The Information

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Photo by Bloomberg.

Hope for Tax Break on Private Tech Options

By Reed Albergotti · Jul 11, 2016 7:01am PDT

One of the biggest drawbacks for startup employees who receive stock as part of their compensation can be taxes. When employees’ restricted stock vests or they exercise options, they have to pay taxes on any built-in gains, even if they can’t sell the stock. A congressional bill expected to be introduced early this week aims to... One of the biggest drawbacks for startup employees who receive stock as part of their...

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam at Sun Valley this week. Photo by Bloomberg.

Changes Likely Afoot for Ownership of AwesomenessTV

By Tom Dotan and Amir Efrati · Jul 8, 2016 8:47am PDT

SUN VALLEY, ID—Pay TV rivals Verizon and Comcast will soon find themselves unlikely partners in AwesomenessTV, perhaps the most successful digital media studio in recent years. But Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam on Thursday dropped a hint that this state of affairs wouldn’t last.That raises the possibility that Verizon will move to buy... SUN VALLEY, ID—Pay TV rivals Verizon and Comcast will soon find themselves unlikely...

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger. Photo by Bloomberg.

ESPN Takes a Baby Step Outside the Bundle

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Jul 7, 2016 7:05pm PDT

Walt Disney’s ESPN sports network plans to unveil a package of live programming it will offer directly to consumers on the Web, said a person with knowledge of the plans. The move is a baby step towards ESPN becoming a direct-to-consumer service.ESPN’s new offering won’t include high-value content like professional football or... Walt Disney’s ESPN sports network plans to unveil a package of live programming it will...

Chinese angel investor Wang Gang. Photo by Zhang Yong.

The Angel Investor Behind Didi Chuxing

By Zara Zhang · Jul 7, 2016 7:02am PDT

Chinese angel investor Wang Gang. Photo by Zhang Yong.

The Angel Investor Behind Didi Chuxing

By Zara Zhang · Jul 7, 2016 7:02am PDT

In 2012, two executives at Alibaba pooled money to launch an app to help Chinese people hail taxis. The startup became Didi Chuxing, most recently valued at $28 billion. One of the co-founders, Cheng Wei, became CEO. The other, Wang Gang, has made so much money from Didi and an earlier stake in Alibaba that he is now one of China’s most... In 2012, two executives at Alibaba pooled money to launch an app to help Chinese people hail...

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom. Photo by Bloomberg.

Sharing Decline Blurs Instagram’s Picture

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 30, 2016 7:00am PDT · 4 comments

Five times as many people now use Instagram as did in 2013. But despite that strong growth, Instagram has seen a worrisome trend. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of photos shared on average by each Instagram user fell, said two people briefed on the app’s internal data.And just as its parent Facebook has been trying to reverse a drop in... Five times as many people now use Instagram as did in 2013. But despite that strong growth,...

Huawei's Vice President of Design, Abigail Brody, during the filming of a documentary about the company. Photo by Florian Brody.

How a Former Apple Designer is Updating Huawei’s Look

By Amir Efrati · Jun 22, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

It’s an interesting turn of events: a Chinese company that wants to be like Apple hires a former Apple designer to make its smartphone software look less like Apple’s. Last fall, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei brought in a former longtime Apple designer, Abigail Brody, to change the look of its smartphone software... It’s an interesting turn of events: a Chinese company that wants to be like Apple hires a...

David Limp, Amazon's Senior Vice President of Devices, showing off the Echo earlier this year. Photo by AP.

Amazon’s High Hopes for Echo Sales

By Amir Efrati · Jun 15, 2016 11:40am PDT · 3 comments

Amazon is hoping to sell as many as 10 million of its voice-activated Echo devices next year, which would make it a roughly $1 billion hardware business, according to a person with direct knowledge of the projections.That would be an increase from the 3 million units Amazon hopes to sell this year—a number that was projected before the... Amazon is hoping to sell as many as 10 million of its voice-activated Echo devices next year,...

Google Senior Vice President for Enterprise, Diane Greene. Photo by AP.

Google’s Secret Weapon in Database Wars

By Steve Nellis and Amir Efrati · Jun 13, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Google Senior Vice President for Enterprise, Diane Greene. Photo by AP.

Google’s Secret Weapon in Database Wars

By Steve Nellis and Amir Efrati · Jun 13, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Looking for ways to better compete with Amazon Web Services, engineers at Google Cloud Platform have tested how to turn an internal database technology called Spanner into a product it can sell to developers, according to two people briefed on the effort. Spanner is now used to power many Google consumer products.The tests are part of a broader... Looking for ways to better compete with Amazon Web Services, engineers at Google Cloud Platform...

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

Executive Shuffle at Cyanogen Amid Challenges

By Amir Efrati · Jun 9, 2016 2:26pm PDT · 3 comments

Cyanogen’s prospects for challenging Google’s domination of the Android mobile operating system are dimming.Several senior managers have departed the high-profile Android software startup in recent weeks, as the firm struggles to show it can offer a differentiated version of Android of value to app developers. Google has updated... Cyanogen’s prospects for challenging Google’s domination of the Android mobile...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presenting an award to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in Washington on Tuesday. Photo by AP.

Next Front in India’s E-Commerce War: Smaller Cities

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 8, 2016 11:57am PDT · 1 comment

Hoping to regain momentum in India’s tough e-commerce war, Flipkart is looking to partner with shopkeepers in India’s smaller cities. In doing so, Flipkart hopes to win over tens of millions of people not accustomed to shopping online.Flipkart will soon let people living in the country’s small and midsized cities get goods they... Hoping to regain momentum in India’s tough e-commerce war, Flipkart is looking to partner...

