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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse with The Information's Subscriber Summit on Thursday.

Subscriber Summit

Ripple CEO Blasts Libra, Boasts of Warchest

By Alex Heath · Oct 17, 2019 6:13pm PDT

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse blasted Facebook’s proposed Libra digital currency, suggesting that the initiative would have been met with less pushback had it been led by another company, such as PayPal. “I think that the way they approached it demonstrated, frankly, [from] my point of view, arrogance in how they rolled it... Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse blasted Facebook’s proposed Libra digital currency, suggesting...

Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta with The Information's Jessica Lessin at The Information's Subscriber Summit on Thursday. Photo by Angie Silvy

Subscriber Summit

Instacart Expanded Ad Team FiveFold In Recent Months, Mehta Says

By Priya Anand · Oct 17, 2019 5:36pm PDT

Instacart has grown its advertising sales team fivefold in the last six months, the grocery delivery company’s CEO revealed on Thursday, as part of an effort to build a significant advertising business.Advertising “is a big and growing portion of our revenue,” said Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta in an on-stage interview at The... Instacart has grown its advertising sales team fivefold in the last six months, the grocery...

Affirm CEO Max Levchin. Photo by Angie Silvy

Subscriber Summit

Affirm’s Levchin Opposes Tech Breakup

By Nick Bastone · Oct 17, 2019 5:19pm PDT

Max Levchin, a serial entrepreneur and chief executive of the payment lending company Affirm, added his voice to the chorus of Silicon Valley leaders warning that a breakup of big tech companies by regulators will weaken the U.S. on the global stage, handing an advantage to Chinese competitors.In a wide-ranging discussion at The... Max Levchin, a serial entrepreneur and chief executive of the payment lending company Affirm,...

Lauren Cummings, Will Connolly and Scott Stanford appear on a panel at The Information’s Subscriber Summit. Photo by Angie Silvy.

Options for Going Public Broadening, Bankers Say

By Martin Peers · Oct 17, 2019 2:50pm PDT

Lauren Cummings, Will Connolly and Scott Stanford appear on a panel at The Information’s Subscriber Summit. Photo by Angie Silvy.

Subscriber Summit

Options for Going Public Broadening, Bankers Say

By Martin Peers · Oct 17, 2019 2:50pm PDT

Despite a heated debate among investors and bankers about the best way for companies to go public—via a traditional IPO or the newer direct listing—investment bankers say there is unlikely to be one single answer. Some companies are better suited to IPOs, and others to direct listings, while in the future some might benefit from a... Despite a heated debate among investors and bankers about the best way for companies to go...

The Information founder Jessica Lessin interviews CZI’s Priscilla Chan. Photo: Angie Silvy

Subscriber Summit

CZI’s Priscilla Chan Talks About Lessons Learned

By Tom Dotan · Oct 17, 2019 12:33pm PDT

Four years after starting the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, co-founder Priscilla Chan said she had learned a number of lessons, including the need to “work with anyone” on sensitive political issues such as immigration in order to accomplish the organization’s goals.As the broader tech backlash brought more scrutiny to Facebook... Four years after starting the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, co-founder Priscilla Chan said she had...

Fidji Simo, the head of Facebook's flagship app. Photo by Angie Silvy

Subscriber Summit

Facebook Exec Says Regulatory Scrutiny Makes Acquisitions ‘Really Hard’

By Alex Heath · Oct 17, 2019 12:07pm PDT · 1 comment

One of Facebook’s top executives, Fidji Simo, downplayed recent defections from the group it formed to run its controversial Libra digital currency, while also acknowledging that growing regulatory scrutiny of Facebook has made it harder to acquire other companies.Simo, one of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s direct reports who oversees... One of Facebook’s top executives, Fidji Simo, downplayed recent defections from the group...

Subscriber Summit

Our 2019 Subscriber Summit Roundtables

By The Information Staff · Sep 30, 2019 5:11pm PDT · 1 comment

We’re excited to see everyone on October 17 at our signature event, The Information’s Fifth Annual Subscriber Summit. An important part of the Summit are our topical breakout lunch sessions. At this year’s event, we’ll be curating the lunch tables, based on who we think you’ll enjoy meeting. You’ll receive... We’re excited to see everyone on October 17 at our signature event, The Information’s...

