The Information

Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg

Android’s Andy Rubin Left Google After Inquiry Found Inappropriate Relationship

By Reed Albergotti · Nov 28, 2017 11:26pm PST · 3 comments

Andy Rubin, the creator of Android and a key executive at Google Inc. for nine years, left the company in 2014 shortly after an internal investigation determined that he had carried on an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, The Information has learned. Mr. Rubin has taken a leave of absence from his new smartphone startup, Essential,... Andy Rubin, the creator of Android and a key executive at Google Inc. for nine years, left the...

Art: Josh Brill

Most Big Private Tech Firms Fall Far Short on Governance

By Alfred Lee · Nov 28, 2017 6:46am PST · 1 comment

Despite their enormous size and influence, the biggest privately held technology companies eschew some basic corporate governance standards, blocking outside voices, limiting decision making to small groups of mostly white men and holding back on public disclosures, an in-depth analysis by The Information shows.Questions about governance of... Despite their enormous size and influence, the biggest privately held technology companies eschew...

Snapchat's app. Photo by AP.

How Snap’s Redesign Could Help, and Hurt, Publishers

By Tom Dotan · Nov 22, 2017 7:02am PST · 1 comment

When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel this month revealed plans to redesign the Snapchat app, he outlined a strategy to help celebrities and digital publishers get better distribution and make more money on the app. But while some new features could accomplish that goal, others could hurt traffic for media companies on the platform.The mixed impact of the... When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel this month revealed plans to redesign the Snapchat app, he outlined a...

Photo by AP.

KKR Faces Turmoil at Optiv, Its Big Security Bet

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 21, 2017 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Photo by AP.

KKR Faces Turmoil at Optiv, Its Big Security Bet

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 21, 2017 7:01am PST · 1 comment

When private equity giant KKR spent an estimated $2 billion to buy consulting firm Optiv Security in February, it said it hoped to build Optiv into one of the “most valuable security companies to their customers.” But this year, Optiv has repeatedly missed quarterly sales targets as it has struggled with changes in its sales approach... When private equity giant KKR spent an estimated $2 billion to buy consulting firm Optiv Security...

Snap's stock at the New York Stock Exchange. Photo by AP.

Another Female Executive Leaves Snap

By Tom Dotan · Nov 20, 2017 1:11pm PST · 3 comments

A senior Snap human resources executive, Kathy Mandato, abruptly left the company earlier this month, just five months after joining, said several people familiar with the situation. Ms. Mandato is the latest in a string of female executives who didn’t last long at Snap, including three others in HR roles as well as former COO Emily White.... A senior Snap human resources executive, Kathy Mandato, abruptly left the company earlier this...

An Alibaba-owned Hema grocery store in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

Alibaba to Invest $2.9 Billion in Chinese Retail Megastore Operator

By Juro Osawa · Nov 19, 2017 9:00am PST

Alibaba Group has agreed to invest about $2.9 billion in one of China’s largest operators of retail megastores, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investment in Sun Art Retail Group, one of Alibaba’s biggest deals to date, accelerates the e-commerce giant’s expansion into the offline retail world. The deal... Alibaba Group has agreed to invest about $2.9 billion in one of China’s largest operators...

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, speaking at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Photo: Bloomberg

Nvidia Hires Uber Executive, Targets Mobileye

By Amir Efrati · Nov 16, 2017 12:58pm PST

Nvidia, the top seller of microchips essential to the development of self-driving cars, has hired Claire Delaunay, a co-founder of the self-driving trucking firm Otto that Uber acquired last year. The move is the latest in a hiring spree stretching back to last year, as Nvidia has recruited dozens of autonomous-vehicle software developers from... Nvidia, the top seller of microchips essential to the development of self-driving cars, has hired...

Lyft's strategy head Raj Kapoor. Photo by Flickr/Joi Ito.

How Lyft Is Developing Self-Driving Cars

By Amir Efrati · Nov 15, 2017 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Lyft's strategy head Raj Kapoor. Photo by Flickr/Joi Ito.

How Lyft Is Developing Self-Driving Cars

By Amir Efrati · Nov 15, 2017 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Anyone jumping into the self-driving car field now, eight years after market leader Alphabet’s Waymo began work, has to try some scrappy tactics to have a hope of succeeding. That’s the tack taken by Lyft, the most prominent new entrant to the field, though little has been revealed about its work.Here are some previously unreported... Anyone jumping into the self-driving car field now, eight years after market leader...

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. Photo by Bloomberg.

Cloudflare Aims to Loosen AWS’ Hold on Customers

By Barbara Darrow · Nov 14, 2017 10:19am PST · 2 comments

Cloud computing companies like Amazon Web Services make it dirt cheap—actually free—to move customer data into their data centers. But moving that data out again, either back into a customer’s own data center or to a rival public cloud, isn’t as simple—or as cheap.Cloudflare, the content delivery network company... Cloud computing companies like Amazon Web Services make it dirt cheap—actually...

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo by Bloomberg.

Employees See Cracks in Airbnb’s Starry Ideals

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 14, 2017 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Airbnb earlier this month fired about 50 full-time employees and more than 100 contractors who prepared meals in its offices, offering them positions at an outside food services company instead. What would have been a routine cost-cutting move at many companies caused an outcry among Airbnb employees, who saw the food team as emblematic of the... Airbnb earlier this month fired about 50 full-time employees and more than 100 contractors who...

