The Information

Art by Mike Sullivan

Nike to Sell on Amazon for First Time Since 2019

By Theo Wayt and Sara Germano · May 21, 2025 2:15pm PDT · 1 comment

Six years after Nike stopped selling through Amazon in favor of going direct to customers through its own stores and website, the two companies are getting back together. Amazon plans to start selling Nike products with supplies coming directly from the company, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. Winning back one of the world’s... Six years after Nike stopped selling through Amazon in favor of going direct to customers through...

Art by Clark Miller.

Banks Are Shifting Quickly to Crypto as New Rules Loom

By Yueqi Yang · May 21, 2025 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Banks are racing to embrace cryptocurrencies, triggered by pending legislation in Washington that could set off the biggest shift toward crypto yet in the traditional financial system. Banks and the companies whose technology underpins much of the finance industry say the shift could become clear as soon as this summer, when banks’ business... Banks are racing to embrace cryptocurrencies, triggered by pending legislation in Washington that...

A doctor uses the Abridge listening and transcription app while meeting with a patient. Photo via Getty.

Abridge in Talks to Raise at $5 Billion Valuation as AI Health Startups Draw Investors

By Stephanie Palazzolo, Natasha Mascarenhas and Sri Muppidi · May 20, 2025 3:01pm PDT

Abridge, a seven-year-old startup that sells artificial intelligence software for transcribing physicians’ conversations with patients, is in discussions with investors to raise hundreds of millions of dollars at around a $5 billion valuation before the investment, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The funding would nearly... Abridge, a seven-year-old startup that sells artificial intelligence software for transcribing...

An Amazon Fulfillment center in New Jersey. Photo via Getty.

Amazon Caps Warehouse Inventory Amid Tariff Turmoil

By Theo Wayt · May 20, 2025 6:00am PDT

An Amazon Fulfillment center in New Jersey. Photo via Getty.

Amazon Caps Warehouse Inventory Amid Tariff Turmoil

By Theo Wayt · May 20, 2025 6:00am PDT

For many merchants selling on Amazon, a 90-day pause in steep U.S. tariffs on China should be a chance to stockpile inventory. But Amazon has already grown cautious about letting goods pile up in its warehouses, as it tries to keep its massive logistics and commerce business running efficiently amid trade turmoil. In recent weeks, Amazon told... For many merchants selling on Amazon, a 90-day pause in steep U.S. tariffs on China should be a...

Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity. Photo via Getty

For Google Challenger Perplexity, Growth Comes at a High Cost

By Sri Muppidi · May 19, 2025 6:00am PDT · 14 comments

Artificial intelligence–powered search engine Perplexity has rapidly increased its subscription revenue and users in the past year, despite tough competition from the free AI search tools of Google and OpenAI. Previously unreported financials show the cost of that growth. Perplexity generated $34 million in revenue last year. But it burned... Artificial intelligence–powered search engine Perplexity has rapidly increased its...

Art via Clark Miller

Behind Microsoft Layoffs, Automation Efforts Boom

By Aaron Holmes · May 17, 2025 1:29pm PDT · 9 comments

Jeff Hulse, a Microsoft vice president who oversees roughly 400 software engineers, told the team in recent months to use the company’s artificial intelligence chatbot, powered by OpenAI, to generate half the computer code they write, according to a person who heard the remarks. That would represent an increase from the 20% to 30% of code AI... Jeff Hulse, a Microsoft vice president who oversees roughly 400 software engineers, told the team...

Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez. Photos via Getty

Why OpenAI Challenger Cohere Fell 85% Short of Its Revenue Forecast

By Jon Victor · May 15, 2025 9:33am PDT · 3 comments

The conversational intelligence boom sparked by OpenAI unleashed a flood of venture capital dollars for the sector, but AI developers that didn’t focus on selling revenue-generating applications fast enough have been left in the dust. One of the best examples is Cohere, an OpenAI rival that was developing similar technology years before the... The conversational intelligence boom sparked by OpenAI unleashed a flood of venture capital...

Art by Mike Sullivan

China Tightens Control Over AI Data Centers

By Qianer Liu · May 15, 2025 6:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

China Tightens Control Over AI Data Centers

By Qianer Liu · May 15, 2025 6:00am PDT

Chinese officials in the past two months told some of the country’s top technology companies that the government will take a more active role in overseeing their data centers for artificial intelligence and the specialized chips for developing the technology, according to two people involved in the conversations. The Chinese government wants... Chinese officials in the past two months told some of the country’s top technology companies that...

Art by Mike Sullivan

TikTok Working on Photo Messaging Feature Despite Employee Concerns Over Sextortion

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Kaya Yurieff · May 13, 2025 4:23pm PDT

TikTok has been working on a new feature that will allow users in the U.S. to share photos over direct messages inside the app, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. The move could be a way to encourage more people to use direct messaging on TikTok, a feature that hasn’t taken off as it has on Instagram and Snapchat. But the... TikTok has been working on a new feature that will allow users in the U.S. to share photos over...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on stage at last year's Google I/O developer conference. Photo by Getty

Google Developing Software AI Agent, Pinterest-Like Feature Ahead of I/O

By Erin Woo · May 12, 2025 2:43pm PDT

After weeks of news about Google’s antitrust travails, the tech giant will try to reset the narrative next week by highlighting advances it is making in artificial intelligence, cloud and Android technology at its annual I/O developer conference. Ahead of I/O, Google has been demonstrating to employees and outside developers an array of... After weeks of news about Google’s antitrust travails, the tech giant will try to reset the...