Tencent Cloud vice president Wang Long. Photo by Accenture

Tencent Will Boost AI Investment, Says Executive

By Juro Osawa · Aug 8, 2019 9:21am PDT · 1 comment

Tencent Cloud vice president Wang Long. Photo by Accenture

Subscriber Summit

Tencent Will Boost AI Investment, Says Executive

By Juro Osawa · Aug 8, 2019 9:21am PDT · 1 comment

Tencent plans to boost its spending on AI-related research, including by investing in AI startups, Tencent executive Wang Long said on Thursday. The investment is part of Tencent’s effort to help its corporate clients apply artificial intelligence technologies to their businesses. “AI is something we have to invest in heavily... Tencent plans to boost its spending on AI-related research, including by investing in AI...

Photo by Erin Beach.

Subscriber Summit

Announcing the 2019 Autonomous Vehicle Summit Breakouts

By The Information Staff · May 30, 2019 1:58pm PDT

We’re excited to see everyone on June 13 at our sold-out Autonomous Vehicles Summit. An important part of the Summit are our breakout sessions: a chance for you to hear straight from the biggest names in autonomous driving. At this year’s event, we’ll have three sets of 45-minute breakout sessions after the main stage sessions.... We’re excited to see everyone on June 13 at our sold-out Autonomous Vehicles Summit. An...

Twitch COO Sara Clemens. Photo by Erin Beach

Subscriber Summit

Twitch COO Says The Future of Live TV Is Personalized Commentary

By Tom Dotan · Oct 18, 2018 4:19pm PDT

This football season, Amazon-owned Twitch gave users the ability to stream Thursday Night NFL Games on their own personalized channels. And as executives soon discovered, the biggest audience on the platform hasn’t come from the official stream, but from an individual user who adds his own commentary to the game. Twitch COO Sara Clemens... This football season, Amazon-owned Twitch gave users the ability to stream Thursday Night NFL...

Startup founders (l-r) Howie Liu, Mathilde Collin and DJ Kleinbaum. Photo by Erin Beach

Subscriber Summit

The ‘Philosophical Recession’ Hanging Over Tech Startups

By Aaron Tilley · Oct 18, 2018 3:59pm PDT

When Howie Liu first came to Silicon Valley a decade ago, the assumption was that if a tech startup could make money, it was a social good in itself—a sort of altruistic, pure capitalism. But Mr. Liu believes that view isn’t widespread anymore. “Rightfully so, we’re seeing a state where that’s being scrutinized and... When Howie Liu first came to Silicon Valley a decade ago, the assumption was that if a tech...

Andreessen Horowitz general partner Katie Haun, in conversation with The Information founder Jessica Lessin, at The Information Subscriber Summit in San Francisco.

Andreessen Digs Into Crypto

By Sarah Kuranda · Oct 18, 2018 3:34pm PDT · 2 comments

Andreessen Horowitz general partner Katie Haun, in conversation with The Information founder Jessica Lessin, at The Information Subscriber Summit in San Francisco.

Subscriber Summit

Andreessen Digs Into Crypto

By Sarah Kuranda · Oct 18, 2018 3:34pm PDT · 2 comments

When venture capitalists first started looking at deals in the cryptocurrency and blockchain market, most took a traditional investing approach, hunting for equity stakes in startups. Eventually, they had to rethink their approach to deal-making in the business to include investments in tokens themselves, according to a prominent venture... When venture capitalists first started looking at deals in the cryptocurrency and blockchain...

GitHub Incoming CEO Nat Friedman. Photo by Erin Beach

Subscriber Summit

Microsoft Won’t Mess Up GitHub, Executive Says

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 18, 2018 1:48pm PDT · 1 comment

Microsoft was once so hostile to open-source software that former CEO Steve Ballmer called it a “cancer.” That history worries open-source developers who rely on GitHub, which Microsoft is buying. But the Microsoft executive who will take the reins of GitHub when the deal is completed says developers shouldn’t worry.Under CEO... Microsoft was once so hostile to open-source software that former CEO Steve Ballmer called it a...

