The Information

Jonas Bengtsson

Amid Ad Struggles, YouTube CEO Discussed Stepping Aside

By Amir Efrati · Dec 17, 2013 2:13pm PST

YouTube’s quest to lure more-lucrative videos and ads is struggling as a leadership change may be afoot. Recent initiatives such as the launch of new “channels” that YouTube helped fund have had mixed results for advertisers. Prices for premium ad space on the Google video site have been flat or falling this year, according to... YouTube’s quest to lure more-lucrative videos and ads is struggling as a leadership change...

Vernon Chan

Samsung Taps Apple Veterans for Retail Push

By Katie Benner and Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 17, 2013 7:29am PST

Forget the floating Google showrooms. When it comes to retail, Samsung Electronics is contemplating a bigger plunge. The South Korean company's U.S. telecom unit recently hired a senior Apple store designer, Tim Gudgel, as it ponders a deeper investment in U.S. retail, according to two people close to the company. Mr. Gudgel specializes in... Forget the floating Google showrooms. When it comes to retail, Samsung Electronics is...

Laurence Tucker

Google Trials Smart-Thermostat Service

By Jessica E. Lessin and Amir Efrati · Dec 16, 2013 1:57pm PST

Google is eyeing energy-use data, again. The company has been running a trial of Internet-connected home thermostats to help consumers monitor and adjust their energy use, according to two people told about the project. The program has been referred to as EnergySense, according to a document reviewed by The Information. Google has been... Google is eyeing energy-use data, again. The company has been running a trial of...

Google's Trojan Horse in China: Android

By Amir Efrati · Dec 12, 2013 3:13pm PST

Google's Trojan Horse in China: Android

By Amir Efrati · Dec 12, 2013 3:13pm PST

China has been viewed as a lost cause for Google ever since its services were hurt by government interference and strong domestic competitors. But Android is proving to be a significant backdoor into China for Google's Web services. The mobile software, which Google makes available to handset makers, powers the vast majority of... China has been viewed as a lost cause for Google ever since its services were hurt by government...

Facebook, Google in ‘Deep Learning’ Arms Race

By Amir Efrati · Dec 11, 2013 3:14pm PST

Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants are battling to acquire expertise in a once-obscure branch of artificial intelligence that’s improving speech recognition, online-ad targeting and other technologies. Their main problem: There isn’t enough talent. Only a handful of researchers can call themselves experts in the red-hot field... Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants are battling to acquire expertise in a...

Sam Churchill

Google’s Latest TV Takeover Attempt: ‘Nexus TV’

By Amir Efrati · Dec 6, 2013 1:20pm PST

The battle among technology companies to take over the living room is getting even more crowded. Google has been developing a “Nexus”-branded TV set-top box and could launch it in the first half of next year, according to people who have seen the device or were told about it. The battle among technology companies to take over the living room is getting even more crowded....

Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Credit: Brian Solis

Employee Stock Sales Boom, As Square Considers One at $5 Billion

By Jessica E. Lessin and Eric Newcomer · Dec 5, 2013 4:35pm PST

Across Silicon Valley, employees are cashing out. For years, the Valley's conventional wisdom has held that allowing employees to sell some stock before an initial public offering would reduce their drive and hurt retention. Sales began happening anyway, but behind employers' backs on the secondary markets. But there has been a... Across Silicon Valley, employees are cashing out. For years, the Valley's conventional wisdom...