The Information

Photo via Genesys

Stock Market Volatility Delays a Planned Big 2025 IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 5, 2025 2:56pm PST · 1 comment

Genesys, a private equity-backed customer service software company, delayed what would have been one of the largest initial public offerings of the year, citing a sliding stock market, people familiar with the matter said. The company’s advisers told people in recent days that it would push back the IPO by at least a few months, rather than try... Genesys, a private equity-backed customer service software company, delayed what would have been...

Art by Clark Miller.

How Meta and Google Benefit From AI-Created Ads

By Catherine Perloff · Mar 5, 2025 8:50am PST · 1 comment

Five months ago, app studio Sociaaal, which creates apps that help people identify their celebrity look-alike or suggest pick-up lines to score a date, started using generative artificial intelligence to create ads for running on social media, including YouTube. The AI-created ads included some Sociaaal’s marketing team say they never would have... Five months ago, app studio Sociaaal, which creates apps that help people identify their...

CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator, left, and Weights & Biases CEO Lukas Biewald. Photos by Getty

CoreWeave in Talks to Buy AI Startup Weights & Biases For Around $1.7 Billion

By Stephanie Palazzolo, Anissa Gardizy and Natasha Mascarenhas · Mar 4, 2025 3:53pm PST · 3 comments

CoreWeave, which provides cloud servers to large companies developing artificial intelligence, is in talks to acquire Weights & Biases, a startup that helps developers build AI applications, for around $1.7 billion, according to two people who spoke to executives at Weights & Biases. The deal could help CoreWeave diversify its base of customers... CoreWeave, which provides cloud servers to large companies developing artificial intelligence, is...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty.

DeepSeek Spurs Black Market Demand for Nvidia Gaming Chips in China

By Qianer Liu · Mar 4, 2025 10:24am PST

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty.

DeepSeek Spurs Black Market Demand for Nvidia Gaming Chips in China

By Qianer Liu · Mar 4, 2025 10:24am PST

When DeepSeek’s success in developing competitive artificial intelligence models at a low cost prompted a $750 billion sell-off in Nvidia shares in late January, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wasn’t worried. He told some employees a few days later that DeepSeek had just become Nvidia’s most important customer in China, since any progress in AI will... When DeepSeek’s success in developing competitive artificial intelligence models at a low cost...

Art by Clark Miller.

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Race to Use AI to Drive Sales Gains

By Aaron Holmes · Mar 4, 2025 6:00am PST · 1 comment

The role of salespeople is already changing in the era of artificial intelligence—and big tech companies are notching benefits from using these tools, which could be a leading indicator of how the broader industry is set to transform. At Microsoft, for instance, executives have been touting evidence that custom-built AI tools automating... The role of salespeople is already changing in the era of artificial intelligence—and big...

Art by Mike Sullivan

YouTube Tries Again to Compete With Amazon to Become All-Video Hub

By Sahil Patel · Mar 3, 2025 6:00am PST

It should have been easy. YouTube in late 2022 began including in its app video-streaming services operated by other media companies, such as Paramount Global’s Paramount+ and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. People could sign up for the services directly from the YouTube app—YouTube would get a cut—and watch without toggling around on... It should have been easy. YouTube in late 2022 began including in its app video-streaming...

Art by Clark Miller; Intrator image via Getty.

CoreWeave Had Soaring Revenues and Capex Ahead of Planned IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 2, 2025 3:30pm PST

CoreWeave, the Nvidia-backed startup cloud provider that is preparing one of the most anticipated initial public offerings of the year, grew revenue exponentially while pouring cash into capital expenditures last year, two people familiar with the matter said. The company is expected to publish its IPO prospectus this week and go public this... CoreWeave, the Nvidia-backed startup cloud provider that is preparing one of the most anticipated...

Masayoshi Son. Photo by Getty; art by Mike Sullivan

SoftBank’s Son Goes on a New Borrowing Binge to Fund AI

By Juro Osawa and Cory Weinberg · Mar 1, 2025 8:00am PST · 2 comments

Masayoshi Son. Photo by Getty; art by Mike Sullivan

SoftBank’s Son Goes on a New Borrowing Binge to Fund AI

By Juro Osawa and Cory Weinberg · Mar 1, 2025 8:00am PST · 2 comments

The biggest risk-taker in tech investing is back to his old playbook, loading up on debt to fund his latest obsession: artificial intelligence. SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son is planning to borrow $16 billion to invest in AI, his company’s executives told banks last week, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions. The... The biggest risk-taker in tech investing is back to his old playbook, loading up on debt to fund...

Photo via Getty.

Amazon Plans Global Expansion for Haul, Its Temu Rival

By Theo Wayt · Feb 28, 2025 10:31am PST

Amazon is going global with its counterattack on bargain sellers Temu and Shein. The e-commerce giant is planning on expanding Haul, the ultracheap Temu look-alike it launched in the U.S. in November, to countries in Europe starting this year, according to a seller consultant who spoke with Amazon representatives. At the same time, a recent... Amazon is going global with its counterattack on bargain sellers Temu and Shein. The e-commerce...

The Bitter Fintech Feud That Stretches From Silicon Valley to Moscow

By Michael Roddan and Cory Weinberg · Feb 27, 2025 6:00am PST

The seemingly mundane world of human resources management startups is not the place you’d expect to see cutthroat corporate blood sport, battles linked to global geopolitics, and questions about whether companies took on the wrong customers to boost growth. But Deel and Rippling are hardly ordinary startups. Their feud spilled into open view... The seemingly mundane world of human resources management startups is not the place you’d expect...

