The Information

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...

Alphabet CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside the Problem with Alphabet

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 22, 2015 12:16pm PST

Alphabet CEO Larry Page was in recent discussions to hire Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, to lead Andy Rubin’s former robotics unit, say people briefed on the discussions. The appointment would have ended an almost year-long search for a leader to wrangle Alphabet’s messy group of robotics startups.But the discussions fell through for a... Alphabet CEO Larry Page was in recent discussions to hire Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, to lead...

Microsoft cloud and enterprise group evp Scott Guthrie. Photo by Bloomberg.

Eyeing AWS, Microsoft Hunts for Data Center Space

By Steve Nellis · Nov 12, 2015 7:01am PST

Microsoft is looking to lease a big chunk of data center space to bolster its Azure cloud computing service in Silicon Valley, in an effort to catch up to its biggest rival, Amazon Web Services.Microsoft is in talks with data center companies Digital Realty and Vantage Data Centers to lease more than 10 megawatts of capacity in the San Francisco... Microsoft is looking to lease a big chunk of data center space to bolster its Azure cloud...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Discussing Building Phone

By Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 10, 2015 12:26pm PST · 1 comment

About one year after selling Motorola, executives inside Google are once again discussing whether to build an Android phone from scratch.People who work at Google say there is debate and discussion about the topic right now—as there is with myriad ideas at “Googphabet,” one of the many internal nicknames for the new... About one year after selling Motorola, executives inside Google are once again discussing whether...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo by Bloomberg.

With Apple in Mind, Google Seeks Android Chip Partners

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2015 1:43pm PST

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo by Bloomberg.

With Apple in Mind, Google Seeks Android Chip Partners

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2015 1:43pm PST

Google recently talked with some microchip makers about developing chips based on Google's own preferred designs, part of a push by the company to bring more uniformity to the fragmented universe of Android phones. That, Google hopes, would make its Android mobile operating system more competitive with Apple’s phones at the high end... Google recently talked with some microchip makers about developing chips based on Google's...

Google's new Nexus phones, unveiled in September. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Google Wants for Android

By Amir Efrati · Nov 5, 2015 1:40pm PST

In recent discussions with chipmakers, Google gave them a road map for how it is thinking about the future of Android and what will be required to get there. In recent discussions with chipmakers, Google gave them a road map for how it is thinking about...

Elizabeth Holmes. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside Private Tech Voting Structures

By Alfred Lee · Oct 29, 2015 7:01am PDT

Medical testing company Theranos faces mounting questions about its technology. But founder Elizabeth Holmes may be insulated from investor pressure, thanks to a supervoting share structure that gives insiders 100 votes per share, compared to a single vote for every share held by everyone else, according to an analysis done by research firm... Medical testing company Theranos faces mounting questions about its technology. But founder...

Marissa Mayer. Photo by AP.

What’s Left at Yahoo

By Amir Efrati · Oct 21, 2015 10:59am PDT · 3 comments

What's the difference between the “troubled” Yahoo of yesteryear and the “troubled” Yahoo of today? Profits.The company in recent years pumped out as much as $800 million in annual income from its operations while net revenue generally stayed flat. That figure slumped sharply last year to $143 million and for the... What's the difference between the “troubled” Yahoo of yesteryear and the...

Salesforce.com Chief Operating Officer George Hu. Photo by Jakub Mosur.

Salesforce Exec to Launch HR Startup

By Steve Nellis · Oct 13, 2015 12:11pm PDT

Salesforce.com Chief Operating Officer George Hu. Photo by Jakub Mosur.

Salesforce Exec to Launch HR Startup

By Steve Nellis · Oct 13, 2015 12:11pm PDT

George Hu, the chief operating officer of Salesforce.com, is planning to launch a human resources startup by year’s end, according to a person briefed on the product.The company appears to be Peer.com, an anonymous peer-feedback service, according to a person familiar with the matter and company documents. David Schellhase, the former... George Hu, the chief operating officer of Salesforce.com, is planning to launch a human resources...

Sam Altman. Photo by Jessica E. Lessin.

Y Combinator Launches Research Non-Profit

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 7, 2015 11:15am PDT

Sam Altman’s plan for Y Combinator is entering a new phase. Since taking over in 2014, Mr. Altman has expanded the number and breadth of companies that YC funds. Now he’s launching a non-profit YC research arm that he’s financing with $10 million of his own money. Waiting in the wings: a still unannounced venture fund for... Sam Altman’s plan for Y Combinator is entering a new phase. Since taking over in 2014, Mr....

Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg.

Inside Jack Dorsey’s Vision for Twitter

By Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati · Sep 29, 2015 11:25am PDT

With all the speculation around whether Jack Dorsey will drop “interim” from his title at Twitter, there’s been surprisingly little reported about what he would do if he returned to permanently lead and turn around the company he co-founded. Would he focus on reaching people who don’t actively Tweet? Double down on the... With all the speculation around whether Jack Dorsey will drop “interim” from his...

Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma, who runs the company's "Yu" subsidiary. Photo by Bloomberg.

India’s Micromax May Jump Into U.S. Smartphone Market

By Amir Efrati · Sep 28, 2015 4:06pm PDT · 1 comment

Shifts in the way wireless carriers sell smartphones are luring an array of new lower-priced phone makers into the U.S., with India’s Micromax Infomatics expected to be one of the next brands to jump into the market, according to people briefed on the plan.Micromax, a 15-year-old privately-held electronics maker in India that started... Shifts in the way wireless carriers sell smartphones are luring an array of new lower-priced...

Uber CTO Thuan Pham. Photo courtesy of Uber.

Inside Uber’s Engineering Struggles

By Amir Efrati · Sep 21, 2015 7:06am PDT · 2 comments

Uber CTO Thuan Pham. Photo courtesy of Uber.

Inside Uber’s Engineering Struggles

By Amir Efrati · Sep 21, 2015 7:06am PDT · 2 comments

May 13 was one of Uber’s darkest days. The computer system used by its business-operations employees ground to a halt, for the whole day. The cause: a bug in one of Uber’s databases, which set off a chain reaction that took down other systems and was made worse by human errors in response to the cascading problems, according to... May 13 was one of Uber’s darkest days. The computer system used by its business-operations...