

DayOne Data Centers, a Singapore-based data center operator gearing up for a multibillion-dollar initial public offering in New York, is little known to most U.S. investors. But its business is built on a much better known company: ByteDance. The TikTok parent company accounts for nearly 70% of DayOne’s revenue, according to two people with... DayOne Data Centers, a Singapore-based data center operator gearing up for a multibillion-dollar...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI’s Plan To Revive Sora

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Cory Weinberg · Oct 12, 2026 7:00am PDT

Remember OpenAI’s video model Sora and all the great Sam Altman memes that came from it? Earlier this year, the ChatGPT-maker canned both the model and the TikTok-like app it powered as part of broader culling of server-intensive “side projects” even as rivals xAI and Google forged ahead with their own video models.Well, there’s a chance that a... Remember OpenAI’s video model Sora and all the great Sam Altman memes that came from it? Earlier...

Vinod Khosla. Photo by Big Event Media/Getty Images

Valuations for Most Robotics Startups Will Fall By 2030, Says Vinod Khosla

By Rocket Drew · Sep 28, 2026 7:01am PDT

Vinod Khosla has been one of the most optimistic investors in robotics, predicting the field will have a “ChatGPT moment” in the next two years. But he is also warning that too much investment and lofty valuations in the hottest robotics startups mean a big shake-out is coming. “I would say more than half will be below their current... Vinod Khosla has been one of the most optimistic investors in robotics, predicting the field will...

Meta’s Alexandr Wang at Meta Connect on Wednesday. Getty Images.

Why Meta’s Moment in the AI Sun Won’t Last

By Martin Peers · Sep 24, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Meta’s Alexandr Wang at Meta Connect on Wednesday. Getty Images.

Why Meta’s Moment in the AI Sun Won’t Last

By Martin Peers · Sep 24, 2026 5:00pm PDT

If Meta Platforms wants to raise money by selling equity, now is the time. Meta shares have gone on an incredible run lately, jumping 27% since Sept. 8, when the company released its Muse personal AI agent. Meta stock is now up 18% so far this year, a bigger gain than that for Alphabet, Amazon or Microsoft—quite the turnaround for a company that... If Meta Platforms wants to raise money by selling equity, now is the time. Meta shares have gone...

Joey Krug, partner at Founders Fund. Photo by Joseph Nair/Getty Images

Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures Visit China as Country’s AI Prowess Rises

By Julia Hornstein, Jing Yang, Juro Osawa and Rocket Drew · Sep 23, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

U.S. venture capitalists have slashed investments in Chinese startups in recent years as relations between the two superpowers have soured. But behind the scenes, plenty are taking weekslong trips to meet with the country’s tech founders—a sign of the influence Chinese startups like DeepSeek wield in the hottest parts of tech. Last month,... U.S. venture capitalists have slashed investments in Chinese startups in recent years as...

Photo by Costfoto/ Getty Images

ByteDance’s First-Half Profit Drops to $20 Billion, Weighed Down by AI Spending

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Sep 15, 2026 5:00am PDT · 1 comment

ByteDance’s net profit in the first half of this year declined by a single-digit percentage to $20 billion, as the Chinese tech giant ramped up its investments in AI, according to three people with knowledge of the financial results. The company’s revenue for the period rose around 30% year on year to $120 billion, driven partly by robust growth... ByteDance’s net profit in the first half of this year declined by a single-digit percentage to...

Oracle co-founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison. Getty Images.

Apple, Oracle and Adobe Dominate the Week

By Martin Peers · Sep 7, 2026 3:01pm PDT

We haven’t had much of a summer lull, let’s face it, what with the relentless pace of AI-related deal news, not to mention earnings. Nevertheless, the end of summer vacation changes the pace a bit this week, when we’ve got both Apple’s annual iPhone event and earnings announcements from Oracle and Adobe. And we’re also on the lookout for... We haven’t had much of a summer lull, let’s face it, what with the relentless pace of AI-related...

Art by Mike Sullivan

There’s a ‘Large Opportunity’ in China, Says VC firm Dimension

By Valida Pau · Aug 27, 2026 4:52pm PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

There’s a ‘Large Opportunity’ in China, Says VC firm Dimension

By Valida Pau · Aug 27, 2026 4:52pm PDT

China hasn’t held the same opportunities for U.S. venture capitalists it once did, given a crackdown by both countries on cross-border tech investments. But U.S. VCs are still hungry for insights into the country’s tech startups, whose fast growth holds clues to the future of U.S. AI companies. In one sign of their interest, a group of... China hasn’t held the same opportunities for U.S. venture capitalists it once did, given a...

Getty Images.

Bill Gates’ AI Warning and Nvidia’s Boffo Quarter

By Martin Peers · Aug 26, 2026 5:01pm PDT · 1 comment

You couldn’t miss the disconnect in the AI discussion among major tech figures on Wednesday. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned in a lengthy essay about the dangers posed by the technology, noting that he would support a global slowdown in AI advances if someone had a “credible plan” for doing so. Then Nvidia, the dominant seller of AI... You couldn’t miss the disconnect in the AI discussion among major tech figures on Wednesday....

Left: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Center: Demonstrators outside of Meta’s trial. Right: Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and team leaving the courthouse. Photos: Getty Images. Art: Shane Burke.

Meta’s Settlement Ends One Big Battle But the Wider Legal War Looms

By Jyoti Mann and Aaron Holmes · Aug 26, 2026 3:40pm PDT

Meta Platforms has fought one of its biggest court battles to an expensive draw. But lawyers scrutinizing Wednesday’s $18 billion settlement agreement with states said it won’t likely help the social media giant in its wider legal war over claims that its products harm underage users. The landmark agreement, pending approval by a judge, would... Meta Platforms has fought one of its biggest court battles to an expensive draw. But lawyers...

