The Information

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Microsoft Readies Service to Let Cloud Customers Pool Data Safely

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 26, 2023 6:00am PST · 6 comments

As Microsoft weaves more artificial intelligence into its Azure cloud services and applications, it is also working on security and privacy software to assure customers their information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands when stored on cloud servers shared by multiple customers. As part of this goal, Microsoft is developing an Azure cloud... As Microsoft weaves more artificial intelligence into its Azure cloud services and applications,...

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Microsoft Plans Security Features, Wider Release for Its OpenAI-Powered Coding Tool

By Aaron Holmes · Jan 25, 2023 6:00am PST

ChatGPT has generated headlines and hype since its release last year, with its humanlike responses to written prompts. But the business impact of the technology behind the chatbot may first emerge in a different arena: software development. In 2021, Microsoft-owned GitHub, a popular repository for open-source programs, and OpenAI, creator of the... ChatGPT has generated headlines and hype since its release last year, with its humanlike...

CEO Maju Kuruvilla. Photo: Getty Images

Bolt CEO Cuts Staff a Third Time as Revenue Lags

By Erin Woo · Jan 24, 2023 4:23pm PST · 3 comments

Bolt, the one-click checkout startup that slashed staff at least twice last year as growth fell short of its goals, laid off around 10% of employees on Tuesday, or at least 50 people, according to two people with direct knowledge. In total, the company, which previously raised $1 billion from investors, has cut more than half of its headcount... Bolt, the one-click checkout startup that slashed staff at least twice last year as growth fell...

Patreon CEO Jack Conte. Art by Mike Sullivan

At Patreon, Mismanagement Thwarts a Pandemic-Era Star

By Paris Martineau · Jan 24, 2023 6:00am PST · 3 comments

Patreon CEO Jack Conte. Art by Mike Sullivan

At Patreon, Mismanagement Thwarts a Pandemic-Era Star

By Paris Martineau · Jan 24, 2023 6:00am PST · 3 comments

Two years ago, Jack Conte seemed to have pulled off one of the most remarkable makeovers in recent Silicon Valley memory. A musician and popular YouTuber, Conte had found his rhythm as an entrepreneur through Patreon, the startup he co-founded to help creators like himself find fans willing to support them financially. The number of creators... Two years ago, Jack Conte seemed to have pulled off one of the most remarkable makeovers in...

The back windshield of a Waymo Chrysler Pacifica robotaxi prototype. Photo by Bloomberg

Alphabet’s Waymo Robotaxi Subsidiary Cuts Staff, Including Trucking Engineers

By Jon Victor · Jan 23, 2023 10:41pm PST · 2 comments

Alphabet’s self-driving vehicle unit Waymo quietly laid off staff Monday, continuing a wave of job cuts at the parent company of Google, according to LinkedIn posts from affected employees and one person briefed about the move. The posts indicated that Waymo cut recruiters, people who help train other employees to operate... Alphabet’s self-driving vehicle unit Waymo quietly laid off staff Monday, continuing a wave...

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TikTok Warns Remote Employees They Risk Losing Jobs

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 23, 2023 3:26pm PST · 5 comments

TikTok is cracking down on remote work, telling some U.S. workers they could lose their jobs unless they show they have already moved near their assigned offices. Last week, TikTok informed some employees over its internal software, Lark, that they may face disciplinary action—including job termination—because their home address... TikTok is cracking down on remote work, telling some U.S. workers they could lose their jobs...

Sumo Logic CEO Ramin Sayar. Photo by Bloomberg.

Thoma Bravo, Vista Approach Sumo Logic About a Possible Buyout

By Maria Heeter and Aaron Holmes · Jan 23, 2023 11:50am PST

Private equity firms including Thoma Bravo, Vista Equity Partners and Francisco Partners have approached data analytics software company Sumo Logic expressing interest in a possible acquisition, according to a person familiar with the matter. This adds Sumo to the current list of possible enterprise software buyout targets. Thoma Bravo and Vista... Private equity firms including Thoma Bravo, Vista Equity Partners and Francisco Partners have...

