The Information

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Photo by AP

Inside Hollywood’s Embrace of Saudi Arabia

By Matt Pressberg · Apr 5, 2018 11:08am PDT · 5 comments

A top Saudi Arabian official, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has been meeting this week with Hollywood executives such as Fox chief Rupert Murdoch and Disney chairman Bob Iger to discuss ways to work together, including possible investments in slates of films. The talks could lead to a win-win deal: For Hollywood, the wealthy kingdom is both... A top Saudi Arabian official, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has been meeting this week with...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

What Can Facebook Do Now?

By Tom Dotan · Mar 21, 2018 9:49am PDT · 16 comments

American and European lawmakers and regulators are ratcheting up pressure on Facebook to take action to better safeguard user data. The company changed its policies two years ago to prevent outsiders like Cambridge Analytica from easily gathering data on millions of Facebook users. But Facebook could take action in other areas—although... American and European lawmakers and regulators are ratcheting up pressure on Facebook to take...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Drama Over Hulu’s Fate Nearing Final Season

By Tom Dotan · Jan 11, 2018 10:14am PST · 1 comment

Of all the epic meandering dramas to come out of the television industry in recent years, Hulu’s struggle to define itself could rank among the best. Finally, though, we may be nearing an endgame—with implications for rivals that range from Netflix to Apple.Assuming Disney consummates its proposed purchase of 21st Century Fox, it... Of all the epic meandering dramas to come out of the television industry in recent years,...

The Capitol building in Washington D.C. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech’s Winners and Losers Under Tax Changes

By Alfred Lee · Dec 19, 2017 7:02am PST

The Capitol building in Washington D.C. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech’s Winners and Losers Under Tax Changes

By Alfred Lee · Dec 19, 2017 7:02am PST

Contrary to the popular media narrative, the tech companies that are the clearest winners of upcoming tax changes are not the giants like Apple and Microsoft that have stockpiled profits overseas. The tech firms that will benefit the most are companies that make most of their sales in the United States, like Etsy and Grubhub.That’s because... Contrary to the popular media narrative, the tech companies that are the clearest winners of...

Rupert Murdoch with his son Lachlan at the Allen & Co conference in Sun Valley in July. Photo by Bloomberg.

What the Disney-Fox Deal Means for Digital Media

By Martin Peers · Dec 14, 2017 9:35am PST · 13 comments

Walt Disney is spending $52.4 billion to buy most of 21st Century Fox in hopes of competing more effectively with Netflix, Amazon.com and Apple in digital entertainment. The deal will send ripples through Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Here is our analysis of the potential ramifications. Walt Disney is spending $52.4 billion to buy most of 21st Century Fox in hopes of competing more...

The Snapchat app. Photo by Bloomberg

Why Snap’s Redesign May Not Be Enough

By Tom Dotan · Nov 29, 2017 12:22pm PST · 2 comments

Snap pulled off the veil on its redesign today. It moves all stories and messages from friends to the left of Snapchat’s camera screen on a “Friend” page, whereas publisher and creator content is to the right on the “Discover” page. The redesign has two goals in mind: bring more users into the app, and appeal to... Snap pulled off the veil on its redesign today. It moves all stories and messages from friends to...

Ohio Senator Rob Portman. Photo by AP.

Facebook, Alphabet Find Few Friends in Washington

By Cory Weinberg · Sep 20, 2017 11:46am PDT · 2 comments

It’s getting lonelier in Washington, D.C., for Facebook and Alphabet. Lobbyists, lawyers, investors and others who straddle tech and political worlds point to an under-appreciated dynamic heightening political pressure for Facebook and Alphabet in recent weeks: The internet companies’ tech and media brethren are looking to twist the... It’s getting lonelier in Washington, D.C., for Facebook and Alphabet. Lobbyists, lawyers,...

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by Flickr/TCDNY 2013.

How Digital Execs Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Banner

By Tom Dotan · Sep 1, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by Flickr/TCDNY 2013.

How Digital Execs Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Banner

By Tom Dotan · Sep 1, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

The lowly, oft-derided banner ad is back in fashion. Call it pivoting from video.BuzzFeed’s announcement earlier this week that it was going to start selling banner ads on its web site signals a shift that has taken place among some social networks and publishers. For years those companies have complained about banner ads, hated and... The lowly, oft-derided banner ad is back in fashion. Call it pivoting from video.BuzzFeed’s...

Snap's Evan Spiegel, Google's Sundar Pichai and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Flickr/TechCrunch; Bloomberg.

Snap’s Path Forward

By Tom Dotan · Aug 8, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments

Snap’s second-quarter earnings report on Thursday is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for the young company. Snap stock has plunged in recent weeks as restrictions on early shareholders selling lapsed. The big question this week is whether Snap will show any improvement in its slow user growth or evidence that it is driving... Snap’s second-quarter earnings report on Thursday is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for...

Grab CEO Anthony Tan. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Uber Might Sell Asian Business to Grab

By Amir Efrati · Jul 25, 2017 10:00am PDT

Grab’s $2 billion fundraising, announced on Monday and led by SoftBank, has changed the ride-hailing game in that region, giving the Singapore-based firm what may be an unassailable advantage. Uber may have to consider selling its assets to Grab.That is an enormous turnaround on the situation for much of last year. Grab, the ride-hailing... Grab’s $2 billion fundraising, announced on Monday and led by SoftBank, has changed the...

Anthony Levandowski discussing Uber's self-driving car effort last December. Photo by AP.

