The Information

Art by Mike Sullivan.

TikTok Is Developing AI-Generated Video Disclosures as Deepfakes Rise

By Kaya Yurieff · May 1, 2023 11:28am PDT

Some viral TikTok videos may soon show a new type of label: that it’s made by AI. The ByteDance-owned app is developing a tool for content creators to disclose they used generative artificial intelligence in making their videos, according to a person with direct knowledge of the efforts. The move comes as people increasingly turn to... Some viral TikTok videos may soon show a new type of label: that it’s made by AI. The...

IRL CEO and Co-founder Abraham Shafi. Art by Mike Sullivan

IRL’s CEO Steps Down After Allegation of Inflated User Numbers

By Mark Matousek and Amir Efrati · Apr 28, 2023 3:20pm PDT

Abraham Shafi has stepped down as CEO of messaging app IRL following allegations that the company used bots to inflate the users it reported publicly and to investors, according to a person with direct knowledge. The abrupt change happened after The Information reported a former employee alleged he was fired after expressing concern that a high... Abraham Shafi has stepped down as CEO of messaging app IRL following allegations that the company...

Photo by Getty

Sequoia Hired National Security Firm Beacon Amid Scrutiny of China Deals

By Juro Osawa, Amir Efrati and Abram Brown · Apr 28, 2023 9:12am PDT

Sequoia Capital, whose Chinese affiliate became one of the biggest funders of startups in China, has been working with Washington-based national security advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies as it faces potential U.S. government restrictions on American technology investment in China, according to four people with knowledge of the situation. ... Sequoia Capital, whose Chinese affiliate became one of the biggest funders of startups in China,...

John Hegeman, VP of Monetization at Meta. Photo via Meta.

Meta Ads Boss Merges Ads and Business Messaging in New Product Group

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 27, 2023 11:37am PDT

John Hegeman, VP of Monetization at Meta. Photo via Meta.

Meta Ads Boss Merges Ads and Business Messaging in New Product Group

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 27, 2023 11:37am PDT

Meta Platforms has combined its advertising product, business messaging and commerce departments into one division as part of a broader effort to reduce the ranks of middle management across the company. The changes, communicated internally last week by Meta’s vice president of monetization, John Hegeman, also show how closely Meta has... Meta Platforms has combined its advertising product, business messaging and commerce departments...

Art by Clark Miller.

Former IRL Employee Alleges Company Inflated User Count

By Mark Matousek · Apr 27, 2023 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

A former employee of SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL alleged in a legal filing that the company has inflated its user count and retaliated against him and other employees who raised concerns about the accuracy of its user numbers. The former employee, Nicholas Grant, made the allegations in an unfair dismissal complaint he filed with the Welsh... A former employee of SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL alleged in a legal filing that the company...

Elon Musk. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tesla Replaces South Korea Chief as Musk Meets With Head of State

By Becky Peterson · Apr 27, 2023 7:07am PDT

Tesla is shaking up its top leadership in South Korea just one day after CEO Elon Musk met with South Korea’s president to discuss further investment in the country. Yvonne Chan, a regional director for Tesla’s business in Thailand and Taiwan and close deputy to Tesla automotive head Tom Zhu, has added South Korea business to her... Tesla is shaking up its top leadership in South Korea just one day after CEO Elon Musk met with...

Apple's John Giannandrea. Photo by Getty

Apple’s AI Chief Struggles With Turf Wars as New Era Begins

By Wayne Ma · Apr 27, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Late last year, a trio of engineers who had just helped Apple modernize its search technology began working on the type of technology underlying ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI that has captivated the public since it launched last November. For Apple, there was only one problem: The engineers no longer worked there. They had left the company to... Late last year, a trio of engineers who had just helped Apple modernize its search technology...

Discord CEO Jason Citron. Photo by Getty.

Discord’s Revenue Growth Slows to 44% in 2022

By Mark Matousek · Apr 26, 2023 11:53am PDT · 5 comments

Discord CEO Jason Citron. Photo by Getty.

Discord’s Revenue Growth Slows to 44% in 2022

By Mark Matousek · Apr 26, 2023 11:53am PDT · 5 comments

Many tech firms saw meager revenue growth, or even a decline, last year as the digital ad market stalled and businesses cut back spending on software. Messaging startup Discord was an exception. Discord, which makes money from subscription fees, lifted revenue 44% to $445 million last year, according to an internal presentation viewed by The... Many tech firms saw meager revenue growth, or even a decline, last year as the digital ad market...

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo via Getty

In Google Founder’s Shadow, CEO Pichai Discovered the Limits of His Power

By Jon Victor and Amir Efrati · Apr 26, 2023 6:00am PDT · 11 comments

Since Sundar Pichai became CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, in 2019, he has been honest with colleagues about the difficulties of overseeing a sprawling conglomerate that’s under constant strain from internal power struggles, regulators and rebellious employees. In one example of that candor, he said in an internal meeting... Since Sundar Pichai became CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, in 2019, he has been...

Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Photo by Getty.

Meta to Bring In Microsoft Exec to Lead Chips Effort as It Evaluates Strategy

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 25, 2023 11:25am PDT

Meta Platforms has hired a chip executive from Microsoft to oversee its work developing custom chips for hardware devices, according to two people familiar with the matter. The hire comes as Meta is evaluating the company’s silicon strategy, a move that could spell more layoffs. Jean Boufarhat, who currently serves as corporate vice... Meta Platforms has hired a chip executive from Microsoft to oversee its work developing...

