The Information

AWS executive Teresa Carlson speaking at an event last year. Photo by Bloomberg

AWS Names New Global Sales Leader, Takes Aim at ‘Whales’

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 4, 2020 6:34am PDT

Amazon recently promoted two senior sales executives at its clouding computing unit as part of a broader push to get more large companies to use its services, The Information has learned.With the promotions, Amazon Web Services is divvying up the role previously held by Mike Clayville, a longtime sales chief who left in August for payments... Amazon recently promoted two senior sales executives at its clouding computing unit as part of a...

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks via videoconference during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C.. Photo: Bloomberg.

Apple to Delay iOS Change Roiling Mobile Ad Market

By Alex Heath · Sep 3, 2020 9:03am PDT · 3 comments

Apple plans to delay the enforcement of a controversial change to its next mobile operating system that would upend how ads are targeted on iPhones and iPads, according to people familiar with the matter. The change in iOS 14, the next version of Apple’s mobile software, will require developers to ask users to share their device’s... Apple plans to delay the enforcement of a controversial change to its next mobile operating...

The actor Matthew Rhys, who plays the lead role in HBO's Perry Mason. Photo by HBO

How HBO Is Complicating WarnerMedia’s Ad-Based HBO Max Plans

By Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel · Sep 3, 2020 6:01am PDT

As WarnerMedia plans the next phase of its streaming expansion—a low-cost version of HBO Max that runs ads—it is wrestling with an unusual challenge. It can’t run ads in new episodes of HBO shows, the best known part of its programming lineup, according to several people familiar with the situation.That’s largely a result... As WarnerMedia plans the next phase of its streaming expansion—a low-cost version of HBO...

Patrick Collison, CEO and co-founder of Stripe, left, and John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe, in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg.

Venture Capitalists’ Newest Threat: Stripe

By Kate Clark · Sep 2, 2020 12:35pm PDT · 2 comments

Patrick Collison, CEO and co-founder of Stripe, left, and John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe, in 2018. Photo by Bloomberg.

Venture Capitalists’ Newest Threat: Stripe

By Kate Clark · Sep 2, 2020 12:35pm PDT · 2 comments

Stripe has become one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent startups, valued at $36 billion thanks to its technology powering online purchases for clients like Target and Amazon. In the background, its founders have also been building another business: venture capital. Since 2017, the San Francisco–based company has invested in... Stripe has become one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent startups, valued at $36 billion...

Patreon CEO and co-founder Jack Conte performing in 2014 in Anaheim. Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Patreon Raising Round at $1.2 Billion Valuation

By Amir Efrati and Zoë Bernard · Sep 1, 2020 3:09pm PDT

Patreon—the online service that allows podcasters, musicians and others to receive financial support from fans—has raised a $90 million round of funding from fans of its own, The Information has learned. The company recently closed the round at a $1.2 billion pre-money valuation, according to two people familiar with the matter.... Patreon—the online service that allows podcasters, musicians and others to receive...

Bloomberg

ByteDance’s Big Problem: Finding the Next TikTok

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Sep 1, 2020 12:58pm PDT

The likely sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a U.S. company will leave a gaping hole at ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent. In the last year alone, TikTok helped ByteDance expand its reach to hundreds of millions of users around the world. But so far, the company has struggled to develop new products that could aspire to... The likely sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a U.S. company will leave a gaping hole at...

Photo by Bloomberg

Walmart Joined Microsoft’s Bid for TikTok

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 27, 2020 8:34am PDT

Microsoft and Walmart jointly bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. business, according to a person involved in the situation.The software giant brought the e-commerce company into the deal to provide a platform to support digital sales on the platform, this person said.The bids were submitted yesterday, with bidders waiting to hear from... Microsoft and Walmart jointly bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. business, according to a person...

Photo-illustration by Mike Sullivan

From Kingmaker to ‘Autocrat’: How Game Makers Went to War With Apple

By Nick Wingfield and Alex Heath · Aug 27, 2020 7:01am PDT

Photo-illustration by Mike Sullivan

From Kingmaker to ‘Autocrat’: How Game Makers Went to War With Apple

By Nick Wingfield and Alex Heath · Aug 27, 2020 7:01am PDT

For a decade, Apple executives showed Epic Games the kind of love they reserve for only a precious few software developers. In 2010, Steve Jobs, then Apple’s CEO, praised a new Epic sword-fighting game for iPhones as “pretty remarkable” at an Apple event, before inviting executives from the company to demonstrate it onstage. In... For a decade, Apple executives showed Epic Games the kind of love they reserve for only a...

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. Photo: Bloomberg

SoftBank Eyes Joining Deal for TikTok

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 26, 2020 10:20am PDT

As President Donald Trump’s September deadline for TikTok to sell its U.S. business approaches, investors are scrambling to assess or participate in a deal. One party that has recently emerged as a possible buyer: SoftBank. It seemed unlikely that SoftBank, one of the most ambitious and deeply pocketed private tech investors through... As President Donald Trump’s September deadline for TikTok to sell its U.S. business...

The People in Power at Netflix: An Update

By Tom Dotan · Aug 21, 2020 7:01am PDT

Many Hollywood studios have struggled to restart production, particularly in the U.S. in the past few weeks, given the challenges of navigating social distancing rules on a film set. But Netflix has had an advantage: Over the past couple of years, it has amassed a network of studio facilities overseas, where production has been easier to... Many Hollywood studios have struggled to restart production, particularly in the U.S. in the past...

