The Information

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Photo by Bloomberg.

Mobile Messaging Wars: Phase Two

By Amir Efrati · Apr 15, 2015 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

The first mobile-messaging wars are largely over. SMS text-replacement services like WhatsApp and others have solidified their dominance. But as messaging evolves into a service beyond one-on-one communications, more battles are beginning. And the stakes are as big as controlling commerce or search. Google is developing a new “phone dialer” app... The first mobile-messaging wars are largely over. SMS text-replacement services like WhatsApp and...

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer with Adam Cahan, mobile and emerging products group senior VP.

At Yahoo and Tumblr, Organizational Changes Afoot

By Amir Efrati · Apr 7, 2015 4:40pm PDT

A major shake-up is brewing at Yahoo that could end Tumblr’s run as a standalone unit and rearrange the upper ranks of the Web firm’s product organization, which has struggled under CEO Marissa Mayer. She discussed some of the coming changes last week during an executive off-site meeting. A major shake-up is brewing at Yahoo that could end Tumblr’s run as a standalone unit and...

Illustration by Matt Vascellaro

The Ascension of Google’s Sridhar Ramaswamy

By Amir Efrati · Apr 6, 2015 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

In late 2013, Google’s top two ad executives, Sridhar Ramaswamy and Susan Wojcicki, were at war. They complained about each other to colleagues and tussled over an important new ad technology initiative. Tensions culminated in a meeting when Mr. Ramaswamy suggested Ms. Wojcicki and her team were “hiding the truth,” according to... In late 2013, Google’s top two ad executives, Sridhar Ramaswamy and Susan Wojcicki, were at...

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Hitting Sales Reset After Executive Shakeup

By Tom Dotan · Mar 31, 2015 7:01am PDT

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Hitting Sales Reset After Executive Shakeup

By Tom Dotan · Mar 31, 2015 7:01am PDT

The abrupt departure of two senior Snapchat executives—chief operating officer Emily White and revenue head Mike Randall—has caused some confusion and concern among employees and outside partners, according to two people close to the situation. Unsurprisingly these changes have been reflected most sharply in the company’s relationship with... The abrupt departure of two senior Snapchat executives—chief operating officer Emily White and...

A scene from Google’s Ingress game. Via Flickr.

Google Takes Its Web Game to TV

By Tom Dotan and Amir Efrati · Mar 26, 2015 10:38am PDT

When Google launched a gaming studio five years ago, it was largely an effort to keep a valued employee. Now, the first game developed by the studio, Ingress, has become so popular that Google is developing it into a television show. Google’s game studio, called Niantic Labs, is yet to pitch the show to TV networks but it has partnered with Sean... When Google launched a gaming studio five years ago, it was largely an effort to keep a valued...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Pitching Advertisers on “Anthology” Video Package

By Amir Efrati and Tom Dotan · Mar 24, 2015 6:49am PDT · 4 comments

In a significant expansion of its video strategy, Facebook is in discussions with several media firms, including Vice, The Onion and Vox Media, to produce short-form videos for the social network, according to people involved in the project. Known within Facebook as “Anthology,” the latest video push is aimed at injecting higher-quality videos... In a significant expansion of its video strategy, Facebook is in discussions with several media...

Greylock Partners in Talks To Invest in Meerkat

By Tom Dotan and Amir Efrati · Mar 19, 2015 8:47am PDT · 11 comments

Greylock Partners is in talks to invest in app of the moment Meerkat, The Information has learned. VCs have been chasing the company since SXSW and the activity has formalized into a fundraising round. It is unclear where the valuation will land or whether Greylock will win the deal. But the talks are progressing quickly. Greylock Partners is in talks to invest in app of the moment Meerkat, The Information has...

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber, Tesla Energize Mapping Sector As Deal Buzz Spreads

By Amir Efrati · Mar 19, 2015 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber, Tesla Energize Mapping Sector As Deal Buzz Spreads

By Amir Efrati · Mar 19, 2015 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

The digital mapping industry is suddenly the scene of intense activity, as new tech powerhouses like Uber and Tesla Motors as well as startups jostle to develop new mapping services to reduce their reliance on industry leader Google Maps. The fervor has fueled poaching of experienced mapping engineers and is stoking expectations of major... The digital mapping industry is suddenly the scene of intense activity, as new tech powerhouses...

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Mobile Ad World Braces for Facebook’s Move Into Measurement

By Amir Efrati · Mar 16, 2015 7:00am PDT

Facebook next week is expected to announce a tool to help mobile app developers measure whether an ad caused people to download an app, a move designed to help entrench Facebook’s tech across the online ad industry. Several people briefed about the technology told The Information about the service, which is expected to be announced at Facebook’... Facebook next week is expected to announce a tool to help mobile app developers measure whether...

JK Shin, CEO of Samsung's mobile division, at Mobile World Congress last week. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Smartphone Giveth and the Smartphone Taketh Away

By Amir Efrati · Mar 12, 2015 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Falling prices of smartphones are causing a shakeup in the hardware part of the industry, opening the door to upstart phone brands, component makers and in some cases to also-rans in the mobile chip world, like Intel. Falling prices of smartphones are causing a shakeup in the hardware part of the industry, opening...