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Gemini is Laying Off More Staff, Citing ‘Bad Actors’ in Crypto Industry

By Aidan Ryan · Jan 23, 2023 9:08am PST

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Gemini is Laying Off More Staff, Citing ‘Bad Actors’ in Crypto Industry

By Aidan Ryan · Jan 23, 2023 9:08am PST

Gemini, the crypto startup whose customers have been caught up in the Genesis bankruptcy, is laying off 10% of staff, according to an internal message viewed by The Information. It’s at least the third round of cuts at Gemini in the past eight months. Gemini President Cameron Winklevoss informed staff, known internally as... Gemini, the crypto startup whose customers have been caught up in the Genesis bankruptcy, is...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg

How Microsoft’s Stumbles Led to Its OpenAI Alliance

By Kevin McLaughlin and Aaron Holmes · Jan 23, 2023 6:00am PST · 4 comments

For more than a decade, Microsoft Research, the company’s in-house research group, has touted artificial intelligence breakthroughs such as translating speech to text and software that could understand human language or recognize objects in images. But the company’s effort to commercialize its AI research moved at more of a crawl,... For more than a decade, Microsoft Research, the company’s in-house research group, has...

Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Photo by Bloomberg

Google Laid Off High Performers and Earners While Largely Sparing ‘Brain’ AI Lab

By Amir Efrati and Jon Victor · Jan 20, 2023 2:20pm PST · 3 comments

Google's move to lay off 6.4% of staff on Friday didn’t come as a shock to most employees, but it stunned some of the individuals who were cut. Laid-off employees included those who had previously received high performance reviews or held managerial positions with annual compensation packages of $500,000 to $1 million, according... Google's move to lay off 6.4% of staff on Friday didn’t come as a shock to most...

Neil Shen. Photo by Bloomberg.

Sequoia Capital China Chief Leaves Beijing’s Top Political Advisory Body

By Shai Oster and Juro Osawa · Jan 20, 2023 4:06am PST · 4 comments

Neil Shen, the head of Sequoia Capital’s hugely successful Chinese arm, is no longer a member of Beijing’s top political advisory body, raising questions about his relationship with the Chinese government. His absence comes at a time when Sequoia Capital China is navigating a sensitive environment amid growing geopolitical tensions... Neil Shen, the head of Sequoia Capital’s hugely successful Chinese arm, is no longer a...

A woman walks by the New York City Twitter office on January 12, 2023. Photo via Getty Images.

Musk’s Twitter Saw Revenue Drop 35% in Q4, Sharply Below Projections

By Erin Woo · Jan 18, 2023 9:49am PST · 3 comments

A woman walks by the New York City Twitter office on January 12, 2023. Photo via Getty Images.

Musk’s Twitter Saw Revenue Drop 35% in Q4, Sharply Below Projections

By Erin Woo · Jan 18, 2023 9:49am PST · 3 comments

Twitter’s fourth quarter revenue fell about 35% year over year to $1.025 billion, a top ad executive revealed at a staff meeting Wednesday, the most detailed sign yet of how much revenue has fallen. That was 72% of Twitter’s internal goal for the quarter, according to a slide showed to employees. The executive, Twitter’s... Twitter’s fourth quarter revenue fell about 35% year over year to $1.025 billion, a top ad...

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Meta Pressures Average-Rated Employees to Up Their Game

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Lauren Tara LaCapra · Jan 18, 2023 6:00am PST · 1 comment

At Meta Platforms, meeting expectations no longer meets expectations. Company leaders have told some managers that employees who receive a “meets all expectations” grade in their performance review have to up their game, said a current manager. In the past, employees receiving such a grade were told that was a positive sign. The new... At Meta Platforms, meeting expectations no longer meets expectations. Company leaders have told...