At the AWS summit in San Francisco last April. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon’s ‘Ironman’ to Take On Google, Microsoft in AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 13, 2017 7:02am PST

Amazon Web Services is mounting a broad push to upgrade its artificial intelligence products, which includes building its own technology and working closely with several AI startups, according to multiple people with knowledge of AWS’ plans. AWS is hoping to shore up a rare weak spot against competitors like Google and Microsoft and win... Amazon Web Services is mounting a broad push to upgrade its artificial intelligence products,...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg

Cisco Cuts More Jobs—This Time in the Cloud

By Barbara Darrow · Nov 10, 2017 10:58am PST

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg

Cisco Cuts More Jobs—This Time in the Cloud

By Barbara Darrow · Nov 10, 2017 10:58am PST

Cisco Systems laid off about 60 people this week, including the bulk of employees that came to the company via its acquisition of two cloud computing firms, Metacloud in 2014 and Piston Cloud the following year, according to two people close to the company. The layoffs reflect Cisco’s shift away, under CEO Chuck Robbins, from operating its... Cisco Systems laid off about 60 people this week, including the bulk of employees that came to...

Kater Gordon. Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Former ‘Mad Men’ Writer Starts Nonprofit After Alleged Harassment

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 9, 2017 1:17pm PST · 10 comments

Eight years ago, then 27-year-old Kater Gordon stood before the who’s who of Hollywood and accepted an Emmy award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, together with “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner. The young writer—who had been hired a few years before as Mr. Weiner’s personal assistant—seemed to be on... Eight years ago, then 27-year-old Kater Gordon stood before the who’s who of Hollywood and...

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi after a meeting with Brazil's Finance Minister last month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber’s U.S. Business Hits Bumps as New CEO Stresses Humility

By Amir Efrati · Nov 9, 2017 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Uber’s former CEO Travis Kalanick once compared his mission and disruptive impact on society to that of Martin Luther King Jr.—saying so in front a top MLK scholar. Uber’s new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, is more self-effacing. He told employees at a weekly all-hands meeting Tuesday that “a great team can always beat... Uber’s former CEO Travis Kalanick once compared his mission and disruptive impact on...

Photo by Bloomberg

Snap’s Head of Engineering to Step Down

By Tom Dotan · Nov 7, 2017 5:57pm PST

Snap’s vice president of engineering Tim Sehn is stepping down from the company, say people familiar with the matter. His departure is expected to be announced Wednesday when the company files details of its quarterly results with securities regulators.Mr. Sehn has headed up the company’s engineering team since 2013, according to his... Snap’s vice president of engineering Tim Sehn is stepping down from the company, say people...

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger. Photo by Bloomberg.

VMware Eyes Big Move in Security Market

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 7, 2017 10:02am PST

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger. Photo by Bloomberg.

VMware Eyes Big Move in Security Market

By Sarah Kuranda · Nov 7, 2017 10:02am PST

VMware has been on the hunt for acquisitions in recent months as the data center software maker looks to expand its security business, people familiar with the matter said.VMware this summer held discussions with a security vendor, Carbon Black, about a possible acquisition, according to three people familiar with the matter. The talks ended... VMware has been on the hunt for acquisitions in recent months as the data center software maker...

Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg.

China’s Toutiao Tried to Buy Reddit

By Juro Osawa, Serena Saitto and Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 7, 2017 7:02am PST · 2 comments

Jinri Toutiao, the fast-growing $20 billion Chinese news and entertainment giant, tried to buy Reddit last year, according to people familiar with the offer. The previously unreported move reveals the Chinese company’s ambitions to become a global media juggernaut, according to people familiar with the matter.The Chinese startup... Jinri Toutiao, the fast-growing $20 billion Chinese news and entertainment giant, tried to buy...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg

Cisco Replaces Cloud Collaboration Unit Chief Amid Weak Sales

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Nov 2, 2017 12:01pm PDT

Cisco has replaced the head of its cloud collaboration unit, which sells software that lets teams of workers communicate via text, voice and video, as it looks to boost the unit’s sluggish sales, said people familiar with the matter. Intense competition from rivals like Slack and Microsoft have hurt sales of the unit’s flagship... Cisco has replaced the head of its cloud collaboration unit, which sells software that lets teams...

VMWare CEO Pat Gelsinger. Photo: Bloomberg

VMware to Acquire VeloCloud, Doubling Down on Networking

By Kevin McLaughlin and Sarah Kuranda · Nov 1, 2017 3:05pm PDT

VMware has struck a deal to acquire software-based networking startup VeloCloud Networks, according to a person close to VeloCloud, in a move that is likely to escalate VMware’s rivalry with Cisco Systems. Terms of the deal couldn’t be learned. For VMware, a data center software company, acquiring VeloCloud is a sign of its... VMware has struck a deal to acquire software-based networking startup VeloCloud Networks,...

Photo by Flickr/Open Grid Schedular

Airbnb China Chief Was Ousted Over Relationship With Subordinate

By Yunan Zhang and Cory Weinberg · Oct 26, 2017 7:45am PDT · 1 comment

Photo by Flickr/Open Grid Schedular

Airbnb China Chief Was Ousted Over Relationship With Subordinate

By Yunan Zhang and Cory Weinberg · Oct 26, 2017 7:45am PDT · 1 comment

Hong Ge, vice president of Airbnb’s China division, resigned earlier this week after the company learned of allegations about an inappropriate personal relationship between him and a subordinate, a person briefed on the decision said.Mr. Ge, who reported directly to CEO Brian Chesky as Airbnb’s first China chief, left after about... Hong Ge, vice president of Airbnb’s China division, resigned earlier this week after the...