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The Briefing

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

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Recent Editions

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Google’s Threat Down Under: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 22, 2021 5:31pm PST
Google’s threat to shut down its search engine in Australia if the legislature there proceeds with a plan to require the search giant to pay publishers for linking to their news articles puts the spotlight on a little-understood question. What is the potential cost for Google, and Facebook, if they had to pay for news content on terms... Google’s threat to shut down its search engine in Australia if the legislature there...
The Justice Department's sign at a press conference. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

When Antitrust Opposition Boosts Value: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 21, 2021 5:01pm PST
Sometimes, the government is here to help. The Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit that killed Visa’s acquisition of Plaid promises to become a windfall for shareholders in the fintech startup, as The Information reported today. Visa had agreed to pay $5.3 billion for Plaid, but there’s now investor interest in the company... Sometimes, the government is here to help. The Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit that...
Anthony Levandowski. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

The Thinking Behind Levandowski’s Pardon: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By The Information Staff · Jan 20, 2021 5:02pm PST
Now-former president Trump’s last minute pardon of self-driving car engineer Anthony Levandowski raises a fascinating question about crime and punishment in Silicon Valley. When a judge last year sentenced Levandowski to 18 months in prison for stealing a proprietary Google document, he said his goal was deterrence. As we reported at the... Now-former president Trump’s last minute pardon of self-driving car engineer Anthony...
Netflix's Los Angeles office. Photo by Bloomberg
Netflix Passes Major Milestone: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Jan 19, 2021 5:32pm PST · 1 comment
Netflix's Los Angeles office. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Netflix Passes Major Milestone: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 19, 2021 5:32pm PST · 1 comment
If the contest to build a profitable video streaming service were a footrace, Netflix would be the runner crossing the finish line as all the other contestants were leaving the starting blocks. The reality of that was brought home today when Netflix said it had passed 200 million global subscribers and was “very close” to being... If the contest to build a profitable video streaming service were a footrace, Netflix would be...
Apple's Eddy Cue at a developer conference in 2015. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Will Apple Kill the Free Podcast?: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 15, 2021 5:30pm PST
The podcasting industry as we know it is about to change. Plans by Apple to launch a subscription service for podcasts, as The Information reported today, portends a shift to a much more balkanized podcasting world. Instead of shows being broadly available for free on a variety of outlets, in the future podcasts will be attached exclusively for... The podcasting industry as we know it is about to change. Plans by Apple to launch a subscription...
Poshmark's sign outside the Nasdaq in New York on Thursday. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Poshmark Goes Public, Fitbit Gets Bought: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 14, 2021 5:02pm PST
Used clothing website Poshmark began life as a public company today, with its stock more than doubling to around $100 a share. At the same time, Fitbit ended its life as an independent company, after Google completed its acquisition of wearables device maker for $7.35 a share, 63% lower than Fitbit’s IPO price in 2015. Call it a tale of... Used clothing website Poshmark began life as a public company today, with its stock more than...
Intel's outgoing CEO Bob Swan. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

What Intel’s CEO Flip Says About the Board: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 13, 2021 5:32pm PST
Intel’s decision to dump its CEO, Bob Swan, in favor of a former longtime executive and most recently VMware chief Pat Gelsinger may well prove the right move to deal with the immense challenges facing the iconic chipmaker. But Intel’s board needs to answer for its decision two years ago to put Swan into the job. Swan was named CEO... Intel’s decision to dump its CEO, Bob Swan, in favor of a former longtime executive and...
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan and others celebrate the day Zoom went public, in April 2019. Photo by Bloomberg
Zoom Stock Offering Hints at Future Deals: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Jan 12, 2021 5:00pm PST
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan and others celebrate the day Zoom went public, in April 2019. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Zoom Stock Offering Hints at Future Deals: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 12, 2021 5:00pm PST
Zoom Video Communications sent a signal it may be planning a sizable acquisition. The corporate star of the pandemic era is raising $1.5 billion in stock, cashing in on the incredible run-up in its stock over the past year. In case you’ve forgotten, the videoconferencing company’s stock started last year trading at $68 and reached a... Zoom Video Communications sent a signal it may be planning a sizable acquisition. The corporate...
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Most Subscribers See Trump, Parler Bans as Precedent-Setting: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 11, 2021 5:01pm PST · 5 comments
A sizable majority of The Information’s subscribers responding to a survey today see the decisions by tech companies to block Parler and President Trump as setting long-term precedents, rather than being specific to the events of Jan. 6. That view raises the fundamental question for all tech companies blocking Parler: Are they going to... A sizable majority of The Information’s subscribers responding to a survey today see the...
President Trump. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Twitter’s Trump Ban: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 8, 2021 5:31pm PST · 1 comment
Big tech took two daring steps today to deal with Trump and right-wing misinformation—Twitter banned Donald Trump’s account permanently, including deleting all his past tweets. That’s a ground-shaking move in itself. Separately, BuzzFeed reported that Apple has threatened to ban Parler, the social media site popular with... Big tech took two daring steps today to deal with Trump and right-wing...
Trump speaking to protesters on Wednesday before the riot. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Social Media’s Fuzzy Line in the Sand: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 7, 2021 5:01pm PST
Facebook’s decision to ban Trump for at least the next two weeks got a lot of airplay today, as the most decisive action yet by the social network to deal with disinformation from the president. But it’s doubtful this constitutes any major sea change in Facebook’s historically hands-off approach to dealing with toxic speech. ... Facebook’s decision to ban Trump for at least the next two weeks got a lot of airplay...
Protesters storming the Capitol building. Photo by AP
Tech Stocks Sell Off: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Jan 6, 2021 5:02pm PST · 2 comments
Protesters storming the Capitol building. Photo by AP
The Briefing

