The Information

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this month. Photo by Bloomberg

Does Facebook Make the World Better? Half of Polled Employees Say Yes

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Jessica Toonkel · Nov 9, 2021 1:20pm PST · 2 comments

After months of blistering headlines and late-night TV jokes about Facebook’s struggles to control hate speech and other abuses on its apps, employees don’t seem to feel much worse about the company’s impact on the world. A semi-annual “Pulse Survey” of Facebook employees, which the company is preparing to share... After months of blistering headlines and late-night TV jokes about Facebook’s struggles to...

Instagram head Adam Mosseri, left, and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Bloomberg; art by Mike Sullivan.

Inside Facebook’s Struggles to Attract Creators and Their Young Fans

By Kaya Yurieff, Sarah Krouse and Sahil Patel · Nov 9, 2021 6:00am PST

In early May, days after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors the company wanted to be the best platform for millions of digital content creators to make a living, researchers at the company spotlighted a major obstacle for its flagship app. Public figures and creators “lack a reason to be on FB,” according to a more than... In early May, days after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors the company wanted to be the...

Brex Co-CEO Henrique Dubugras, left, and Ramp CEO Eric Glyman. Photos by Bloomberg, Flickr. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Brex and Ramp Want to Take On Amex. First, They’ll Fight Each Other

By Kate Clark · Nov 5, 2021 12:27pm PDT · 1 comment

Brex employees haven’t had to look hard for reminders of their startup’s ambition to reign supreme over the big corporate card companies: The Wi-Fi network password at one of its former offices used to be “BuyAmex.” But Brex is facing increasingly fierce competition, including from a two-year-old copycat named Ramp... Brex employees haven’t had to look hard for reminders of their startup’s ambition to...

Apple senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji. Screenshot via Apple

Apple’s Road Map for Mac Chips Shows Likely Advantage Over Intel

By Wayne Ma · Nov 5, 2021 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Apple senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji. Screenshot via Apple

Apple’s Road Map for Mac Chips Shows Likely Advantage Over Intel

By Wayne Ma · Nov 5, 2021 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Last month, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger declared that winning back Apple’s business was one of his top priorities, a move that would ease the shame of Apple having dropped Intel processors from its Mac line of computers in favor of its own designs. It looks like Gelsinger has his work cut out for him. That’s because Apple’s... Last month, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger declared that winning back Apple’s business was one...

From left: Michael Kades, Jonathan Kanter and Sally Hubbard. Photos by Flickr; AP

Incoming Antitrust Chief’s Hiring Talks Show Divergence From Khan’s FTC

By Josh Sisco · Nov 4, 2021 9:44am PDT

Since outspoken tech critic Lina Khan took control of the Federal Trade Commission, she has hired law professors, activists and other corporate outsiders to shake up the agency. Jonathan Kanter, another tech critic who is about to become the top antitrust official at the Department of Justice, is taking a different approach to hiring his top... Since outspoken tech critic Lina Khan took control of the Federal Trade Commission, she has hired...

Former Disney streaming chief Kevin Mayer. Photo by AP

Kevin Mayer’s Blackstone-backed Group Nears $3 Billion Deal for Moonbug Entertainment

By Jessica Toonkel · Nov 3, 2021 6:38am PDT

A Blackstone-backed company led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs is nearing a deal to acquire Moonbug Entertainment, which makes childrens shows for streaming services, at a valuation that could reach a little above $3 billion, according to people familiar with the situation. The deal is not yet done and could still... A Blackstone-backed company led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs is nearing...

Sequoia Capital China partner Neil Shen, who has backed Laiye and other automation software startups in China. Photo by Bloomberg

Sequoia-Backed Chinese Automation Startup Discusses Funding at $1 Billion Valuation

By Shai Oster · Nov 2, 2021 11:07am PDT

Laiye, a Chinese developer of automation software, is in talks with current and potential new investors to raise between $100 million to $150 million, according to two people familiar with the discussions, as China’s shrinking workforce pushes wages higher and creates opportunities for startups that automate manufacturing and back-office... Laiye, a Chinese developer of automation software, is in talks with current and potential new...

