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

Daniel Ek and Marc Benioff. Photos by Bloomberg.

Salesforce’s Board Needs Fresh Talent and Spotify Needs an Activist

By Martin Peers · Jan 23, 2023 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Investors sometimes seem to have over-the-top expectations of what activists can achieve in a poorly run company. But the bar is low for them to make an impact at Salesforce. The stock is in the doghouse thanks to weak profit margins, partly a result of costly acquisitions such as the Slack deal, as well as a revolving door of top management.... Investors sometimes seem to have over-the-top expectations of what activists can achieve in a...

Photo by Getty Images

Hastings Turns Wheel Over as Streaming Market Slows

By Martin Peers · Jan 19, 2023 5:00pm PST

It’s the end of an era in streaming. Reed Hastings, co-founder of video-streaming pioneer Netflix, is stepping down as co-CEO, kicking himself upstairs to be executive chair (as he was already chair, he’s giving up more than he’s gaining). Greg Peters, chief operating officer and a 15-year veteran of Netflix, was promoted to be Ted Sarandos’... It’s the end of an era in streaming. Reed Hastings, co-founder of video-streaming pioneer...

Photo by Bloomberg

What’s Really Holding Back Twitter Ads

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 18, 2023 5:39pm PST

A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with a former magazine editor in New York when the subject of Elon Musk and Twitter came up. We talked about the advertisers spooked by Musk’s disastrous rollout of the Twitter Blue subscription service, among other things. “Oh, they’ll come back,” he said. “They always do.”Now, we all know how bad the... A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with a former magazine editor in New York when the subject of...

Photo by Getty Images

VC’s $8 Billion ByteDance Headache

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 17, 2023 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

Photo by Getty Images

VC’s $8 Billion ByteDance Headache

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 17, 2023 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

Amid all the crises venture capitalists are facing, there’s one that deserves more attention and it centers on a number: $8 billion. That's roughly the amount of money investors like Sequoia, Susquehanna International Group, Coatue Management and Tiger Global Management have poured into TikTok owner ByteDance—money that is largely locked up... Amid all the crises venture capitalists are facing, there’s one that deserves more attention and...

Photo by Bloomberg

What’s Google Cloud So Worried About?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 12, 2023 5:03pm PST

What is going on at Google Cloud? Today, Jon, Kevin and Amir had an important story about an executive shakeup involving the departure of Google’s top sales executive in the U.S., Kirsten Kliphouse. You may recall that Google Cloud, after 10 years of trying, is still a distant second to Amazon and Microsoft in the business. Google didn’t... What is going on at Google Cloud? Today, Jon, Kevin and Amir had an important story about an...

Photo by Getty Images

Why Musk’s User-Pays Twitter Policy Makes Sense; Hell Freezes Over at Apple

By Martin Peers · Jan 11, 2023 5:00pm PST · 3 comments

Give Elon Musk some credit. While his tornadolike upheaval of Twitter has apparently devastated its ad business (see an update with our latest story on that subject), there is upside in what he’s doing for the tech industry. Musk has indicated he wants to make Twitter users pay up for some features—so much so that, as The New York Times reported... Give Elon Musk some credit. While his tornadolike upheaval of Twitter has apparently devastated...

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Photo by Bloomberg.

Coinbase May Have the Best Shot of Weathering the Crypto Winter

By Akash Pasricha · Jan 10, 2023 5:40pm PST

By crypto standards, today was like any other day—both newsy and noisy. Let’s see, Coinbase laid off 20% of its staff, and the Winklevoss twins escalated their public battle with crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group with an open letter demanding the removal of its chief, Barry Silbert. Meanwhile, a former Coinbase manager's brother was... By crypto standards, today was like any other day—both newsy and noisy. Let’s see, Coinbase laid...

Photo by Bloomberg

Why Netflix’s Streaming Edge Won’t Erode

By Martin Peers · Jan 9, 2023 5:00pm PST

Photo by Bloomberg

Why Netflix’s Streaming Edge Won’t Erode

By Martin Peers · Jan 9, 2023 5:00pm PST

It’s the quiet before the earnings storm, which makes it a good time to take a step back and consider the situation of Netflix, the first big tech name to report December quarter numbers, on Jan. 19. Its stock has nearly doubled since it bottomed out at around $167 in June, although even at current levels of around $315 it is still down 47% from... It’s the quiet before the earnings storm, which makes it a good time to take a step back and...

Photo via Bloomberg.

Amazon’s Cuts Were Inevitable After Years of Excessive Spending

By Martin Peers · Jan 5, 2023 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

It’s a bleak moment for the retail sector. Today brought word that home goods chain Bed Bath & Beyond has “substantial doubt” about its “ability to continue as a going concern,” given how much money it has been losing. Another retailer, Everlane, is cutting 17% of its corporate staff, we scooped today. Meanwhile, Amazon on Wednesday said it... It’s a bleak moment for the retail sector. Today brought word that home goods chain Bed Bath...

Helen Dixon, data protection commissioner of the Irish Data Protection Commission for the Briefing. Photo via Bloomberg.

Meta’s Targeted Ads Are Dealt Yet Another Regulatory Blow

By Martin Peers · Jan 4, 2023 5:01pm PST

When it comes to the fines European regulators are imposing on big tech companies, it’s easy to lose track. Take today’s decision by the Irish Data Protection Commission, imposing fines totaling more than $400 million against Meta Platforms for breaching European rules with targeted advertising. This is on top of several other cases against Meta... When it comes to the fines European regulators are imposing on big tech companies, it’s easy to...

