The Information

Elon Musk at a 2015 event. Photo by Bloomberg

What Makes Tesla’s Autopilot Different

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2018 7:00am PST

As Elon Musk works to prove that he can make Tesla profitable and his Autopilot feature safe, it’s worth understanding the difference in how Tesla is developing self-driving car technology versus other companies.These differences relate in part to a potential advantage that Tesla has over other self-driving car developers: It has sold... As Elon Musk works to prove that he can make Tesla profitable and his Autopilot feature safe,...

MPAA president Charles Rivkin. Photo by Bloomberg

Facing Budget Shortfall, Movie Lobby Group Eyes Tech Firms

By Jessica Toonkel and Wayne Ma · Nov 2, 2018 10:01am PDT

Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox movie studio is causing upheaval throughout Hollywood by combining two of the six major film studios. A casualty is the film industry’s 96-year-old Washington lobbying group, the Motion Picture Association of America, which is losing one-sixth of its membership. And that is crystallizing a... Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox movie studio is causing upheaval throughout...

President Donald Trump, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a White House event last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Memo Lists Trump Dos and Don’ts

By Priya Anand · Nov 2, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

President Donald Trump has attacked Amazon or its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter almost two dozen times over the past three years, often inaccurately accusing Amazon of using the Washington Post, which Mr. Bezos personally owns, as a lobbying arm. Invariably, Amazon’s official response to the attacks: crickets. It turns out Amazon has a... President Donald Trump has attacked Amazon or its CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter almost two dozen...

Primary school students in China doing homework
Photo: AP

Tencent-Backed Startup’s Valuation Tops $2.8 Billion in China’s Online Education War

By Yunan Zhang · Nov 2, 2018 3:01am PDT · 1 comment

Primary school students in China doing homework
Photo: AP

Tencent-Backed Startup’s Valuation Tops $2.8 Billion in China’s Online Education War

By Yunan Zhang · Nov 2, 2018 3:01am PDT · 1 comment

Tencent is investing a further $250 million in online education startup Yuanfudao at a valuation of $2.8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.As online education services have become more widely accepted in China, local internet giants and other global tech investors are all doubling down on the sector’s leading players.... Tencent is investing a further $250 million in online education startup Yuanfudao at a valuation...

Kuaishou's app on a smartphone. Photo by Bloomberg

China’s Video App Kuaishou Targets a $25 Billion Valuation

By Yunan Zhang · Oct 31, 2018 8:37am PDT · 1 comment

Kuaishou, a Chinese live-streaming app backed by Tencent, Baidu and Sequoia, is in talks to raise money at a valuation of as much as $25 billion, according to people familiar with the discussions. That would be up from $18 billion in an earlier fundraising round.The fundraising is the latest shot in a multibillion-dollar arms race among Chinese... Kuaishou, a Chinese live-streaming app backed by Tencent, Baidu and Sequoia, is in talks to raise...

Art by Mike Sullivan

‘Gun-Shy’: How Federal Prosecutors Forgot Silicon Valley

By Matt Drange · Oct 30, 2018 10:01am PDT · 3 comments

The tech industry has become known for risk-takers and rule breakers. But for nearly 20 years, it hasn’t had a prosecutor willing to take it on.The number of white-collar cases prosecuted by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California has plunged from a peak of 354 in 1995 to 72 in fiscal 2018. And the prosecutor’s... The tech industry has become known for risk-takers and rule breakers. But for nearly 20 years, it...

Apple's store in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple’s Iconic Stores Struggle in China

By Wayne Ma · Oct 29, 2018 7:02am PDT · 3 comments

Eight years ago, Tim Cook, then Apple's chief operating officer, was so bullish on the performance of the company’s stores in China he told analysts its four retail locations in the country—one of which sat beneath a glittering 40-foot tall shaft of glass in Shanghai’s ritzy Pudong district—were generating more... Eight years ago, Tim Cook, then Apple's chief operating officer, was so bullish on the...

Go-Jek motorbike drivers and riders in Jakarta. Photo: Bloomberg

Google-Backed Ride-Hailing Startup Go-Jek Valued at Over $9 Billion

By Juro Osawa · Oct 29, 2018 2:54am PDT · 1 comment

Go-Jek motorbike drivers and riders in Jakarta. Photo: Bloomberg

Google-Backed Ride-Hailing Startup Go-Jek Valued at Over $9 Billion

By Juro Osawa · Oct 29, 2018 2:54am PDT · 1 comment

Google and Chinese giants Tencent and JD.com are doubling down on Indonesia’s Go-Jek in an investment round that could nearly double the ride-hailing startup’s valuation to more than $9 billion, people familiar with the matter said.In Southeast Asia, home to 600 million people and one of the world’s fastest-growing internet... Google and Chinese giants Tencent and JD.com are doubling down on Indonesia’s Go-Jek in an...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg

Amazon Turns Tough With Streaming Services, in Replay of Cable Tactics

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Oct 26, 2018 1:51pm PDT · 3 comments

Amazon.com has established itself as a major distribution platform for small video-streaming services. Now the tech giant is trying to squeeze more money out of those services, sparking a battle reminiscent of the cable TV era.Amazon is looking to increase its cut of revenue from some subscription services available through Prime Video by 10 to... Amazon.com has established itself as a major distribution platform for small video-streaming...

