The Information

DeepMind co-founders Mustafa Suleyman and Demis Hassabis. Photos by Bloomberg and Flickr/TechCrunch.

Google Cloud’s AI Push Could Involve DeepMind

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 6, 2017 7:02am PDT · 6 comments

DeepMind may be coming to Google’s cloud service.The highly regarded artificial intelligence startup has operated as its own unit within Alphabet since it was acquired in 2014, helping improve Google services like Google Assistant but not generating much revenue on its own. But recently, executives from Google Cloud and DeepMind have... DeepMind may be coming to Google’s cloud service.The highly regarded artificial...

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Photo by AP.

SoftBank Money Comes at High Cost

By Alfred Lee · Oct 5, 2017 7:00am PDT · 5 comments

As SoftBank has been spraying money at tech companies in recent months, it has been negotiating unusually tough terms that sharply improve its chances of earning a big return, according to a review of previously undisclosed deal terms. In some cases, the terms allow SoftBank to assert control over many matters at the companies.For instance,... As SoftBank has been spraying money at tech companies in recent months, it has been negotiating...

Stars of Hulu's "Handmaid's Tale." Photo by AP.

Numbers Show Skinny Bundles Underwhelm

By Tom Dotan · Oct 4, 2017 10:01am PDT · 5 comments

Hulu plans to begin a major marketing push for its $40-a-month streaming cable competitor Hulu Live, a senior Hulu executive said in an interview, as it brings the service out of a test phase. But exclusive new data on subscriber numbers for streaming services suggests Hulu may struggle to sign up many people.Comparable “skinny... Hulu plans to begin a major marketing push for its $40-a-month streaming cable competitor Hulu...

A Social Bicycles "Jump" e-bike in front of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo: Social Bicycles

Bike-Sharing Startups Explore Going Electric

By Yunan Zhang and Cory Weinberg · Oct 3, 2017 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

A Social Bicycles "Jump" e-bike in front of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo: Social Bicycles

Bike-Sharing Startups Explore Going Electric

By Yunan Zhang and Cory Weinberg · Oct 3, 2017 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Bike-sharing startups have captured billions of dollars in venture capital, blanketing China and growing quickly in the U.S. and Europe. Now, the biggest players in China and a few U.S. upstarts are eyeing expansions into electric bicycles, which could help attract more customers who might want help riding longer distances or pedaling uphill. ... Bike-sharing startups have captured billions of dollars in venture capital, blanketing China and...

Waymo CEO John Krafcik unveiling the Chrysler Pacifica outfitted with Waymo technology at the auto show in Detroit in January. Photo by AP.

Waymo’s Foes: Left Turns and the Mean Streets of Phoenix

By Amir Efrati · Oct 3, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Alphabet’s Waymo is gearing up to launch a self-driving ride-sharing service this fall, but major problems with the technology persist, interviews with people directly involved reveal. That initially may limit the capabilities of the service, expected to operate around Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix.Among the issues: The cars can’t... Alphabet’s Waymo is gearing up to launch a self-driving ride-sharing service this fall, but...

Testing out new Echos announced by Amazon on Wednesday. Photo by Bloomberg.

Poor Reviews Are No Joke for Some Alexa Developers

By Priya Anand · Sep 28, 2017 7:01am PDT

This has to be an app developer’s worst nightmare: An app designed to tell “knock knock jokes” on the Alexa voice-activated assistant has a glitch that causes the jokes to end prematurely. After a user asks “who’s there?” Alexa responds “goodbye” instead of giving the punchline. That’s what... This has to be an app developer’s worst nightmare: An app designed to tell “knock...

Airbnb-branded apartments are planned for the city of Kissimmee, Fla. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Michael Rivera

Airbnb to Test Branded Apartments in Florida

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 26, 2017 11:56am PDT · 3 comments

Airbnb is developing a branded apartment complex in Florida, the company’s first such move to create Airbnb-oriented accommodations from the ground up, according to people familiar with the matter. The arrangement, expected to be announced soon, would test Airbnb’s relationships with apartment landlords and developers, who have been... Airbnb is developing a branded apartment complex in Florida, the company’s first such move...

Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Cloud Taps Former Dell Executive as New Sales Chief

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 25, 2017 12:59pm PDT · 1 comment

Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Cloud Taps Former Dell Executive as New Sales Chief

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 25, 2017 12:59pm PDT · 1 comment

Google Cloud, as part of its longstanding efforts to sign up Fortune 500 companies, is bringing in a new sales chief with experience selling to large corporate customers. Paul-Henri Ferrand, a veteran of Dell who joined Google in 2014 as vice president of U.S. sales and operations, was appointed president of Google Cloud last month, according to... Google Cloud, as part of its longstanding efforts to sign up Fortune 500 companies, is bringing...

Symphony CEO David Gurle. Photo by Bloomberg.

Goldman-Backed Symphony to Raise $100M to Expand Beyond Banking

By Serena Saitto · Sep 25, 2017 10:20am PDT

Symphony Communication Services, the bank-backed messaging startup taking on Bloomberg LP in a key part of its business, is in talks to raise at least $100 million from new investors. The company plans to use the money to finance an expansion into health care, government, insurance and accounting, according to CEO and founder David Gurle. In an... Symphony Communication Services, the bank-backed messaging startup taking on Bloomberg LP in a...

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Photo by Bloomberg.

SoftBank Founder Builds an Empire on Debt and Charm

By Juro Osawa · Sep 25, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Last summer, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler flew to Tokyo to visit Japan’s richest man, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Mr. Wyler, whose startup wants to beam the internet from satellites in space, wasn’t desperate for funds. But his investors arranged the meeting anyway.What followed over the next eight-and-a-half hours was classic Masayoshi... Last summer, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler flew to Tokyo to visit Japan’s richest man, SoftBank...