Art by Shane Burke

OpenAI Stake Cushioned Tiger Global’s Megafund Losses

By Natasha Mascarenhas · May 11, 2025 11:00am PDT · 1 comment

The Tiger Global Management megafund that made more than 200 investments during the peak of the pandemic-era startup boom was still in the red at the end of 2024, thanks to write-downs on a majority of its investments. But the spike in valuations of OpenAI and other artificial intelligence investments is softening the blow for the $12.7... The Tiger Global Management megafund that made more than 200 investments during the peak of ...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Why an AI Data Center on the Prairie Is Sitting Empty

By Anissa Gardizy · May 10, 2025 10:00am PDT · 3 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan

Why an AI Data Center on the Prairie Is Sitting Empty

By Anissa Gardizy · May 10, 2025 10:00am PDT · 3 comments

For a town with a population of just over 1,000, a Bible college and a quaint main street, there’s an unusual amount of bustle in Ellendale, N.D. A housing project with 20 homes is going up, along with a 38-unit apartment complex. Even a new pickleball court just opened. All of the developments are meant to support an anticipated influx of... For a town with a population of just over 1,000, a Bible college and a quaint main street, there’...

ClickHouse CEO Aaron Katz. Image via YouTube. Art by Clark Miller.

Snowflake Challenger ClickHouse Targets $6 Billion Valuation

By Sri Muppidi · May 9, 2025 1:12pm PDT · 3 comments

Investors have reaped billions of dollars in gains from backing database software firms Snowflake and Databricks. Now venture capitalists are circling ClickHouse, a startup some investors believe could rival the incumbents, particularly as the rise of artificial intelligence increases demand for its database software. The startup is in... Investors have reaped billions of dollars in gains from backing database software firms Snowflake...

Fidji Simo, left, and Sam Altman. Photos via Getty

How Simo Will Fill Altman’s Management Gaps at OpenAI

By Amir Efrati and Stephanie Palazzolo · May 9, 2025 12:45pm PDT · 3 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s surprise decision to hand over much of his company’s business to Instacart CEO Fidji Simo sets up a key partnership that will be closely watched as one of the world’s fastest-growing technology companies looks to extend its lead in artificial intelligence. For her part, Simo will have to wring more revenue from and... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s surprise decision to hand over much of his company’s business to...

Mark D’Arcy. Photo via Getty

Microsoft Hires Former Meta Marketing Exec to Work on Copilot AI

By Aaron Holmes and Jessica E. Lessin · May 8, 2025 11:55am PDT · 5 comments

Microsoft has hired a veteran marketing executive, with experience at both Meta Platforms and Time Warner, to serve as a creative director of the company’s Copilot consumer artificial intelligence chatbot, according to two people briefed on the situation. The hiring is a sign of how AI firms are starting to focus their attention on... Microsoft has hired a veteran marketing executive, with experience at both Meta Platforms and...

Art by Clark Miller.

Spies Are Everywhere in Cutthroat Fintech Industry

By Michael Roddan · May 8, 2025 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

Spies Are Everywhere in Cutthroat Fintech Industry

By Michael Roddan · May 8, 2025 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

It’s easier than ever to spy on a rival company. It’s also easier than ever to catch a spy. The result is a surge in spy-versus-spy lawsuits in the fintech industry, one of the most cutthroat in Silicon Valley. It’s easier than ever to spy on a rival company. It’s also easier than ever to catch a spy. The...

Instacart CEO Fidji Simo. Photo via Getty

OpenAI Hires Instacart CEO Simo For Major Leadership Role

By Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati · May 7, 2025 9:43pm PDT · 6 comments

Update: OpenAI confirmed it is hiring Instacart CEO Fidji Simo to oversee some of the company’s divisions in a major leadership restructuring at the artificial intelligence firm. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, confirming an earlier report by The Information, said he would continue overseeing research and infrastructure teams that are core to... Update: OpenAI confirmed it is hiring Instacart CEO Fidji Simo to oversee some of the...

A Foundation robot. Screenshot via YouTube

Ex-Synapse CEO’s Robot Startup Targets $1 Billion Valuation

By Michael Roddan and Natasha Mascarenhas · May 7, 2025 5:33pm PDT · 2 comments

A humanoid robotics startup founded by the former chief executive of failed fintech firm Synapse is aiming to finalize a $100 million fundraising that will value the year-old company at $1 billion, according to people who spoke to the company’s founders this week. The startup is in talks to raise money from the family office of a member of the... A humanoid robotics startup founded by the former chief executive of failed fintech firm Synapse...

David Bailey. Photo by Getty.

David Bailey, Who Advised Trump on Crypto, Plans Bitcoin Investing Firm

By Yueqi Yang · May 7, 2025 8:05am PDT · 1 comment

David Bailey, who advised President Donald Trump on crypto policy during his 2024 campaign, is raising $300 million to launch a publicly traded bitcoin investing company, according to people familiar with the matter. He is following a string of companies that buy up crypto seeking to replicate the success of Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which... David Bailey, who advised President Donald Trump on crypto policy during his 2024 campaign, is...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, left, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo via Getty

OpenAI Plans to Slash Revenue Share to Microsoft After Restructuring

By Sri Muppidi, Aaron Holmes, Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · May 6, 2025 6:52pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, left, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo via Getty

OpenAI Plans to Slash Revenue Share to Microsoft After Restructuring

By Sri Muppidi, Aaron Holmes, Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · May 6, 2025 6:52pm PDT · 2 comments

As OpenAI moves ahead with a corporate restructuring to appease its investors as well as regulators, it needs to get clearance from Microsoft, its biggest outside shareholder and business partner. One part of OpenAI’s plan involves reducing the percentage of revenue it shares with Microsoft. In financial projections OpenAI shared with investors,... As OpenAI moves ahead with a corporate restructuring to appease its investors as well as...