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, and TSMC CEO C.C. Wei. Photos by Bloomberg; art by Mike Sullivan

Apple and Its Favorite Chipmaker Get Closer

By Wayne Ma · Nov 2, 2021 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, and TSMC CEO C.C. Wei. Photos by Bloomberg; art by Mike Sullivan

Apple and Its Favorite Chipmaker Get Closer

By Wayne Ma · Nov 2, 2021 6:00am PDT · 4 comments

Every time Apple manages to squeeze a few more minutes of battery life out of a new generation of iPhones or make them run a little faster, there’s one company—other than Apple itself—that deserves the lion’s share of the credit: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which manufactures the chips that act as the brains... Every time Apple manages to squeeze a few more minutes of battery life out of a new generation of...

Meredith Whittaker, a research scientist at NYU, addresses Google employees during a protest rally in New York in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg

Former Google Activist Whittaker Expected to Join FTC as AI Adviser

By Josh Sisco · Nov 1, 2021 4:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Meredith Whittaker, a former employee activist and artificial intelligence researcher at Google, is expected to be hired full time at the Federal Trade Commission as a policy adviser on AI, according to a person with knowledge of her pending hire. Her FTC appointment would indicate the agency’s plans to heighten scrutiny over how Google... Meredith Whittaker, a former employee activist and artificial intelligence researcher at Google,...

Alex Mather. Photo by Erin Beach

DraftKings Was Among Bidders for The Athletic

By Jessica Toonkel and Sahil Patel · Nov 1, 2021 10:25am PDT

Fantasy and sports betting provider DraftKings was among a number of companies that have submitted bids to buy sports news site The Athletic, according to people familiar with the situation. Another sports betting firm, FanDuel, talked with The Athletic but decided not to bid, one of the people said. FanDuel on Tuesday denied an earlier... Fantasy and sports betting provider DraftKings was among a number of companies that have...

Art by Mike Sullivan/ Shutterstock

Amazon and Roku Gird for Battle Over Viewer Data in Latest Streaming Drama

By Jessica Toonkel and Josh Sisco · Oct 29, 2021 6:01am PDT · 1 comment

First it was Google that took a swipe at Roku, threatening to take YouTube, the most popular video-streaming service in the U.S., off Roku devices if the two companies couldn’t resolve a dispute. Now Roku is facing a battle with another tech giant, Amazon. The deal that lets Roku carry Amazon’s free ad-supported channel, IMDb TV, is... First it was Google that took a swipe at Roku, threatening to take YouTube, the most popular...

Photo by Bloomberg

ByteDance’s Stock Value Falls by 20% in Secondary Sale After China Crackdown

By Juro Osawa · Oct 26, 2021 8:33am PDT

Photo by Bloomberg

ByteDance’s Stock Value Falls by 20% in Secondary Sale After China Crackdown

By Juro Osawa · Oct 26, 2021 8:33am PDT

Is TikTok cheap? Some investors think so and are buying private shares of TikTok owner ByteDance from existing investors at prices that value it at a steep discount compared to trades from earlier this year. Recently, the family office of a Middle Eastern billionaire struck a deal in the secondary market to buy shares that valued closely held... Is TikTok cheap? Some investors think so and are buying private shares of TikTok owner ByteDance...

Outside an Apple store in New York. Photo by Bloomberg.

Apple Very Likely to Face DOJ Antitrust Suit

By Josh Sisco · Oct 25, 2021 1:18pm PDT

Apple so far has avoided the worst outcome in its U.S. legal battle with Epic Games, but its antitrust woes remain. In the last several months the U.S. Department of Justice has accelerated its two-year-old antitrust probe of the iPhone maker, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation, increasing the likelihood of a lawsuit. ... Apple so far has avoided the worst outcome in its U.S. legal battle with Epic Games, but its...