Instagram head Adam Mosseri

Instagram May Launch Reels as Separate App, Increasing Pressure on TikTok

By Kalley Huang and Kaya Yurieff · Feb 26, 2025 2:07pm PST

Instagram is considering launching a stand-alone app for its short-form–video feature, Reels, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told staff this week, according to a person who heard the remarks. Such an app would be similar to the TikTok experience of scrolling through videos, and would be Instagram’s most aggressive move so far to take... Instagram is considering launching a stand-alone app for its short-form–video feature,...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Getty

Meta Discusses AI Data Center Project That Could Cost $200 Billion

By Anissa Gardizy · Feb 25, 2025 4:46pm PST · 4 comments

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Getty

Meta Discusses AI Data Center Project That Could Cost $200 Billion

By Anissa Gardizy · Feb 25, 2025 4:46pm PST · 4 comments

Meta Platforms is in talks to build a new data center campus for its artificial intelligence endeavors that would dwarf anything the company has done to date and would be among the biggest of its kind, according to two people who have spoken to Meta executives about it. Based on the number of chips and the amount of power the company is... Meta Platforms is in talks to build a new data center campus for its artificial intelligence...

Cohesity CEO Sanjay Poonen. Photo via Getty

Cohesity Plans Employee Share Sale, Deferring IPO

By Natasha Mascarenhas and Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 25, 2025 3:31pm PST

One of enterprise software’s bitter rivalries—between data security firms Rubrik and Cohesity—came to a head last year when Rubrik went public in an offering with a nearly $7 billion valuation. Now Cohesity, which is still private, is pitching investors on the notion that it’s the better deal. The Santa Clara, Calif.–based... One of enterprise software’s bitter rivalries—between data security firms Rubrik and...

Brex CEO Pedro Franceschi. Photo via Brex.

Brex, a Year After Turmoil, has Profits in Sight

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 24, 2025 6:00am PST

Just over a year ago, Brex had the makings of the latest Silicon Valley trainwreck. The corporate credit card startup was blowing through the billions in venture capital it had raised. Growth had slowed, competition increased and its valuation had tumbled. Brex named its 28-year-old cofounder Pedro Franceschi as sole CEO. He launched a... Just over a year ago, Brex had the makings of the latest Silicon Valley trainwreck. The corporate...

OpenAI Forecast Shows Shift From Microsoft to SoftBank

By Cory Weinberg, Jon Victor and Anissa Gardizy · Feb 21, 2025 8:30am PST

New forecasts from OpenAI show the beginning of a dramatic shift in its alliances from Microsoft, its biggest shareholder, to SoftBank, its newest benefactor. The company has told investors in recent weeks that it expects Stargate, the fledgling data center expansion project to be heavily financed by SoftBank, to support three-quarters of the... New forecasts from OpenAI show the beginning of a dramatic shift in its alliances from Microsoft,...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Photos via Getty.

Salesforce in Talks With Microsoft, Oracle and Google About Cloud Deal to Handle AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 20, 2025 7:31am PST

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Photos via Getty.

Salesforce in Talks With Microsoft, Oracle and Google About Cloud Deal to Handle AI

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 20, 2025 7:31am PST

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has long been a vocal critic of Microsoft. A couple of years ago, he accused the company of violating antitrust laws in how it sells software bundles. More recently, he has slammed its artificial intelligence chatbot for giving inaccurate responses and being difficult to use. But that history hasn’t stopped Salesforce... Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has long been a vocal critic of Microsoft. A couple of years ago, he...

Mark Zuckerberg introducing Facebook Connect in 2010. Photo via AP.

Meta Woos Creators in Bid to Make Facebook Cool Again

By Kaya Yurieff and Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Feb 20, 2025 6:00am PST

To make Facebook cool again, Meta Platforms is asking some of the most popular creators on YouTube for advice, ranging from MrBeast to Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer who explains scientific concepts. The creators aren’t holding back. Facebook has a “big hill to climb,” said Rober, who has 64 million followers on YouTube and 5.3 million on... To make Facebook cool again, Meta Platforms is asking some of the most popular creators on...

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng. Photo via Getty.

DeepSeek Weighs Raising Outside Money For First Time

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Feb 19, 2025 6:00am PST · 2 comments

DeepSeek’s sudden rise to artificial intelligence stardom has created a dilemma for the Chinese startup: whether to raise money. A two-year-old offshoot of a Chinese quantitative hedge fund, DeepSeek so far has not raised outside funding, partly to avoid pressure from investors to commercialize its products too quickly. But since its AI chatbot... DeepSeek’s sudden rise to artificial intelligence stardom has created a dilemma for the Chinese...

Photo via Field AI.

Nvidia-Backed Robotics Startup Field Targets $2 Billion Valuation

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Feb 18, 2025 4:23pm PST

Field AI, a two-year-old startup that makes artificial intelligence models to power robots, is in talks to raise several hundred million dollars at a $2 billion valuation, according to a person with direct knowledge of the fundraising discussions. That would quadruple the startup’s valuation last summer when investors including Nvidia valued it... Field AI, a two-year-old startup that makes artificial intelligence models to power robots, is in...

Photo via Shutterstock.

Logistics Firm Forto, Last Valued at $2.1 Billion, Hires Moelis to Explore Sale

By Theo Wayt · Feb 18, 2025 9:31am PST

Photo via Shutterstock.

Logistics Firm Forto, Last Valued at $2.1 Billion, Hires Moelis to Explore Sale

By Theo Wayt · Feb 18, 2025 9:31am PST

Even after a shakeout that’s lasted two years, consolidation is still coming for logistics startups. Forto, a Germany-based freight forwarding company that has raised more than $600 million from investors including SoftBank, has been working with investment bank Moelis & Co. to explore options including a potential merger or sale, according... Even after a shakeout that’s lasted two years, consolidation is still coming for logistics...