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Picks Fulfillment Veteran as New ‘Shadow Adviser’

By Theo Wayt · Apr 25, 2023 10:25am PDT

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has picked Eric Rimling, a 14-year veteran of the company’s fulfillment operation, as his new technical adviser, according to two people with knowledge of the appointment. The highly coveted position, which involves working directly with the CEO on a daily basis, has been a fast track to promotions for Amazon staffers... Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has picked Eric Rimling, a 14-year veteran of the company’s...

Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Cloud Unit Gains Key AI Chip Team to Compete With Microsoft

By Anissa Gardizy and Amir Efrati · Apr 23, 2023 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Cloud Unit Gains Key AI Chip Team to Compete With Microsoft

By Anissa Gardizy and Amir Efrati · Apr 23, 2023 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Google has moved the engineering team responsible for making artificial intelligence chips into Google Cloud, a spokesperson confirmed, in a step that could make the cloud unit more competitive with its bigger rivals, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, in selling AI-powered software to businesses. The move is the latest sign of how Google is... Google has moved the engineering team responsible for making artificial intelligence chips into...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Tiger Global Management’s $12.7 Billion Venture Fund Records 20% Loss

By Erin Woo · Apr 20, 2023 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Tiger Global Management’s $12.7 billion venture fund, launched near the peak of the tech stock boom in October 2021, gave the New York hedge fund firepower to back hundreds of startups in under two years. Now the mammoth fund is bearing testimony to the bruising correction in private tech valuations that followed. Tiger has told investors... Tiger Global Management’s $12.7 billion venture fund, launched near the peak of the tech...

Igor Babuschkin and Elon Musk. Photos via TU Dortmund and Wikimedia.

Musk’s Leader for OpenAI Rival Was Recently Arrested for Domestic Violence

By Jon Victor · Apr 19, 2023 3:14pm PDT · 17 comments

Police in northern California last month arrested Igor Babuschkin, Elon Musk’s first known hire for a new company that aims to compete with artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, for domestic battery, public records show. A representative for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office, Lisa Buuck, said the office had... Police in northern California last month arrested Igor Babuschkin, Elon Musk’s first known...

SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger speaks to Senators during a hearing that revolved around rival Ticketmaster's competitive practices earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg.

SeatGeek Files Confidentially for IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 19, 2023 12:34pm PDT

Event ticketing company SeatGeek filed confidentially with regulators this month for an initial public offering, people familiar with the matter said, adding itself to a long list of firms aiming for IPOs once market conditions improve. Event ticketing company SeatGeek filed confidentially with regulators this month for an initial...

Art by Mike Sullivan

How an Online Pharmacy’s Automation Project Went Awry

By Paris Martineau · Apr 19, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan

How an Online Pharmacy’s Automation Project Went Awry

By Paris Martineau · Apr 19, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments

Last summer, Capsule—an online pharmacy startup that had won attention with its speedy prescription-drug deliveries and quirky practice of addressing customers in emails and over the phone as “dear”—had a crisis on its hands in New York, its most important market. Beginning in August, Capsule customers in the city began... Last summer, Capsule—an online pharmacy startup that had won attention with its speedy...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Microsoft Readies AI Chip as Machine Learning Costs Surge

By Anissa Gardizy and Wayne Ma · Apr 18, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

After placing an early bet on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, Microsoft has another secret weapon in its arsenal: its own artificial intelligence chip for powering the large-language models responsible for understanding and generating humanlike language. The software giant has been developing the chip, internally code-named Athena, since as... After placing an early bet on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, Microsoft has another secret weapon...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo by AP.

OpenAI Wraps Up Tender as AI Talent War Heats Up

By Jon Victor and Erin Woo · Apr 17, 2023 7:31am PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI has told employees it has finalized a tender offer that allowed some staff to cash out their holdings, one person with direct knowledge of the situation said. The move caps a process that began last fall alongside talks to raise billions of dollars from Microsoft. Over the past few months, the San Francisco startup behind artificial... OpenAI has told employees it has finalized a tender offer that allowed some staff to cash out...

Nicola Mendelsohn and Mark Zuckerberg. Art by Shane Burke/Bloomberg

Meta Tries to Lure Advertisers With Reels Discounts, AI Tools

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Sahil Patel · Apr 17, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

After suffering its first-ever drop in ad sales, Meta Platforms has abandoned its once-brash tone with advertisers in favor of a more flexible approach to winning business. Instead of demanding that ad agencies commit to increases in spending of 20% or more, as they typically did in past years, Meta's salespeople are signaling... After suffering its first-ever drop in ad sales, Meta Platforms has abandoned its...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Palo Alto Networks Woos Customers With Years of Free Software as Cloud Security Sales Slow

By Aaron Holmes · Apr 14, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Photo by Bloomberg.

Palo Alto Networks Woos Customers With Years of Free Software as Cloud Security Sales Slow

By Aaron Holmes · Apr 14, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

The slowdown in enterprise software spending is forcing some software firms to go to extraordinary lengths to win business. Palo Alto Networks, for instance, is giving away cloud security service—literally. The company, which is the biggest stand-alone security software firm measured by market capitalization, is offering its cloud security... The slowdown in enterprise software spending is forcing some software firms to go to...