Art by Mike Sullivan

New Facebook Storm Nears as CNN, Fox Business and Other Outlets Team Up on Whistleblower Docs

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Mark Di Stefano · Oct 22, 2021 2:55pm PDT · 6 comments

It’s not often that major news organizations coordinate to sift through a large trove of leaked company documents and agree not to publish stories about them until a certain date. But in the world of news related to Facebook, these are extraordinary times. Something similar happened in 2016 when the International Consortium of... It’s not often that major news organizations coordinate to sift through a large trove of...

Illustration by Josh Brill

No Longer Just Crypto Curious, Sand Hill Road Investors Get Blockchain Fever

By Kate Clark · Oct 22, 2021 6:01am PDT · 4 comments

For years, the most avid investors in crypto startups have been firms that specialize in the category—with the notable exception of Andreessen Horowitz, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm that got crypto religion early. Now, though, the most storied firms on Silicon Valley's Sand Hill Road are going from crypto curious to true... For years, the most avid investors in crypto startups have been firms that specialize in the...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Battle of the Streaming Gatekeepers Heats Up

By Jessica Toonkel and Sahil Patel · Oct 21, 2021 6:01am PDT · 4 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Battle of the Streaming Gatekeepers Heats Up

By Jessica Toonkel and Sahil Patel · Oct 21, 2021 6:01am PDT · 4 comments

In 2019, David Limp, head of Amazon’s devices business, saw an opening. For years, Roku—Amazon’s chief rival in the market for devices that let you stream video onto television sets—had supplied software to TCL, one of the world’s leading TV makers, to power the Chinese company’s internet-connected TV sets.... In 2019, David Limp, head of Amazon’s devices business, saw an opening. For years,...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Facebook Kills ‘Hey Facebook’ Voice Command for Portal Amid Customer ‘Confusion’

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Oct 20, 2021 3:08pm PDT

Facebook has quietly abandoned the phrase “Hey Facebook” as a way for customers of its Portal video-chat device to start a conversation with a voice-activated virtual “AI assistant,” according to an internal memo viewed by The Information. The shift came after customers indicated they were confused by the phrase... Facebook has quietly abandoned the phrase “Hey Facebook” as a way for customers of...

Illustration by Mike Sullivan.

Atomico Values Customer Engagement Startup Commsor at $450 Million

By Berber Jin and Mark Di Stefano · Oct 20, 2021 11:55am PDT

Commsor, a two-year-old startup that sells software to help companies track user engagement, is raising $50 million at a $450 million valuation, a price that includes the investment, said two people with direct knowledge of the matter. London-based Atomico is leading the round, the people added. The valuation is nearly three times higher than... Commsor, a two-year-old startup that sells software to help companies track user engagement, is...

Kyle Samani, Multicoin Capital co-founder and managing partner. Screenshot via YouTube. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Multicoin Capital Targets $250 Million for Third Crypto VC Fund

By Kate Clark · Oct 19, 2021 12:02pm PDT

Multicoin Capital, which operates a hedge fund focused on crypto tokens, is planning to raise $250 million for its third venture fund to back crypto startups, according to fundraising materials viewed by The Information. The Austin-based firm, which announced a $100 million second fund in May, plans to finish fundraising by the end of the year,... Multicoin Capital, which operates a hedge fund focused on crypto tokens, is planning to raise...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Finnish Cloud Database Firm Aiven Doubles Valuation to $2 Billion in Latest Funding

By Mark Di Stefano · Oct 18, 2021 12:19pm PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

Finnish Cloud Database Firm Aiven Doubles Valuation to $2 Billion in Latest Funding

By Mark Di Stefano · Oct 18, 2021 12:19pm PDT

Finnish data management startup Aiven has more than doubled its valuation to $2 billion in a fresh fundraising just six months after its last funding, according to a person familiar with the matter, reflecting investor enthusiasm for the enterprise software sector. Aiven raised $60 million in an extension of a Series C round in March in which... Finnish data management startup Aiven has more than doubled its valuation to $2 billion in a...