The Information

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Signals Apple-like Direction for Nexus Phones

By Amir Efrati · Feb 1, 2016 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his lieutenants have signaled to colleagues and outsiders that the company wants to take greater control over its program for making “Nexus” smartphones, which are powered by Google’s Android software. The change would effectively reduce the level of involvement of hardware partners that make the... Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his lieutenants have signaled to colleagues and outsiders that the...

Jack Dorsey. Photo by AP.

What’s Up at Twitter

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 31, 2016 5:27pm PST · 14 comments

It is hard to overstate how important the next 10 days are for Twitter, a Silicon Valley sensation turned soap opera that continues to garner more public fascination than its business probably warrants.CEO Jack Dorsey has been scrambling to announce several new board members alongside the company’s Feb. 10 earnings report, which is... It is hard to overstate how important the next 10 days are for Twitter, a Silicon Valley...

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Flickr/TechCrunch.

Snapchat Eyes App Install Ads

By Tom Dotan · Jan 27, 2016 7:01am PST · 2 comments

As Snapchat faces down a big year, and a true test of its ability to create a sustainable business, the company may be dipping its toe into Facebook’s domain for mobile revenue: app install ads.Snapchat’s sales representatives have indicated in recent discussions with ad agencies it is considering selling app install ads, according... As Snapchat faces down a big year, and a true test of its ability to create a sustainable...

GitHub co-founder Chris Wanstrath. Photo by Bloomberg.

Executive Exodus at GitHub

By Steve Nellis · Jan 25, 2016 2:34pm PST

GitHub co-founder Chris Wanstrath. Photo by Bloomberg.

Executive Exodus at GitHub

By Steve Nellis · Jan 25, 2016 2:34pm PST

Nine executives have left GitHub in recent months, according to people briefed on the matter and public disclosures.GitHub makes software for tracking changes to open-source project code. It has raised $350 million from Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. Chief Information Officer Scott Chacon, head of corporate sales Brandon... Nine executives have left GitHub in recent months, according to people briefed on the matter and...

Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos

Amazon’s Next Phone Play

By Amir Efrati · Jan 25, 2016 7:01am PST · 1 comment

Amazon.com is looking to cement tighter software partnerships with Android phone makers, its latest effort to get more customers for its services on smartphones, say people briefed on different aspects of the discussions at Amazon.Amazon has discussed working with phone brands at a “factory level” to integrate its services with... Amazon.com is looking to cement tighter software partnerships with Android phone makers, its...

A customer using Apple's Siri feature. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Interface Race in Artificial Intelligence

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 21, 2016 7:02am PST · 4 comments

Facebook and Google have poured money into getting artificial intelligence-powered messaging apps out the door, but the companies didn’t get one prize they wanted. Each expressed interest in acquiring the AI startup Viv Labs, founded by the developers of Apple’s Siri, people familiar with the discussions said.Viv rebuffed the... Facebook and Google have poured money into getting artificial intelligence-powered messaging apps...

Photo by Flickr/Dennis Crowley.

Foursquare Lets Employees Swap Out Underwater Options

By Alfred Lee · Jan 19, 2016 1:57pm PST · 2 comments

In the wake of its recent down round, Foursquare will allow any employee to convert out-of-the-money stock options into restricted stock units, or RSUs, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.The move, which will go into effect over the next few weeks, ensures employees will have stock of some value. Unlike options, which convert to stock at a certain... In the wake of its recent down round, Foursquare will allow any employee to convert...

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside Facebook’s Campaign to Convince You It Cares

By Cory Weinberg and Amir Efrati · Jan 14, 2016 7:00am PST

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside Facebook’s Campaign to Convince You It Cares

By Cory Weinberg and Amir Efrati · Jan 14, 2016 7:00am PST

In a recent regularly scheduled question-and-answer session for employees, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked about the company’s efforts to measure whether Facebook users believe the company “cares” about them. In particular, an employee asked whether the measure could be distorted by recently introduced... In a recent regularly scheduled question-and-answer session for employees, Facebook CEO Mark...

Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, the creators and stars of Smosh. Photo by Flickr/Gage Skidmore.

Defy Media Contemplating a Sale

By Tom Dotan and Martin Peers · Jan 12, 2016 5:00am PST

Online video firm Defy Media, a maker of comedic web videos mostly aimed at young men, is in discussions that could lead to either a capital raising or a sale, said a person close to the company.Any deal could give Defy, or any acquirer, much-needed extra scale with content and audiences, which is crucial for drawing advertising dollars. Even... Online video firm Defy Media, a maker of comedic web videos mostly aimed at young men, is in...

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.

Uber’s Losses Grow, But So Do Its Profit Projections

By Amir Efrati · Jan 11, 2016 5:13pm PST · 1 comment

Uber’s losses grew to nearly a billion dollars in the first half of last year, nearly 50% more than its full-year losses in 2014, according to confidential documents issued by the company as part of financing efforts last year. Net revenue in the first half of 2015 was $663 million, the documents showed. (Scroll down to see the documents.)... Uber’s losses grew to nearly a billion dollars in the first half of last year, nearly 50%...

Art by Matt Vascellaro.