Google's No. 2 executive, Sundar Pichai, in Barcelona Monday. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple’s Party and the Things I Learned at Mobile World Congress

By Amir Efrati · Mar 5, 2015 10:01am PST

BARCELONA—Mobile World Congress makes headlines for announcements by companies like Google, Samsung Electronics and others, but the real action is always behind the scenes. Wireless carriers from developing countries were busy finalizing deals for a new revenue source—extracting money from developers who are seeking to reach the carriers’... BARCELONA—Mobile World Congress makes headlines for announcements by companies like Google,...

MailOnline North America CEO Jon Steinberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Technical Glitches Cost Media Firms in Lost Video Ads

By Tom Dotan · Mar 4, 2015 7:01am PST

MailOnline North America CEO Jon Steinberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Technical Glitches Cost Media Firms in Lost Video Ads

By Tom Dotan · Mar 4, 2015 7:01am PST

For many media firms, the allure of video content is the promise of high revenue video ads. But as the amount of video expands, websites are running up against a costly problem: Technical glitches are causing videos to run without the ads meant to accompany them. The result can be the loss of significant ad revenue, several media executives... For many media firms, the allure of video content is the promise of high revenue video ads. But...

Cloudera co-founder Mike Olson. Photo by Bloomberg.

Enterprise Cos. Cry Foul Over ‘Open’ Data Alliance

By Steve Nellis · Mar 3, 2015 7:01am PST · 3 comments

When three big enterprise software companies announced last month they had agreed to a set of common tools for analyzing big data, it may have seemed like just another boring partnership in the world of business software. But the agreement between Pivotal, Hortonworks and IBM was much more. The creation of the so-called Open Data Platform set... When three big enterprise software companies announced last month they had agreed to a set of...

Sundar Pichai oversees Google's products, including ads. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Display Business Booms, But It’s Complicated

By Amir Efrati · Feb 24, 2015 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Google long ago stopped being a one-trick pony dependent on selling search ads. But having two big advertising businesses—first search, now display—isn’t enough to stop the company’s growth from slowing. Google’s display advertising business is growing much faster than search ads, reaching $10 billion in revenue in 2014, or around 15 percent of... Google long ago stopped being a one-trick pony dependent on selling search ads. But having two...

Alibaba founder Jack Ma. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Red-Hot Race for the Next Alibaba

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 18, 2015 7:01am PST · 2 comments

The race among investors to find the next Alibaba is looking a little frenzied. Investors have driven up the price of fast-growing mobile companies in India and China, hoping to find the next breakout company from Asia with global potential. The latest example: mobile shopping service Koudai, which late last year closed a roughly $500 million... The race among investors to find the next Alibaba is looking a little frenzied. Investors have...

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. Photo by Bloomberg.

Twitter Eyes Originals for Mobile Video

By Tom Dotan · Feb 16, 2015 7:00am PST

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. Photo by Bloomberg.

Twitter Eyes Originals for Mobile Video

By Tom Dotan · Feb 16, 2015 7:00am PST

As far as social networks are concerned, the most contested digital battle at the moment may be the land grab over mobile video. And while Facebook and YouTube are arguably better positioned because they’re bigger, Twitter is scrambling not to be left behind. Twitter has been developing relationships with short-form video creators, hoping to... As far as social networks are concerned, the most contested digital battle at the moment may be...

Google's Sundar Pichai, who oversees Android. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Next Bid to Lower Mobile Data Costs: Zero Rating

By Amir Efrati · Feb 13, 2015 7:01am PST

Global Web companies like Google and Facebook know that most of their future growth will need to come from emerging markets. But as smartphones continue to bring more people online, data-plan costs and other hurdles are preventing those people from using mobile Web services. In response, Google engineers in recent months have talked to select... Global Web companies like Google and Facebook know that most of their future growth will need to...

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

As Apple Payments Strategy Takes Shape, Google and Square Respond

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 11, 2015 7:01am PST · 3 comments

Apple rattled tech rivals like Google last year when it entered brick-and-mortar retail with Apple Pay, which lets people use their iPhone to pay for goods in stores. Now Google, which has long offered a similar product for Android phones that hasn’t become widely used, and Square, which helps small businesses accept credit card payments, are... Apple rattled tech rivals like Google last year when it entered brick-and-mortar retail with...

Google's Nick Fox in 2009. Photo by Kenneth Yeung.

At Google, Nick Fox Gets the Message

By Amir Efrati · Feb 5, 2015 1:52pm PST · 1 comment

Nick Fox, the man in charge of Google’s still-unannounced mobile phone service, also has become head of Google’s communications products like Google Voice, Hangouts and Messenger, a signal that the company is getting more serious about building mobile messaging products. The young executive, who previously ran an AdWords unit, started running... Nick Fox, the man in charge of Google’s still-unannounced mobile phone service, also has become...

MongoDB co-founders Dwight Merriman (left) and Kevin Ryan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Taking on Oracle: Inside MongoDB’s Headwinds

By Steve Nellis · Feb 3, 2015 7:01am PST

MongoDB co-founders Dwight Merriman (left) and Kevin Ryan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Taking on Oracle: Inside MongoDB’s Headwinds

By Steve Nellis · Feb 3, 2015 7:01am PST

For the startups vying to attack the $34 billion-plus database market Oracle Corp. has dominated for decades, creating software popular with developers doesn’t guarantee success. Figuring out a sales strategy is crucial. Take MongoDB, so well positioned among the young companies nipping at Oracle’s heels that last summer it was valued at $1.2... For the startups vying to attack the $34 billion-plus database market Oracle Corp. has dominated...