John Higgins, CuriosityStream’s Vice President of Content Partnerships. Photo via Businesswire

A Video Subscription Site Gets a New Life From Licensing Videos to AI

By Alix Coutures · Aug 25, 2026 7:00am PDT

A streaming service called CuriosityStream, which offers documentaries on ancient Egypt, the Persian Gulf and other topics, was nearly delisted by the Nasdaq Stock Market three years ago. Squeezed by a post-pandemic glut of online streaming services, its revenue dove 27% in 2023 to a four-year-low. The service’s decision last fall to license... A streaming service called CuriosityStream, which offers documentaries on ancient Egypt, the...

Inside an Amazon fulfillment center. Photo by Michael Nagle/ Getty Images

Amazon Becomes Vital Sales Outlet For Independent Merchants

By Catherine Perloff · Aug 24, 2026 6:00am PDT

Inside an Amazon fulfillment center. Photo by Michael Nagle/ Getty Images

Amazon Becomes Vital Sales Outlet For Independent Merchants

By Catherine Perloff · Aug 24, 2026 6:00am PDT

When Lauren Wang started Flex in Los Angeles a decade ago, she wanted to create a new type of menstrual care product that wasn’t already on the market—a disposable disc that lasts longer than traditional tampons or pads. Flex sold through its own website early on; it was one of a number of brands going the direct-to-consumer route at the... When Lauren Wang started Flex in Los Angeles a decade ago, she wanted to create a new type of...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Nvidia, Salesforce Are in Spotlight This Week

By Martin Peers · Aug 23, 2026 3:01pm PDT

Some of the hardest-working people in tech right now have to be the corporate communications folks at Nvidia, which is pretty much never out of the news. Aside from updates on its latest AI chips, Nvidia seems to be investing in almost every part of the AI sector, from data center developers to AI model makers to data-labeling providers. And... Some of the hardest-working people in tech right now have to be the corporate communications...

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. VCG/Getty Images.

ByteDance’s Founder Rules Out Distillation on AI Models

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Aug 5, 2026 6:19am PDT

ByteDance won’t resort to distillation as a shortcut to advancing its AI model capabilities, even if that means the company lags behind domestic rivals for now, founder Zhang Yiming told employees during a meeting last month. One reason, say people close to the company, is ByteDance’s complicated history with the U.S. government over the... ByteDance won’t resort to distillation as a shortcut to advancing its AI model capabilities, even...

Art: Clark Miller

Why Andreessen Horowitz’s New Investor Left Apple

By Abram Brown · Jul 18, 2026 8:02am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Trump’s AI agenda collides with reality• Tech Culture: Welcome to the great private jet drought• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Gastronomics,” “Catch the Devil” and “The Invite”At the dawn of the AI boom, the technology sparked a real melee between newcomer startups... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Trump’s AI agenda collides with reality•...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Susquehanna, an Early Backer of ByteDance, Is Stepping Back From China Venture Deals

By Juro Osawa and Jing Yang · Jul 10, 2026 6:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Susquehanna, an Early Backer of ByteDance, Is Stepping Back From China Venture Deals

By Juro Osawa and Jing Yang · Jul 10, 2026 6:00am PDT

U.S. investment firm Susquehanna International Group, one of ByteDance’s biggest shareholders, is winding down its China-based venture investment team, another sign of the challenges facing U.S. venture investors operating in China. SIG China’s managing director, Tim Gong, who ran the team, is expected to leave the firm, according to four people... U.S. investment firm Susquehanna International Group, one of ByteDance’s biggest shareholders, is...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

XAI Bets on Grok’s Racy Side

By Grace Kay and Theo Wayt · Jun 24, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the project said. That’s seizing on an opening left by OpenAI and Anthropic, which offer fewer visual capabilities. XAI launched an upgraded video model last week, highlighting how it’s pushing ahead with its own visual efforts even as it brings in outside... SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Amazon Gives Big Brands More Control Over Product Listings

By Ann Gehan · Jun 18, 2026 8:00am PDT

Amazon’s status as the home of independent merchants is eroding. The e-commerce giant has lately overhauled its shopping site to give big brands more control over how their products are displayed and sold. The company recently told them it would give them priority over independent merchants in deciding how their products are described on its... Amazon’s status as the home of independent merchants is eroding. The e-commerce giant has lately...

Roku founder and CEO, Anthony Wood. Brenton Ho/Variety via Getty Images.

Roku’s Timely Exit; Salesforce’s Dealmaking Is Revving Up

By Martin Peers · Jun 15, 2026 5:01pm PDT

There’s a lot going on all of a sudden. We’re all still trying to come to grips with the latest Anthropic-Trump administration standoff. SpaceX’s market performance so far has been like a rocket ship: The stock rose 20% on Monday, finishing with a market capitalization of $2.5 trillion. And back on Earth, we got some notable acquisitions on... There’s a lot going on all of a sudden. We’re all still trying to come to grips with the latest...

Art: Clark Miller

Bootleg Reta is Silicon Valley’s Drug of the Summer

By Jemima McEvoy · Jun 12, 2026 9:01am PDT

Art: Clark Miller

Bootleg Reta is Silicon Valley’s Drug of the Summer

By Jemima McEvoy · Jun 12, 2026 9:01am PDT

For more than a decade, Dr. Molly Maloof has had a front-row seat to Silicon Valley’s ever-evolving health obsessions as a physician and founder of M3 Healthspan, a San Francisco–based concierge medical practice serving the tech elite. Lately, those conversations have focused on one substance perceived as a wonder drug among wonder drugs:... For more than a decade, Dr. Molly Maloof has had a front-row seat to Silicon Valley’s...