Subscriber Summit

Our 2018 Subscriber Summit Roundtables

By The Information Staff · Oct 12, 2018 3:50pm PDT

We're excited to announce this year's lunch roundtables, assigned on a first-come, first-served basis at our Subscriber Summit October 18 in San Francisco. Register here and please arrive early to ensure there is space in the session you want to attend. Will the Healthcare Revolution Be Consumerized?The direct-to-consumer... We're excited to announce this year's lunch roundtables, assigned on a first-come,...

Subscriber Summit

Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, Github’s Nat Friedman, Andreessen Horowitz’s Katie Haun and Twitch’s Sara Clemens to Speak at Information Summit

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 9, 2018 1:06pm PDT

Greetings!I am thrilled to announce the first round of speakers for our fourth San Francisco Subscriber Summit. For those of you new to our community, this is our biggest event of the year in which I interview newsmakers we think our subscribers need to know better. We also host unique breakout sessions with entrepreneurs, investors and tech... Greetings!I am thrilled to announce the first round of speakers for our fourth San Francisco...

Photo by Erin Beach

Announcing the Autonomous Vehicle Summit Breakouts

By The Information Staff · May 29, 2018 1:29pm PDT

Photo by Erin Beach

Subscriber Summit

Announcing the Autonomous Vehicle Summit Breakouts

By The Information Staff · May 29, 2018 1:29pm PDT

We're so excited to see everyone on June 14 in San Francisco at our Autonomous Vehicles Summit, focused on the latest developments in the field. An important part of each Summit is the breakout session: your opportunity to hear from the innovators in the industry and to ask them all your burning questions. If you're registered for... We're so excited to see everyone on June 14 in San Francisco at our Autonomous Vehicles...

Microsoft's Julie White. Photo by Karen Obrist.

Subscriber Summit

Microsoft Touts Azure Stack Software as Advantage on Cloud Rivals

By Kevin McLaughlin · Feb 14, 2018 6:26pm PST

Microsoft is hoping a new cloud-services software product aimed at customers running their own data centers will help it gain ground on leading cloud provider Amazon Web Services, a senior Microsoft cloud executive said on Wednesday. Julia White, corporate vice president of Microsoft Azure, said at The Information’s hybrid cloud and AI... Microsoft is hoping a new cloud-services software product aimed at customers running their own...

The Information's Kevin McLaughlin in conversation Wednesday with Oracle's Amit Zavery. Photo by Karen Obrist.

Subscriber Summit

Oracle Says It Needs to Change Customer Perceptions to Win Cloud Business

By Amir Efrati and Priya Anand · Feb 14, 2018 1:57pm PST · 3 comments

A top Oracle executive on Wednesday said the company had to improve its image with customers as part of its effort to compete better with rivals like Amazon Web Services.Oracle needs to highlight its strengths in the cloud, such as artificial intelligence applications, said Amit Zavery, executive vice president of Oracle’s cloud platform,... A top Oracle executive on Wednesday said the company had to improve its image with customers as...

The Information's Tom Dotan (l.), and Jessica Lessin with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Photo by Erin Beach

Subscriber Summit

BuzzFeed CEO: News Outlets Need to ‘Bridge’ Subscription, Ad Models

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 20, 2017 6:01pm PDT

Subscription-based and advertising-based news organizations need to coexist “in peace and harmony” so they can both push back against sensationalized or false stories on social platforms, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti said Friday at The Information’s Subscriber Summit.Both types of media companies face challenges from the ways... Subscription-based and advertising-based news organizations need to coexist “in peace and...

Stripe CEO Patrick Collison talking with The Information's Jessica Lessin on Friday. Photo by Erin Beach.

Stripe CEO Says Firm Is ‘Years Away’ From IPO

By Serena Saitto · Oct 20, 2017 4:55pm PDT · 1 comment

Stripe CEO Patrick Collison talking with The Information's Jessica Lessin on Friday. Photo by Erin Beach.

Subscriber Summit

Stripe CEO Says Firm Is ‘Years Away’ From IPO

By Serena Saitto · Oct 20, 2017 4:55pm PDT · 1 comment

Stripe, the seven-year-old digital payments firm, is still in “the early stage of its cycle” and is therefore “years away” from going public, co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison said Friday.“We are not a capital-intensive business, and we don’t need to go public to raise capital,” Mr. Collison said,... Stripe, the seven-year-old digital payments firm, is still in “the early stage of its...