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

Tencent, Xiaomi Invested in TikTok’s Parent, ByteDance

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Aug 20, 2020 10:00am PDT

The list of current and former investors in TikTok’s owner ByteDance include some of the biggest names in finance, including Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic—along with some of the biggest Chinese tech firms. The Information has learned that Chinese internet giant Tencent, one of ByteDance’s biggest competitors, bought... The list of current and former investors in TikTok’s owner ByteDance include some of the...

Nashville skyline. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

How One Rental Startup Gamed Airbnb

By Paris Martineau · Aug 19, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Nashville skyline. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

How One Rental Startup Gamed Airbnb

By Paris Martineau · Aug 19, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Three years ago, an unusual real estate shopping spree among colleagues kicked off in Nashville, Tenn. Jay Roberts, the CEO and co-founder of a startup called Domio, purchased a newly constructed condo in the city’s North Nashville neighborhood with his then-girlfriend. A few days later, 24-year-old Adrian Lam, chief strategy officer and... Three years ago, an unusual real estate shopping spree among colleagues kicked off in Nashville,...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple’s China Loopholes Are Starting to Close

By Wayne Ma · Aug 18, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

In 2017, Apple rolled out a flurry of projects executives hoped would endear it to Chinese officials. It announced three new research and development centers in China and ceded control of Chinese user data to a local partner. Soon after, Apple’s newly appointed head of Greater China, Isabel Ge Mahe, had meetings with Chinese... In 2017, Apple rolled out a flurry of projects executives hoped would endear it to Chinese...

A still image from an Epic Games video spoofing Apple's '1984' commercial

Epic Games Seeks to Form Coalition of Apple Critics

By Nick Wingfield and Alex Heath · Aug 17, 2020 5:53pm PDT

Epic Games, the videogame maker that started a daring legal brawl with Apple last week, is hoping to organize wider opposition to the tech giant. It could face an uphill battle in recruiting others to publicly join its cause. In recent weeks, Epic—which makes the hit game Fortnite—has reached out to other tech executives about... Epic Games, the videogame maker that started a daring legal brawl with Apple last week, is hoping...

TikTok's global business solutions vice president Blake Chandlee. Photo by Bloomberg

TikTok’s Uncertain Future Gives Advertisers Pause

By Anissa Gardizy · Aug 17, 2020 7:01am PDT

Until recently, restaurant chain The Halal Guys was considering advertising on TikTok, recognizing its popularity with younger members of its audience. But in the wake of the political turmoil over TikTok’s ownership, the company rethought those plans.“Given the recent turn of events, I’d prefer to take a ‘wait and... Until recently, restaurant chain The Halal Guys was considering advertising on TikTok,...

Lipstick in a mall in China. Photo by Imaginechina via AP Images.

Chinese Cosmetics Startup Perfect Diary Aims to Double Valuation to $4 Billion

By Yunan Zhang · Aug 17, 2020 5:01am PDT

Lipstick in a mall in China. Photo by Imaginechina via AP Images.

Chinese Cosmetics Startup Perfect Diary Aims to Double Valuation to $4 Billion

By Yunan Zhang · Aug 17, 2020 5:01am PDT

Riding a wave of rebounding internet shopping and rising nationalism among young Chinese consumers, Perfect Diary, the four-year-old Chinese online makeup brand, is in talks to raise between $100 million and $200 million. If successful, the investment would double the startup’s valuation to $4 billion from $2 billion when it last... Riding a wave of rebounding internet shopping and rising nationalism among young Chinese...

Police investigated a shooting in Orinda, Calif., during a party at a rental home last October. Photo: AP

Airbnb Wrestles With House Party Problem Ahead of IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 13, 2020 10:59am PDT · 6 comments

Chris Fling heard gunshots at around 1 a.m. two weekends ago across the street from his Tulsa, Okla., home. He had been watching dozens of young people gather earlier that evening at the house, which had been rented on Airbnb for the night. One teenager at the party had been shot in the arm, the Tulsa police said. The next day, Fling found... Chris Fling heard gunshots at around 1 a.m. two weekends ago across the street from his Tulsa,...

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, in August 2019. Photo: AP

Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Plots New Early-Stage VC Fund

By Kate Clark · Aug 13, 2020 7:02am PDT

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has begun meeting with investors to raise money for a new venture firm following his departure from Initialized Capital, the early-stage investing fund he co-founded, according to two people familiar with the matter. Ohanian in June said he was leaving Initialized, which backed high-valued startups such as... Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has begun meeting with investors to raise money for a new...

The Dubsmash music video app. Photo courtesy of Dubsmash.

Facebook, Snap Held Talks to Buy TikTok Rival Dubsmash

By Alex Heath · Aug 12, 2020 2:01pm PDT

Facebook and Snap recently held talks to buy Dubsmash, a lip-syncing video app that has surged in popularity alongside a crop of other TikTok competitors.Dubsmash was approached by both Facebook and Snap about a deal in recent weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter. The acquisition talks progressed far enough to include... Facebook and Snap recently held talks to buy Dubsmash, a lip-syncing video app that has surged in...

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. Photo by Bloomberg

AT&T Wants $1.5 Billion in Crunchyroll Sale to Sony

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Aug 12, 2020 9:27am PDT

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. Photo by Bloomberg

AT&T Wants $1.5 Billion in Crunchyroll Sale to Sony

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Aug 12, 2020 9:27am PDT

AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll Japanese anime-streaming service to Sony, according to three people familiar with the situation. If the two sides could reach a deal—which is far from certain—it would strengthen Sony’s position in the niche market, as it already owns a rival anime service... AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll Japanese anime-streaming...