The Information

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Video Leaves a Small Window for Advertisers

By Tom Dotan · Sep 14, 2016 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

Most video ads on Facebook are seen for only a second or two, according to a new study, well below the average for video ads on YouTube and other websites. It suggests few people on Facebook are clicking on video ads as they scroll past them in their News Feed.The data provides further evidence to advertisers who want to use Facebook that they... Most video ads on Facebook are seen for only a second or two, according to a new study, well...

Uber's app open in Japan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber Hires Tesla Mapping Leader

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 9, 2016 3:59pm PDT · 1 comment

The engineering manager who led digital mapping for Tesla Motors’ self-driving car system, Bill Chen, is moving to Uber.Mr. Chen, a former Apple Maps engineer, left Tesla last month after a two year stint, The Information previously reported. At Uber, he joins a sizable mapping team led by the former head of Google Maps, Brian McClendon.... The engineering manager who led digital mapping for Tesla Motors’ self-driving car system,...

Amazon's senior vice president for devices, David Limp. Photo by AP.

Amazon Preps Push Notifications for Alexa

By Steve Nellis · Sep 8, 2016 7:01am PDT · 7 comments

Amazon.com is planning to give its Alexa voice-activated assistant the ability to speak up— unprompted—with alerts from apps and gadgets, possibly this fall. It’s a change that could make the service much more useful and a feature developers long have asked for.Right now, users have to start conversations with Alexa, which... Amazon.com is planning to give its Alexa voice-activated assistant the ability to speak up—...

Snapchat CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel, left, with co-founder and CTO Bobby Murphy. Photo by AP.

Snapchat Discussing IPO Filing with Bankers

By Jessica E. Lessin and Tom Dotan · Sep 7, 2016 10:52am PDT

Snapchat CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel, left, with co-founder and CTO Bobby Murphy. Photo by AP.

Snapchat Discussing IPO Filing with Bankers

By Jessica E. Lessin and Tom Dotan · Sep 7, 2016 10:52am PDT

Snapchat has been talking to investment bankers about filing for an IPO towards the end of this year or early in 2017, according to people the company has spoken to. That could put the company on track for a public offering next year, coming out ahead of other hotly anticipated private tech startups. Snapchat doesn't appear to have hired a... Snapchat has been talking to investment bankers about filing for an IPO towards the end of this...

Venture capitalist Davidi Gilo. Photo by J Street.

Investor Alleges Startup Faked Its Own Death

By Reed Albergotti · Sep 6, 2016 7:00am PDT · 4 comments

Venture capitalist Davidi Gilo had given up on the $6.5 million his firm invested in the enterprise software company BackFlip, which shut down in early 2011. But seven months later, he alleged in a lawsuit, he discovered that BackFlip’s software and customers had been subsumed by Cisco Systems, with the help of BackFlip’s co-founder,... Venture capitalist Davidi Gilo had given up on the $6.5 million his firm invested in the...

AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Photo by AP.

AWS’ Latest Proposal to Woo Major Banks

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 1, 2016 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Amazon Web Services has come up with a new strategy to lure banks to use its cloud computing service. AWS has discussed with financial institutions the idea of hosting their data on isolated “safe zones” across AWS’ data centers that would be walled off from other customers and the public internet, according to two people close... Amazon Web Services has come up with a new strategy to lure banks to use its cloud computing...

Alphabet's head of corporate development David Drummond. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber Shuts Out Alphabet Execs From Board Meetings

By Amir Efrati · Aug 29, 2016 1:45pm PDT · 2 comments

UPDATE: Uber says Alphabet executive David Drummond has stepped down from Uber’s board. The move follows a report by The Information about Mr. Drummond being sidelined from the board for a significant period of time.Uber has shut out an Uber board member and senior Alphabet executive, David Drummond, from attending board meetings,... UPDATE: Uber says Alphabet executive David Drummond has stepped down from Uber’s board. The...

GM CEO Mary Barra. Photo by Bloomberg.

GM Expressed Interest in Lyft at $6 Billion

By Amir Efrati · Aug 29, 2016 11:47am PDT

GM CEO Mary Barra. Photo by Bloomberg.

GM Expressed Interest in Lyft at $6 Billion

By Amir Efrati · Aug 29, 2016 11:47am PDT

One of the unresolved questions surrounding General Motors’ interest in acquiring Lyft is what price the automaker was willing to pay. Now we have part of the answer: Lyft’s leaders informed the company’s board of directors this summer that GM expressed interest in a $6 billion deal, according to two people with knowledge of... One of the unresolved questions surrounding General Motors’ interest in acquiring Lyft is...

Access Chief Craig Barratt. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside the Battle Over Google Fiber

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 25, 2016 7:00am PDT · 7 comments

When Google was planning to launch its Fiber broadband and TV service, Fiber executives had ambitious hopes of signing up around 5 million subscribers in five years, said a person close to Google's parent, Alphabet. But by the end of 2014, more than two years after service began, Google had only signed up around 200,000 broadband... When Google was planning to launch its Fiber broadband and TV service, Fiber executives had...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s New Plan to Expand Ad Network

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 24, 2016 7:01am PDT · 7 comments

Facebook’s mobile ad network is looking to sell more ads on a broader number of websites, diversifying beyond the game and utility apps that dominate its client base. Some of its new targets for mobile ad sales are large publishers such as USA Today and Hearst, which have started selling ads through Facebook Audience Network after plugging... Facebook’s mobile ad network is looking to sell more ads on a broader number of websites,...