Nest CEO Tony Fadell. Photo by Bloomberg.

Former Nest Employee Takes Aim at Google’s Media Policy

By Reed Albergotti · Jun 2, 2016 7:00am PDT

A National Labor Relations Board complaint lodged against Google and Nest recently by a former Nest employee has raised the prospect that tech firms could be forced to change confidentiality rules to allow employees to talk publicly about working conditions.The complaint was filed May 17 by a former Nest product manager who was fired by Nest in... A National Labor Relations Board complaint lodged against Google and Nest recently by a former...

Google's Vice President of Product Management, Mario Queiroz, talking about Google Home at Google I/O this month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Home’s Little Secret

By Amir Efrati · May 31, 2016 9:07am PDT · 1 comment

Google's Vice President of Product Management, Mario Queiroz, talking about Google Home at Google I/O this month. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Home’s Little Secret

By Amir Efrati · May 31, 2016 9:07am PDT · 1 comment

When Google executive Mario Queiroz unveiled a new voice-controlled virtual assistant, Google Home, at the company’s developer conference this month, he left out a key detail: Home is a dressed-up version of Chromecast, the video-streaming device Mr. Queiroz’s team previously developed.The guts of Home, including its ARM-based... When Google executive Mario Queiroz unveiled a new voice-controlled virtual assistant, Google...

Elisabeth Murdoch. Photo by Flickr/Nordiske Mediedager.

Media Exec Joins Liz Murdoch’s Video Firm

By Tom Dotan · May 26, 2016 10:26am PDT

Former Vimeo executive Greg Clayman has joined Elisabeth Murdoch’s new company, Vertical Networks, which is creating original content for Snapchat, according to multiple people briefed on the situation. He will be U.S. president of the firm.Mr. Clayman left Vimeo, the IAC-owned video streaming site, in January. He previously worked at both... Former Vimeo executive Greg Clayman has joined Elisabeth Murdoch’s new company, Vertical...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Eyes More Retail Dollars With “Shoppable” Video Ads

By Cory Weinberg · May 26, 2016 7:01am PDT · 2 comments

Facebook next month will start testing a type of video ad promoting products that users could tap and buy, a person briefed by the social network said. The ad format is the next step in Facebook’s strategy to prove to marketers its ads can drive consumer purchases, not just raise brand awareness.“Shoppable video ads,” as the ad... Facebook next month will start testing a type of video ad promoting products that users could tap...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Opening Siri, Developing Echo Rival

By Amir Efrati · May 24, 2016 1:23pm PDT · 3 comments

Apple is upping its game in the field of intelligent assistants. After years of internal debate and discussion about how to do so, the company is preparing to open up Siri to apps made by others. And it is working on an Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer.... Apple is upping its game in the field of intelligent assistants. After years of internal debate...

Photo by Bloomberg..

Following Facebook and Microsoft, Google Gets Messaging Bots

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · May 17, 2016 1:05pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo by Bloomberg..

Following Facebook and Microsoft, Google Gets Messaging Bots

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · May 17, 2016 1:05pm PDT · 2 comments

Google is about to join the “bot” craze gripping Silicon Valley.Reports that Google was working on a way for people to use its smartphone messenger to chat with businesses—or Google itself—have circulated for months. But we’ve recently learned more details about the company’s messaging effort and that it is... Google is about to join the “bot” craze gripping Silicon Valley.Reports that Google...

Eddy Cue showing off Siri in 2013. Photo by AP.

Early Siri Engineer Departs Apple for GE

By Amir Efrati · May 11, 2016 11:23am PDT

One of the last members of the original Siri team has left Apple for General Electric, said two people with knowledge of the move.Darren Haas, 41 years old, quit a few weeks after another former Siri team member, Steve D’Aurora, decamped for GE.Political infighting has engulfed Apple’s engineering ranks after the company decided to... One of the last members of the original Siri team has left Apple for General Electric, said two...

Snapchat's VP of content, Nick Bell. Photo by Getty Images.

The Cost of Joining Snapchat’s Discover

By Tom Dotan · May 10, 2016 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

For media companies trying to gain or maintain a spot on Snapchat’s digital magazine section, Discover, the company has made one thing clear: Access doesn’t come cheap.For example, Snapchat requires some firms with channels on Discover, such as Vox Media and Tastemade, to pay Snapchat a guaranteed minimum amount of money over a... For media companies trying to gain or maintain a spot on Snapchat’s digital magazine...

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

In Shift, Uber Seeks Bids for Cloud Business

By Amir Efrati and Steve Nellis · May 9, 2016 1:26pm PDT

There’s a new hot contract up for grabs in the cloud market: Uber.The ride-hailing company is taking bids from “public” cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft to handle a small but important slice of its infrastructure, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. Uber is already testing some... There’s a new hot contract up for grabs in the cloud market: Uber.The ride-hailing company...

Facebook's VP for Messaging Products, David Marcus. Photo by AP.

Despite Stumbles, News Outlets Flock to Messenger

By Cory Weinberg · May 9, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Facebook's VP for Messaging Products, David Marcus. Photo by AP.

Despite Stumbles, News Outlets Flock to Messenger

By Cory Weinberg · May 9, 2016 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

When Mic internally tested a Facebook’s Messenger “bot” to send out news articles last month, employees didn’t tap and chat with it much. So the Millennial-focused site changed course and will soon release a Messenger bot that sends people photos for a daily caption contest. An early test sent out a picture of Barack... When Mic internally tested a Facebook’s Messenger “bot” to send out news...