The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

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Recent Editions

Photo via Getty.

Don’t Blame Car-Sharing Site Turo for Vehicle Attacks

By Theo Wayt · Jan 3, 2025 3:00pm PST · 3 comments

Our hearts go out to the victims of Wednesday’s horrific vehicle attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. In the days since, people have understandably been grasping to find ways the violence could have been prevented. One detail that’s gotten significant attention over the past 24 hours is that both vehicles used in the attacks were rented... Our hearts go out to the victims of Wednesday’s horrific vehicle attacks in New Orleans and Las...

Elad Gil. Photo via Getty

Culling of Money-Losing Startups is Well Underway

By Martin Peers · Jan 2, 2025 5:00pm PST

A week before Christmas, venture capitalist Elad Gil tweeted, “Lots of year end company shutdowns…happening right now,” offering a tantalizing hint of behind-the-scenes drama. Gil’s tweet appears to have been on the money: At least three companies have closed their doors since then—accounting firm Bench last week, LinkedIn rival Polywork earlier... A week before Christmas, venture capitalist Elad Gil tweeted, “Lots of year end company shutdowns...

Photos via Getty

How Waymo, Musk, Klarna and Marc Lore Stole 2024

By Martin Peers · Dec 31, 2024 3:00pm PST

Before we turn the page on 2024, we should acknowledge the winners (and losers) in tech news: those stories that provided plenty of entertainment and those that reminded us of the enduring promise of new technologies. So, without further ado, here are our annual awards:Best soap opera: Entrants in this category had a tough act to follow, given... Before we turn the page on 2024, we should acknowledge the winners (and losers) in tech news:...

Photo via Getty

Claims of Legacy Media’s Death Are Premature

By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2024 5:00pm PST

Photo via Getty

Claims of Legacy Media’s Death Are Premature

By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2024 5:00pm PST

The deaths in recent days of former Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons and Cablevision Systems founder Chuck Dolan seemed, in a way, symbolic of the slow death of the traditional television industry. Both Time Warner and Cablevision were, until a decade or so ago, major forces in cable TV and entertainment. Both now have been swallowed up by other... The deaths in recent days of former Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons and Cablevision Systems ...

President-elect Donald Trump in Phoenix on December 22. Photo via Getty.

Trump Asks the Supremes to Delay a TikTok Ban

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 27, 2024 5:00pm PST

The sleepy Friday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be not so sleepy after all. President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon asking to delay the effective date of a law banning TikTok. The law will ban TikTok on Jan. 19—one day before Trump takes office—unless it can find a buyer that... The sleepy Friday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be not so sleepy after all....

Beyoncé's NFL halftime show on Netflix. Photo via Getty.

Netflix and the NFL Won on Christmas. What About the Fans?

By Sahil Patel · Dec 26, 2024 4:15pm PST

A lot of eyes were on Netflix on Christmas Day—not just to see whether the Kansas City Chiefs could clinch their home-field advantage in the playoffs by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers (they did), or if Beyoncé could put on a Super Bowl–worthy halftime show during a regular-season game in Houston (she did). Those eyes were also scrutinizing the... A lot of eyes were on Netflix on Christmas Day—not just to see whether the Kansas City Chiefs...

Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, earlier this month. Photo via Getty

Mexico Gives a Lump of Coal to Online Sellers

By Theo Wayt · Dec 24, 2024 4:25pm PST

Christmas Eve is usually the last day of a frantic holiday sprint for staff at e-commerce and logistics companies, after which they can expect to kick back and enjoy a comparatively calm couple of months. Not this year. Virtually any business that moves its products across borders has to be on guard as world leaders jockey to position... Christmas Eve is usually the last day of a frantic holiday sprint for staff at e-commerce and...

Peter Thiel. Photo via Getty

Tech Wields New Political Power in Old-Fashioned Ways

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 23, 2024 5:00pm PST

Peter Thiel. Photo via Getty

Tech Wields New Political Power in Old-Fashioned Ways

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 23, 2024 5:00pm PST

A decade ago, Peter Thiel wrote somewhat famously that “competition is for losers.” He was interested in backing startups that looked like Google, whose products were so good “that no other firm can offer a close substitute.” A caveat he offered was that he wasn’t interested in backing monopoly businesses that look like “government favorites.”... A decade ago, Peter Thiel wrote somewhat famously that “competition is for losers.” He was...

North Korea's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the FIFA U-17 women's football World Cup 2024. Photo by Getty

Why Netflix Will Lose in Sports

By Martin Peers · Dec 20, 2024 2:30pm PST · 2 comments

Netflix shareholders may be a happy bunch right now, after the bonanza year the video-streaming stock has enjoyed. Though its revenue is growing at a decent but unspectacular clip—15% in the third quarter—its shares have so far risen 87% this year to above $900 a share. Since their low point in mid-2022, during a freakout about Netflix’s... Netflix shareholders may be a happy bunch right now, after the bonanza year the video-streaming...

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Apple Deals With European Regulation by Blasting Meta

By Martin Peers · Dec 19, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Here’s an idea. Instead of Donald Trump letting Elon Musk crash every dinner and phone call Trump has with tech CEOs, how about he invites Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg to jointly dine with him? Maybe the incoming president could sort out the two companies’ differences.Tensions between Apple and Meta date back a... Here’s an idea. Instead of Donald Trump letting Elon Musk crash every dinner and phone call Trump...

Art by Clark Miller

TikTok Drama’s Next Cliff-Hanger Episode Set in Supreme Court

By Martin Peers · Dec 18, 2024 5:00pm PST

We’ve got a new cliff-hanger episode in the seemingly endless drama over TikTok’s future. This time, the stars will be John Roberts and his band of Supreme Court justices. The highest court in the land on Wednesday said it would hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 in TikTok’s appeal against the ban-or-sell law that threatens the app’s existence. (If... We’ve got a new cliff-hanger episode in the seemingly endless drama over TikTok’s future. This...