The SEC's new chair Jay Clayton speaking at a congressional hearing in June. Photo by Bloomberg.

SEC Relaxing Private Tech Disclosure Rules

By Alfred Lee · Sep 21, 2017 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

The Securities and Exchange Commission is starting to relax financial disclosure requirements for private companies, a sign that the SEC’s new leadership may pull back on plans by former chair Mary Jo White to tighten regulations for Silicon Valley.Last week an SEC advisory committee recommended easing rules that require private companies... The Securities and Exchange Commission is starting to relax financial disclosure requirements for...

AWS CEO Andy Jassy at an AWS conference in San Francisco in April. Photo by Bloomberg.

AWS’ New Cybersecurity Could Help Bank Push

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 20, 2017 7:02am PDT

AWS CEO Andy Jassy at an AWS conference in San Francisco in April. Photo by Bloomberg.

AWS’ New Cybersecurity Could Help Bank Push

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 20, 2017 7:02am PDT

Amazon Web Services is developing a new security service that protects data and applications running either on its public cloud or in customers’ own data centers, according to three people with knowledge of the service. It is aimed at patching a gap in security for companies, like banks, that move data back and forth between AWS and their... Amazon Web Services is developing a new security service that protects data and applications...

An Amazon warehouse in Hyderabad, India. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon Takes On Alibaba in India Payments Market

By Priya Anand · Sep 19, 2017 1:33pm PDT

Amazon has made inroads in India’s e-commerce market, taking share from rivals like Flipkart and Snapdeal. But future growth relies on Amazon succeeding in the highly competitive digital payments business—where it faces competition from the likes of Alibaba, SoftBank and even Google. The company in the last year ramped up Amazon Pay... Amazon has made inroads in India’s e-commerce market, taking share from rivals like...

Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photo: Bloomberg

Key Google Cloud Sales Executive to Depart

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 14, 2017 10:47am PDT

Bertrand Yansouni, a veteran sales executive who joined Google Cloud last November to help manage relationships with business partners, is leaving the company, according to three people familiar with the matter. His departure comes at a crucial time for Google Cloud as it seeks to get customers and make headway against rivals Amazon Web Services... Bertrand Yansouni, a veteran sales executive who joined Google Cloud last November to help manage...

Lyft CEO Logan Green. Photo: Bloomberg

Amid Upbeat Year, Lyft Explores International Expansion

By Amir Efrati · Sep 14, 2017 7:47am PDT · 3 comments

As Lyft begins a large-scale advertising campaign to try to continue gaining market share versus Uber in the U.S., its geographic ambition is rising.The company is expected to enter Canada as soon as the end of this year and, if things go well, could potentially move into Australia and New Zealand, according to three people who have been... As Lyft begins a large-scale advertising campaign to try to continue gaining market share versus...

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo: Bloomberg

Cisco CEO Robbins Carves New Path

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 13, 2017 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo: Bloomberg

Cisco CEO Robbins Carves New Path

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 13, 2017 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

On his first day as CEO of Cisco, in July 2015, Chuck Robbins appointed a tech veteran, Zorawar “Biri” Singh, as CTO. It turned out to be a contentious appointment, irritating Mr. Robbins’ predecessor John Chambers, four senior executives close to Mr. Chambers as well as Cisco’s sales team, in part because of differences... On his first day as CEO of Cisco, in July 2015, Chuck Robbins appointed a tech veteran, Zorawar...

Uber's San Francisco headquarters. Photo by AP.

Uber’s Chief Legal Officer to Depart

By Amir Efrati · Sep 12, 2017 3:54pm PDT

Uber’s chief legal officer, Salle Yoo, is expected to leave the company in the near future, according to two people briefed about the matter. Her expected departure comes as Uber faces several criminal probes in past practices and an upcoming trial over trade-theft allegations made against the company by Waymo.Ms. Yoo is exiting nearly... Uber’s chief legal officer, Salle Yoo, is expected to leave the company in the near future,...

Mesosphere CEO Florian Leibert and Google Cloud chief Diane Greene. Photos: AP and Bloomberg

In Cloud Software Wars, Mesosphere Bows to Kubernetes

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Sep 6, 2017 9:16am PDT · 3 comments

Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a startup that makes software for managing applications in data centers, is surrendering to its main rival, Kubernetes, a Google-created software, according to two people with knowledge of Mesosphere’s plans. Mesosphere is soon expected to allow... Google appears to have won a long-running technology war in the corporate market.Mesosphere, a...

Pressure on meal-kit companies has increased the odds of partnerships with big grocers such as Safeway. Photo by Flickr/Mike Mozart.

Blue Apron Competitors Explore Sales to Grocers, Food Manufacturers

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 6, 2017 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit competitors, while Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods has sent stocks tumbling for grocers. That has given grocery chains and meal-kit startups a larger appetite to combine forces, say industry experts and tech executives.Signs of consolidation... Blue Apron’s disappointing IPO has hurt fundraising prospects for its myriad meal-kit...

Mic CEO Chris Altchek. Photo by Flickr/Ole Bader.

News Site Mic Looks to Cable for Video Revenue

By Tom Dotan · Sep 5, 2017 1:51pm PDT · 2 comments

Mic CEO Chris Altchek. Photo by Flickr/Ole Bader.

News Site Mic Looks to Cable for Video Revenue

By Tom Dotan · Sep 5, 2017 1:51pm PDT · 2 comments

Millennial-focused news company Mic is hoping to be picked up by cable.The news site is in discussions with several companies that sell so-called “skinny” bundles of cable channels to offer a channel of Mic-produced videos, said people close to Mic. If successful, Mic would join Cheddar and Vice as new-media firms that have tapped... Millennial-focused news company Mic is hoping to be picked up by cable.The news site is in...