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Twitter Manager: Daily Revenue Has Dropped 40%, 500 Top Advertisers Have Left

By Erin Woo · Jan 17, 2023 10:20pm PST · 1 comment

A senior Twitter manager told employees that the company’s daily revenue on Tuesday was 40% lower than the same day a year ago, underscoring the crisis facing its core ads business, according to a person with direct knowledge. In a staff meeting on Tuesday, Siddharth Rao, an engineering manager overseeing the engineers working on... A senior Twitter manager told employees that the company’s daily revenue on Tuesday was 40%...

Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Working on Cheaper Mixed-Reality Headset to Reach More Consumers

By Wayne Ma · Jan 17, 2023 6:10pm PST · 2 comments

Apple’s first mixed-reality headset, which it has discussed pricing at around $3,000, could test the limits of how much Apple fans are willing to spend on one of its devices. But the company’s engineers are already at work on a more affordable version of the headset to reach more consumers, according to three people familiar with the... Apple’s first mixed-reality headset, which it has discussed pricing at around $3,000, could...

A ByteDance employee at the entrance to a ByteDance office in Beijing. Photo by Getty Images.

TikTok’s E-Commerce Management Structure Undercuts Claims of Autonomy From China

By Juro Osawa · Jan 17, 2023 6:00am PST · 2 comments

A ByteDance employee at the entrance to a ByteDance office in Beijing. Photo by Getty Images.

TikTok’s E-Commerce Management Structure Undercuts Claims of Autonomy From China

By Juro Osawa · Jan 17, 2023 6:00am PST · 2 comments

The new head of TikTok’s important push into e-commerce in the U.S. answers directly to a boss at the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, bypassing TikTok’s own CEO. The previously unreported structure could undercut TikTok’s efforts to convince Washington lawmakers that it can operate independently from ByteDance. Sandie... The new head of TikTok’s important push into e-commerce in the U.S. answers directly to a...

Clearco's departing CEO, Michele Romanow, in 2019. Photo by Bloomberg

CEO of SoftBank-Backed Clearco Resigns as Onetime Fintech Darling Cuts Staff

By Jon Victor · Jan 15, 2023 4:49pm PST · 6 comments

The CEO of Clearco, which provides capital to e-commerce businesses in exchange for a cut of future revenue, has resigned the post, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. The departing leader, Michele Romanow, co-founded Toronto-based Clearco in 2015 and is one of Canada’s most prominent entrepreneurs. She is being... The CEO of Clearco, which provides capital to e-commerce businesses in exchange for a cut of...

Elon Musk.

Musk’s Twitter Intentionally Suspended Tweetbot, Third-Party Apps, Messages Show

By Erin Woo · Jan 14, 2023 3:03pm PST · 5 comments

The mysterious outage of Tweetbot and other third-party Twitter clients that began Thursday night was an intentional suspension, according to internal messages viewed by The Information. The suspension cut off the ability of people to use Twitter on outside apps, forcing them to go to Twitter’s own app. The reason for the suspension... The mysterious outage of Tweetbot and other third-party Twitter clients that began Thursday night...

Art by Mike Sullivan via Shutterstock

General Catalyst, Spark in Talks to Back OpenAI Rival

By Kate Clark, Erin Woo and Amir Efrati · Jan 12, 2023 12:00pm PST

OpenAI is bringing back an element of the tech boom that had briefly gone dormant: steep valuations. As the artificial intelligence developer talks to Microsoft and others about a deal valuing it at more than $20 billion, at least 100 times its projected revenue this year, rival startups are trying to score similarly high prices from venture... OpenAI is bringing back an element of the tech boom that had briefly gone dormant: steep...

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Google Cloud’s Top U.S. Sales Execs Depart in Shakeup as Profits Remain Elusive

By Jon Victor, Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Jan 12, 2023 8:46am PST

Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Cloud’s Top U.S. Sales Execs Depart in Shakeup as Profits Remain Elusive

By Jon Victor, Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Jan 12, 2023 8:46am PST

Google’s cloud computing unit on Thursday made sweeping changes to its leadership, including replacing its top U.S. sales executive and one of her lieutenants, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The changes, announced to employees, include the departure of Kirsten Kliphouse, the top U.S. sales executive. She is being... Google’s cloud computing unit on Thursday made sweeping changes to its leadership,...