Images via Getty.

Amazon v. SpaceX in Taiwan

By Theo Wayt · Dec 17, 2024 5:00pm PST

Images via Getty.

Amazon v. SpaceX in Taiwan

By Theo Wayt · Dec 17, 2024 5:00pm PST

As Amazon looks to sell its nascent satellite internet service to foreign governments, a big part of its pitch ought to be: Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy are not Elon Musk. That seems to be the appeal for Taiwan, which on Tuesday revealed it was talking with Amazon about a “collaboration” with the company’s Project Kuiper satellite internet service.... As Amazon looks to sell its nascent satellite internet service to foreign governments, a big part...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty

Nvidia on the Outs as Tech Stocks Rally

By Martin Peers · Dec 16, 2024 5:00pm PST

Is Nvidia’s great bull run over? For the moment, at least, it seems so. Even as other big tech stocks have been riding the wave of bullish sentiment in recent weeks—shares of Apple, for instance, hit $251 on Monday, giving it a market capitalization of $3.8 trillion—Nvidia stock has been going in the opposite direction. On Monday it was down... Is Nvidia’s great bull run over? For the moment, at least, it seems so. Even as other big tech...

Photo by Getty

Broadcom Stock Soars on Upbeat AI Talk

By Martin Peers · Dec 13, 2024 3:00pm PST · 1 comment

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan wants some of Jensen Huang’s limelight. Stock of the chip and software firm rocketed 24% on Friday, the day after Tan claimed that the company had a “massive” opportunity in artificial intelligence chips over the next three years. Speaking on an earnings call on Thursday night, he said Broadcom had three customers whose AI... Broadcom CEO Hock Tan wants some of Jensen Huang’s limelight. Stock of the chip and software firm...

Vahe Kuzoyan, President & Co-Founder of ServiceTitan, at the Nasdaq MarketSite today in New York City. Photo by Getty.

ServiceTitan Runs With the Bulls in Well-Timed IPO

By Martin Peers · Dec 12, 2024 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Timing is everything. ServiceTitan, a smallish tech firm that specializes in selling software for plumbers, roofers and other tradespeople, demonstrated that on Thursday when its shares debuted on the public markets at $101 apiece, a 42% premium to its IPO price of $71. That translates to a market capitalization of about $9 billion, which is not... Timing is everything. ServiceTitan, a smallish tech firm that specializes in selling software for...

Stock traders. Photo via Getty

Wall Street Loves Tech Again

By Martin Peers · Dec 11, 2024 5:00pm PST

Stock traders. Photo via Getty

Wall Street Loves Tech Again

By Martin Peers · Dec 11, 2024 5:00pm PST

Where have all the bears gone? (They can’t all be at Lake Tahoe!) The Nasdaq Composite Index passed 20,000 on Wednesday, up 1.8% on the day but 36% from where it started the year. As a benchmark, its November 2021 high—before the 2022 selloff—was 16,057. Among the individual standout stocks today was Tesla, which rose 6% to a new all-time high... Where have all the bears gone? (They can’t all be at Lake Tahoe!) The Nasdaq Composite Index...

A Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco last year. Photo via Getty.

GM’s Cruise Hits a Dead End

By Martin Peers · Dec 10, 2024 5:00pm PST

And then there were three. General Motors’ decision to abandon its Cruise self-driving–car unit’s efforts in the robotaxi market on Tuesday is good news for Alphabet’s Waymo, already the market leader, and helpful for Tesla, which has ambitions in the market. (Let’s not forget Amazon, which is testing its Zoox robotaxis in San Francisco as... And then there were three. General Motors’ decision to abandon its Cruise self-driving–car unit’s...

President-elect Donald Trump and President of China, Xi Jinping. Photos via Getty.

Nvidia’s China Risk

By Martin Peers · Dec 9, 2024 5:00pm PST

Investors may need to rethink the valuation they’re putting on Nvidia. Shares of the artificial intelligence chipmaker fell 2.5% on Monday after Chinese regulators revealed they had opened an investigation into whether Nvidia broke anti-monopoly laws there. Details of the probe are described here. Suffice it to say this could well be one of... Investors may need to rethink the valuation they’re putting on Nvidia. Shares of the artificial...

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House in Washington, DC. Photo by Getty.

TikTok’s Lifespan Shortens

By Martin Peers · Dec 6, 2024 3:00pm PST

TikTok’s chances of avoiding a ban are fast diminishing. The DC Appeals Court’s decision today, affirming the law passed earlier this year forcing TikTok to cut its ties with its Chinese parent ByteDance or be banned, was a compelling ruling. It’s hard to imagine that TikTok management would come away from it with any grounds for optimism.To be... TikTok’s chances of avoiding a ban are fast diminishing. The DC Appeals Court’s decision today,...

A Waymo self-driving car. Photo courtesy of Waymo.

Waymo’s Progress May Be Good for Uber, Too

By Martin Peers · Dec 5, 2024 5:00pm PST

A Waymo self-driving car. Photo courtesy of Waymo.

Waymo’s Progress May Be Good for Uber, Too

By Martin Peers · Dec 5, 2024 5:00pm PST

This is going to become tedious. Shares of Uber and Lyft dropped 10% today on word that Alphabet’s Waymo, our favorite self-driving taxi service, is opening for business in Miami. Just a few weeks ago, the ride-hailing firms’ stocks rose about 10% as investors decided Tesla’s self-driving–car event the day before had been a dud—implying that it... This is going to become tedious. Shares of Uber and Lyft dropped 10% today on word that Alphabet’...