Photo via Bloomberg

Five Things to Watch in Tech in 2023

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 3, 2023 5:04pm PST · 2 comments

Welcome to 2023 and a very happy new year. I’ve been covering technology for almost two decades, and I can’t think of a year that’s been more consequential than the current one. Everywhere you look, the guard is changing, and there’s no clear idea what’s next. So for my first Briefing of the year, I wanted to lay out some of the big themes... Welcome to 2023 and a very happy new year. I’ve been covering technology for almost two decades,...

Oracle CEO Safra Catz. Photo: Bloomberg

Tech’s Best and Worst of 2022

By Amir Efrati · Dec 29, 2022 5:28pm PST

Oracle CEO Safra Catz. Photo: Bloomberg

Tech’s Best and Worst of 2022

By Amir Efrati · Dec 29, 2022 5:28pm PST

If last year was euphoric for the business world, this year was humbling—but not for everyone. We felt it was a fitting time to call out some leaders and companies who deserve praise as well as those who deserve shame.Best big tech CEO: Safra Catz. In a year in which most major technology stocks dropped at least 20%, if not 70%, Oracle shares... If last year was euphoric for the business world, this year was humbling—but not for everyone. We...

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September. Photo by Getty Images

Bezos Could Be the Real Winner from Amazon’s Sports Deals

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 28, 2022 5:14pm PST

Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move when they began showering billions of dollars on sports leagues for streaming rights to their games. But even if those deals turn out to be duds for the likes of Amazon, Alphabet’s YouTube and others, tech billionaires may have found another way to... Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move...

A TSMC chip factory in Taiwan. Photo via TSMC

A Chip Party to Lift Apple’s Spirits

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 27, 2022 5:00pm PST

There’s going to be a party in Taiwan on Thursday—and not a moment too soon for Apple’s sake. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the chipmaking wizard, is having an event to celebrate the start of mass production of chips using a cutting-edge technique called the 3-nanometer process. Using the new technique, TSMC will be able to jam more... There’s going to be a party in Taiwan on Thursday—and not a moment too soon for Apple’s sake....

Barry McCarthy and Reed Hastings. Photos by Bloomberg.

Netflix’s Fitness Move May Trip Up Peloton

By Martin Peers · Dec 22, 2022 5:00pm PST

Netflix chief Reed Hastings shouldn’t expect a holiday card from Barry McCarthy this year. The video-streaming giant likely spoiled the Peloton CEO’s Christmas this year with its announcement on Wednesday that it plans to start streaming fitness content from Nike on Dec. 30. Nike doesn’t offer everything that’s on Peloton—particularly when it... Netflix chief Reed Hastings shouldn’t expect a holiday card from Barry McCarthy this year. The...

Photo by Getty Images

YouTube’s Expected NFL Deal Puts Spotlight on Tech’s Streaming Adventures

By Martin Peers · Dec 21, 2022 5:00pm PST

Photo by Getty Images

YouTube’s Expected NFL Deal Puts Spotlight on Tech’s Streaming Adventures

By Martin Peers · Dec 21, 2022 5:00pm PST

Whoever put together the memo about big tech learning financial discipline appears to have left Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai off the distribution list. That’s assuming reports that YouTube will pay $2.5 billion a year for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket are accurate. Paying top dollar for live sports programming is a great way to burn cash. DirecTV, which... Whoever put together the memo about big tech learning financial discipline appears to have left...

Photo by Getty Images

Europe’s Latest Attacks on Meta and Amazon Make No Sense

By Martin Peers · Dec 20, 2022 5:00pm PST

Whose side are Europe’s antitrust regulators on? Obviously not consumers’. Today’s European Commission settlement with Amazon, which includes provisions that could erode the efficiency of the company’s Prime service, follows in the footsteps of the case the agency outlined against Meta Platforms’ Facebook Marketplace on Monday. In that case,... Whose side are Europe’s antitrust regulators on? Obviously not consumers’. Today’s European...

Photo by Bloomberg

Musk Goes Quiet, SBF Goes Quietly, While Meta Looks to ‘the Future’

By Martin Peers · Dec 19, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamas jail cell. According to The New York Times, the founder of the bankrupt FTX crypto firm, now charged with various counts of fraud, is in a prison renowned for its harsh conditions. Bankman-Fried is in the infirmary with five other inmates, The Times reported, so his living conditions may... Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamas jail cell. According to The New York...

Elon Musk. Photo by Baron Capital. Background generated in DALL E 2.

Why It’s Tough to Assess the True State of Musk’s Twitter

By Martin Peers · Dec 15, 2022 5:00pm PST · 1 comment

Some companies that go private disappear from public view. Not Twitter. It’s hard to think of another corporate takeover whose aftermath has drawn so much media attention, with so many details leaking out. And that has surely complicated Elon Musk’s life by, for instance, scaring away advertisers and possibly making it harder to recruit... Some companies that go private disappear from public view. Not Twitter. It’s hard to think of...

Photos by Bloomberg

Big Tech Stocks Still Aren’t Cheap

By Martin Peers · Dec 14, 2022 5:01pm PST

Photos by Bloomberg

Big Tech Stocks Still Aren’t Cheap

By Martin Peers · Dec 14, 2022 5:01pm PST

In times like this, when people in Silicon Valley are gripped by a sense of “panic”—as my colleague Kate Clark wrote today—it’s tempting to think we’ve hit bottom in the yearlong market sell-off. Just as you might think it’s time to sell stocks when your neighbors are giving you stock tips, maybe it’s time to buy when everyone is freaking out.... In times like this, when people in Silicon Valley are gripped by a sense of “panic”—as my ...