BAMTech CEO Bob Bowman. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

BAMTech Deal a Model, Concern for Media Firms

By Tom Dotan · Aug 23, 2016 7:00am PDT · 6 comments

Big media companies are all rushing to stream more video. And as it becomes central to their business the media firms are increasingly trying to wrest control of the video technology.Take Walt Disney’s acquisition of a 33% stake in BAMTech, the company that powers streaming video owned by Major League Baseball as well as video services for... Big media companies are all rushing to stream more video. And as it becomes central to their...

WeWork CEO Adam Neumann. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Shift, WeWork Pushes for Longer Leases

By Alfred Lee and Cory Weinberg · Aug 18, 2016 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

WeWork CEO Adam Neumann. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Shift, WeWork Pushes for Longer Leases

By Alfred Lee and Cory Weinberg · Aug 18, 2016 7:02am PDT · 2 comments

WeWork, which built its business on luring freelancers and startups with no-strings-attached office space, may now be looking to protect itself against drops in demand by going after bigger tenants that commit to longer stays. The company has begun pushing to lock some companies into year-long rental agreements rather than month-to-month.The New... WeWork, which built its business on luring freelancers and startups with no-strings-attached...

Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster. Photo by Web Summit via Flickr.

Confidential Data Question Cyanogen’s User Figures

By Amir Efrati · Aug 17, 2016 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

Newly revealed internal data from Cyanogen, a closely-watched startup trying to make an alternative version of Android, undercut the company’s longstanding pronouncement that there are tens of millions of users of a smartphone operating system it distributes.Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster said as of mid-2014 that the company tracked more than... Newly revealed internal data from Cyanogen, a closely-watched startup trying to make an...

Vurb founder Bobby Lo at TechCrunch Disrupt. Photo by TechCrunch.

Snapchat to Buy Vurb for More Than $100 Million

By Jessica E. Lessin and Tom Dotan · Aug 15, 2016 1:55pm PDT · 2 comments

Snapchat is tiptoeing into search.The company is acquiring recommendation app Vurb for around $110 million plus additional team retention payouts totaling nearly as much, according to a person familiar with the deal. Snapchat is tiptoeing into search.The company is acquiring recommendation app Vurb for around...

Tesla Lost its Maps Leader

By Amir Efrati · Aug 15, 2016 1:20pm PDT · 1 comment

Bill Chen, who was leading maps and navigation engineering efforts at Tesla Motors, has left the company after nearly two years. Tesla and Mr. Chen confirmed his departure but declined further comment.Mapping practitioners who have worked with Mr. Chen view the move as a negative sign for Tesla’s autonomous vehicle effort, which is already... Bill Chen, who was leading maps and navigation engineering efforts at Tesla Motors, has left the...

A Unity Technologies booth at a 2013 game developers conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

U.S. Private Tech Shares Hit Chinese Social Media

By Alfred Lee and Yunan Zhang · Aug 15, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

A Unity Technologies booth at a 2013 game developers conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

U.S. Private Tech Shares Hit Chinese Social Media

By Alfred Lee and Yunan Zhang · Aug 15, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Unity Technologies, maker of Pokemon Go’s game engine, raised a series C round last month, around the time Pokemon Go had started a sensation among gamers. Within weeks, pitches for Unity shares available on the secondary market started moving across China’s most popular messaging app. A WeChat group of more than 100 people... Unity Technologies, maker of Pokemon Go’s game engine, raised a series C round last month,...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.

Senior AWS Executive to Depart

By Kevin McLaughlin and Steve Nellis · Aug 12, 2016 1:52pm PDT · 1 comment

Adam Selipsky, the head of sales and marketing at AWS and a lieutenant to CEO Andy Jassy, is leaving the company, according to four people familiar with the matter.Mr. Selipsky is one of the longest-serving members of the executive team at the $7.8 billion cloud computing business. He joined in 2005, before AWS was generating revenue, and is one... Adam Selipsky, the head of sales and marketing at AWS and a lieutenant to CEO Andy Jassy, is...

Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green. Photo by Bloomberg.

Lyft Rebuffs Acquisition Approach from GM

By Amir Efrati · Aug 12, 2016 12:32pm PDT · 2 comments

General Motors in recent weeks told Lyft it was interested in acquiring the company, according to a person briefed on the situation. After soliciting other potential strategic acquirers, Lyft rebuffed GM’s approach and decided to raise a new funding round instead, according to two people.GM mentioned a price it was willing to pay but that... General Motors in recent weeks told Lyft it was interested in acquiring the company, according to...

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo by Bloomberg.

Pinterest Traffic To Publishers Drops

By Tom Dotan · Aug 10, 2016 7:01am PDT · 5 comments

Publishers that depend on Pinterest as a meaningful source of traffic, such as MarthaStewart.com, have seen a notable drop-off in recent months, according to publishing executives and new data. It's the latest reminder of the hazards for publishers of relying too much on social platforms for traffic.The traffic drop follows a change to... Publishers that depend on Pinterest as a meaningful source of traffic, such as MarthaStewart.com,...

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Jawbone Tested Market for Buyer, Delays August Payment

By Amir Efrati and Reed Albergotti · Aug 8, 2016 12:03pm PDT · 3 comments

Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman. Photo by Bloomberg.

Jawbone Tested Market for Buyer, Delays August Payment

By Amir Efrati and Reed Albergotti · Aug 8, 2016 12:03pm PDT · 3 comments

Jawbone, the iconic but long-troubled wearable electronics maker, in recent months has approached at least one hardware manufacturer about possibly selling itself, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion.There are other signs the company, which primarily makes bracelet-like fitness trackers, isn’t in great shape. Jawbone... Jawbone, the iconic but long-troubled wearable electronics maker, in recent months has approached...