At Uber, Waymo Lawsuit Brings New Risks

By Amir Efrati · May 23, 2017 7:01am PDT · 4 comments

Shortly after Alphabet’s self-driving car unit Waymo filed a lawsuit in late February alleging Uber stole its trade secrets, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told employees in a weekly, companywide staff meeting that “we looked at everything” and determined the company did nothing wrong, said two people who heard the remarks. Later, at... Shortly after Alphabet’s self-driving car unit Waymo filed a lawsuit in late February...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and co-founder Bobby Murphy at the New York Stock Exchange when Snap went public earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Long Can Snap Stick to the Story?

By Tom Dotan · May 10, 2017 4:15pm PDT · 3 comments

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and co-founder Bobby Murphy at the New York Stock Exchange when Snap went public earlier this year. Photo by Bloomberg.

How Long Can Snap Stick to the Story?

By Tom Dotan · May 10, 2017 4:15pm PDT · 3 comments

With a little bit of hand waving and a pretty good crack about Yahoo on Wednesday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel tried to make the point to investors that its disappointing first quarter earnings was nothing to be too worried about.Sure, the weak user growth wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the alarming slowdown the company saw last summer.... With a little bit of hand waving and a pretty good crack about Yahoo on Wednesday, Snap CEO Evan...

ESPN CEO John Skipper. Photo by Bloomberg.

Where ESPN Is Getting Left Behind

By Tom Dotan · May 1, 2017 12:28pm PDT · 7 comments

The ESPN layoffs last week that roiled the media industry didn’t just signify that the “worldwide leader” in sports was trying to cut costs. It was a reminder of how much sports media has changed—and how hard it will be for ESPN to keep its perch.The network’s cost-cutting is most obviously a result of falling cable... The ESPN layoffs last week that roiled the media industry didn’t just signify that the...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showing off new Nike-branded camera effects at this week's F8. Photo by Bloomberg.

Why Should Developers Build for Facebook’s New Camera?

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 20, 2017 12:46pm PDT

When Facebook announced this week it would open its camera for developers to build photo frames and interactive effects, it was careful not to outline any business case for developers in the new concepts. It seemed to be a response to last year’s event, when Facebook was seen as over-promising the commercial potential of bots being rolled... When Facebook announced this week it would open its camera for developers to build photo frames...

The onetime department store in Oakland now owned by Uber and under renovation. Photo by Flickr/Eugene Chan.

Tech’s Oakland Opportunity

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 21, 2017 10:54am PDT · 5 comments

Uber’s partial retrenchment from its future Oakland outpost appeared to be another example of the big tech companies spurning San Francisco’s eastern neighbor. Instead of relocating a few thousand employees to the building it acquired in 2015, Uber will instead have a few hundred there, at least initially. But it could work... Uber’s partial retrenchment from its future Oakland outpost appeared to be another...

Mobileye chairman Amnon Shahua, BMW management board member Klaus Froehlich and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich at CES in January. Photo by Bloomberg

What Intel Sees in Mobileye

By Amir Efrati · Mar 13, 2017 12:36pm PDT · 5 comments

Mobileye chairman Amnon Shahua, BMW management board member Klaus Froehlich and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich at CES in January. Photo by Bloomberg

What Intel Sees in Mobileye

By Amir Efrati · Mar 13, 2017 12:36pm PDT · 5 comments

Intel’s $15.3 billion acquisition of Mobileye, the leading maker of microchips for outward-facing cameras in cars, is the largest acquisition related to self-driving car software yet. And it’s an indicator of how big a role Mobileye will have in the field, thanks to the data Mobileye will harvest from those cars and keep for itself.... Intel’s $15.3 billion acquisition of Mobileye, the leading maker of microchips for...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Facebook’s Fearless Spending

By Cory Weinberg · Feb 2, 2017 7:00am PST · 2 comments

Facebook’s announcement on Wednesday that it would hike capital expenses to as much as $7.5 billion this year was more audacious than many analysts expected. But it’s savvy for Facebook to use its profit cushion from a recent hot streak to execute an expensive video-centric strategy. The capital expenses projected for the coming... Facebook’s announcement on Wednesday that it would hike capital expenses to as much as $7.5...

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson in the background. Photo by Bloomberg.

A Wrinkle with the Logic of AT&T-Time Warner

By Martin Peers · Oct 24, 2016 11:24am PDT · 1 comment

One of the questions hanging in the air after AT&T announced it wants to buy Time Warner for $85 billion is: Who will follow? Will other tech companies, including those that sniffed around Time Warner, like Apple, or Amazon.com and Google, look to buy a studio to lock up programming?The rhetoric coming out of AT&T might lead one to think... One of the questions hanging in the air after AT&T announced it wants to buy Time Warner for...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussing Google's new Pixel smartphone and its virtual assistant at Tuesday's launch event. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google’s Hardware Thrusts: A Timeline

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Oct 4, 2016 2:32pm PDT · 2 comments

Google’s motto for its latest line of phones—the Pixels unveiled on Tuesday—may be “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”The Pixels are the first phones carrying only the Google brand, as opposed to Nexus phones that were co-branded with Google and a manufacturing partner like Huawei. But the... Google’s motto for its latest line of phones—the Pixels unveiled on Tuesday—may...

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at last year's Dreamforce conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

At Salesforce’s Big Show, the Pitch is More Dream than Reality

By Steve Nellis · Oct 3, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at last year's Dreamforce conference. Photo by Bloomberg.

At Salesforce’s Big Show, the Pitch is More Dream than Reality

By Steve Nellis · Oct 3, 2016 7:01am PDT · 3 comments

This week, 170,000 people will descend on San Francisco for Dreamforce, Salesforce.com’s annual user conference. Thousands will pack the Moscone Center to participate in a familiar ritual: master salesman and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s latest pitch for the product that he says will revolutionize their sales and earn his company... This week, 170,000 people will descend on San Francisco for Dreamforce, Salesforce.com’s...