Google's campus in Mountain View, Calif. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Firing of Conservative May Fuel Discrimination Claims

By Reed Albergotti · Oct 24, 2018 3:37pm PDT · 2 comments

In recent months, President Donald Trump and right-leaning media have attacked Google for allegedly showing anti-conservative bias in its search results and workplace culture. While Google denied those criticisms, a lawsuit the search giant filed earlier this year against a former employee could fuel the perception that Google treats employees... In recent months, President Donald Trump and right-leaning media have attacked Google for...

Oprah Winfrey. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple to Launch TV Subscription Service Globally

By Jessica Toonkel · Oct 23, 2018 12:31pm PDT · 2 comments

Apple is planning to launch its upcoming TV subscription service in more than 100 countries, three people familiar with the company’s plans told The Information. That would quickly make Apple a competitor with both Amazon and Netflix, both of whose video services are widely available internationally.Apple is working to launch its new TV... Apple is planning to launch its upcoming TV subscription service in more than 100 countries,...

Inside Bird’s Scooter Economics

By Amir Efrati and Cory Weinberg · Oct 23, 2018 11:12am PDT · 2 comments

Inside Bird’s Scooter Economics

By Amir Efrati and Cory Weinberg · Oct 23, 2018 11:12am PDT · 2 comments

Electric scooter rental service Bird told prospective investors in June of this year that it was on pace to generate around $65 million in revenue annually. At the time, Bird was operating in roughly 10 markets and has since launched service in almost 100 more cities domestically and abroad. The company is now on pace to generate hundreds of... Electric scooter rental service Bird told prospective investors in June of this year that it was...

Oracle's former cloud chief Thomas Kurian. Photo by Bloomberg

Aborted VMware Deal Shows Oracle’s Cloud Struggles

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 22, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Oracle earlier this year held talks with VMware about a deal that would have allowed VMware’s computing, storage and networking software to run on Oracle’s cloud service, making Oracle more appealing for businesses already using VMware software in their data centers, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. But the talks... Oracle earlier this year held talks with VMware about a deal that would have allowed...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg

Facebook on Hunt for Big Cybersecurity Acquisition

By Reed Albergotti and Sarah Kuranda · Oct 21, 2018 10:10am PDT

In an effort to repair its tattered reputation around data protection, Facebook is stepping up efforts to acquire a major cybersecurity firm, according to four people familiar with the matter. Facebook has approached several security firms about an acquisition, two of the people said, although neither would identify the companies as discussions... In an effort to repair its tattered reputation around data protection, Facebook is stepping up...

PAX Labs CEO Bharat Vasan. Photo by PAX Labs

PAX Labs Boosts Legal, Policy Teams Ahead of Eventual IPO

By Nick Wingfield · Oct 18, 2018 7:02am PDT

The company behind a popular line of marijuana vaporizers is stepping up its lobbying, communications and policy efforts as it prepares for an eventual initial public offering.In recent weeks, PAX Labs—which makes a line of sleek devices for vaping cannabis in plant and oil forms—hired two technology industry veterans to help in... The company behind a popular line of marijuana vaporizers is stepping up its lobbying,...

WeChat founder Allen Zhang at a company event in China earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg

Breaking WeChat’s Grip on China’s Social Networks

By Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Oct 16, 2018 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

WeChat founder Allen Zhang at a company event in China earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg

Breaking WeChat’s Grip on China’s Social Networks

By Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Oct 16, 2018 10:01am PDT · 1 comment

Imagine if Facebook’s key lieutenants quit to launch a rival product. In China, something like that just happened. Two of the people who helped develop WeChat, the nearly universal chat app run by Tencent, recently created new social networks called Pop and Echo.It comes amid signs WeChat’s grip over social networking and media... Imagine if Facebook’s key lieutenants quit to launch a rival product. In China, something...

Airbnb, TripAdvisor and other companies are looking to build revenue from activities booking.

‘Experiences’ Market Remains Small for Airbnb, Rivals

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 12, 2018 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Airbnb’s years-long effort to crack the market for vacation tours and activities accelerated this year in what was known internally as the “summer of love.” After testing the service extensively, the company looked to grow its Experiences business rapidly, offering bar crawls, hat-making classes and other trip add-ons to more... Airbnb’s years-long effort to crack the market for vacation tours and activities...

A picking robot from Kindred Systems. Photo by Kindred Systems

Amazon Developing ‘Picking’ Robots for Warehouses

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 11, 2018 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

When Amazon announced plans last week to bump the minimum wage for 250,000 employees to $15 an hour, it avoided a related, but sensitive topic: When might machines replace those workers, many of whom work in its warehouses? Amazon already uses robots to handle some jobs in its warehouses, known as fulfillment centers, but it has... When Amazon announced plans last week to bump the minimum wage for 250,000 employees to $15 an...

Harvard University. Photo: Bloomberg

Harvard, Stanford, MIT Endowments Invest in Crypto Funds

By Jon Victor · Oct 10, 2018 12:32pm PDT

The endowments of Harvard University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina have made investments into at least one cryptocurrency fund, a person familiar with the investments said, in a sign of the asset class’ growing acceptance among institutional investors.... The endowments of Harvard University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts...

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder and CEO of Slack. Photo: Bloomberg

Tech Founders Cede Some Power to Shareholders

By Alfred Lee · Oct 10, 2018 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder and CEO of Slack. Photo: Bloomberg

Tech Founders Cede Some Power to Shareholders

By Alfred Lee · Oct 10, 2018 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Founders wield outsize influence over many of Silicon Valley’s most successful public companies through their shareholdings. But lately a growing number of tech firms are setting limits on founder power, partly in response to investor backlash.Messaging service Slack, which is expected to go public next year, adopted rules in December that... Founders wield outsize influence over many of Silicon Valley’s most successful public...