Inside Uber’s Mission Impossible in China

By Amir Efrati · Jan 11, 2016 7:01am PST · 7 comments

When trying to explain why Uber probably won’t beat its main ride-sharing rival in China, it’s hard to know where to begin.UberChina’s Series B fundraising effort has been a long struggle, with many institutional investors in China frightened by UberChina’s losses as well as broader economic troubles in the country,... When trying to explain why Uber probably won’t beat its main ride-sharing rival in China,...

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, left. Photo by Bloomberg.

Lyft, Stripe in Talks on Dropbox’s SF Office Space

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 7, 2016 12:59pm PST

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, left. Photo by Bloomberg.

Lyft, Stripe in Talks on Dropbox’s SF Office Space

By Cory Weinberg · Jan 7, 2016 12:59pm PST

Fast-growing startups Lyft and Stripe are in negotiations with real estate brokers and property managers to sublease Dropbox’s soon-to-be-obsolete headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, according to multiple people close to the deals.Dropbox is moving to bigger space—295,000 square feet across two new... Fast-growing startups Lyft and Stripe are in negotiations with real estate brokers and property...

Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Android Contingency Planning

By Amir Efrati · Jan 4, 2016 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Facebook has been secretly preparing contingency measures to allow its apps to operate on Android phones without going through Google’s app store, according to people who have been involved in different parts of the strategy.Facebook’s goal is to be ready in case it has an intractable conflict with Google, which operates the Android... Facebook has been secretly preparing contingency measures to allow its apps to operate on Android...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook Considered Push into Open-Source Android Phones

By Amir Efrati · Jan 4, 2016 7:00am PST

As Facebook has prepared for the possibility of being removed from Google Play app store on Android phones, it also has contemplated an intriguing push to integrate itself with Android phones that aren’t controlled by Google, a small but significant percentage of the total Android ecosystem.Toward the end of 2015, Facebook was looking at... As Facebook has prepared for the possibility of being removed from Google Play app store on...

Jason Kilar, left, and his Vessel co-founder Richard Tom. Photo by AP.

Vessel Discusses Originals with Creators

By Tom Dotan · Dec 17, 2015 1:54pm PST · 4 comments

The video streaming service Vessel began its life as a place where people could pay $3 a month to watch content from YouTubers several days before it went up on YouTube. Now the site is talking to its programming partners about changing some of the deals to include production of original content, said several people close to the talks.The... The video streaming service Vessel began its life as a place where people could pay $3 a month to...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg.

Salesforce.com In Talks to Buy SteelBrick for $600M

By Steve Nellis · Dec 16, 2015 9:49pm PST

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. Photo by Bloomberg.

Salesforce.com In Talks to Buy SteelBrick for $600M

By Steve Nellis · Dec 16, 2015 9:49pm PST

Salesforce.com is in talks to buy software firm SteelBrick for as much as $600 million, mostly in stock, according to a person familiar with the situation. A deal would boost what is already Salesforce’s biggest business, sales software. SteelBrick makes so-called configure-price-quote software. It’s a kind of software that helps... Salesforce.com is in talks to buy software firm SteelBrick for as much as $600 million, mostly in...

Mark Zuckerberg, center, with Google's Eric Schmidt in 2011. Photo by AP.

Why Facebook Still Worries About Android

By Amir Efrati · Dec 16, 2015 7:02am PST · 8 comments

This summer, conversations between Google and Facebook sparked concern at the social media company. The issue: whether Google would eventually ask Facebook to pay for various app requests made by Facebook users on Android smartphones. These app requests included Google Maps information viewed within the Facebook app and app-related push... This summer, conversations between Google and Facebook sparked concern at the social media...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, with Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Open Compute Project Targets India

By Amir Efrati · Dec 9, 2015 1:40pm PST

Facebook is looking to make more strategic inroads in India, one of its most important markets. In the coming months, the company’s representatives there plan to recruit new members for Open Compute Project, a Facebook-led industry group that aims to make it easier for companies to build data centers, says one person who has been involved... Facebook is looking to make more strategic inroads in India, one of its most important markets....

Travis Kalanick. Photo by Flickr/Adam Tinworth.

Inside Uber’s Private Roadshows

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 3, 2015 12:52pm PST

Uber is raising billions more at a valuation north of $60 billion. The New York Times reported the round in October, and Bloomberg followed up Thursday. But the most interesting thing about this financing is not the astronomical valuation; it’s how Uber has been pitching it. In recent weeks, a number of folks who have been pitched by... Uber is raising billions more at a valuation north of $60 billion. The New York Times reported...

Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Andy Rubin, Android Comes Calling Again

By Amir Efrati · Dec 2, 2015 12:42pm PST · 1 comment

Andy Rubin. Photo by Bloomberg.

For Andy Rubin, Android Comes Calling Again

By Amir Efrati · Dec 2, 2015 12:42pm PST · 1 comment

Andy Rubin, the father of Google's Android smartphone operating system, has recently talked about getting back in the Android phone business after more than two years away from it.People in the mobile industry say Mr. Rubin has tried to recruit personnel to help build a new phone company, likely through Playground Fund, his vehicle for... Andy Rubin, the father of Google's Android smartphone operating system, has recently talked...