Tech Stocks Sell Off: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 6, 2021 5:02pm PST · 2 comments
It says a lot about Wall Street’s ability to compartmentalize that even as a mob of Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol in what looked like a scene from the French Revolution, stocks only dipped slightly during what was otherwise a big rally. Investors typically trade based on future expectations, not what is happening today. The bet... It says a lot about Wall Street’s ability to compartmentalize that even as a mob of Trump...
Two time CEO Eric Schmidt. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

CEO Experience Isn’t as Valuable as Believed: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 5, 2021 5:31pm PST
A study reported by Harvard Business Review found that people who serve as CEOs of more than one company perform worse the second time around than chief executives without prior experience in the top job. It’s one data point that should help fuel a more diverse CEO cohort, by pushing back against the idea that experience as CEO is an... A study reported by Harvard Business Review found that people who serve as CEOs of more than one...
Google workers protesting in a 2018 walkout over how the company handled sexual harassment allegations against a senior executive. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Alphabet Workers Form Union: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Jan 4, 2021 5:01pm PST · 1 comment
Tech workers of the world unite! That could be the slogan for the new Alphabet Workers Union, which was announced Monday by the union’s leaders in an opinion piece in the New York Times. It’s an update on a famous version of a line from the Communist Manifesto, which, judging by the opinion piece, would be appropriate. In their... Tech workers of the world unite! That could be the slogan for the new Alphabet Workers Union,...
AMD's Lisa Su. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Our Year-End Tech Oscars: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 31, 2020 4:05pm PST · 4 comments
As 2020 comes to an end, the news scene is quiet today. So it seemed appropriate to call out some of the year’s outstanding performances in leading roles in the tech industry. CEO of the Year: Lisa Su of AMD. After six years in the job, Su has engineered an incredible turnaround at this once-struggling chip company. Its stock is up more... As 2020 comes to an end, the news scene is quiet today. So it seemed appropriate to call out some...
Wondery's app on a phone. Photo by Bloomberg
Amazon’s Puzzling Podcasting Bet: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2020 4:32pm PST · 3 comments
Wondery's app on a phone. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Amazon’s Puzzling Podcasting Bet: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 30, 2020 4:32pm PST · 3 comments
Amazon confirmed Wednesday it had agreed to buy podcast creator Wondery, known for podcast series such as “Business Wars.” There is nothing particularly remarkable about this deal, which underlies the question it raises—why is Amazon buying this firm? Amazon’s explanation is that it will help expand its Music offering... Amazon confirmed Wednesday it had agreed to buy podcast creator Wondery, known for podcast series...
Daniel Loeb. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Activist Targets Intel: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 29, 2020 5:31pm PST
Activist investor Daniel Loeb has targeted Intel for his next pressure campaign, reportedly urging the chipmaker to consider separating its chip manufacturing operations from its chip design. That would be an enormous step if Intel were to take it—Intel’s roots in fabricating its own chips has long set it apart from smaller rivals... Activist investor Daniel Loeb has targeted Intel for his next pressure campaign, reportedly...
Gal Gadot, star of Wonder Woman 1984, at an event in Brazil publicizing the film last year. Photo by AP.
The Briefing

What ‘Wonder Woman’ Says About Streaming: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Dec 28, 2020 5:30pm PST
The surprisingly strong weekend box office figures for “Wonder Woman 1984” should calm the Hollywood hysteria about WarnerMedia’s decision to release all of its film slate for next year both in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service. Hollywood types freaked out that it was the end of the studio’s commitment to... The surprisingly strong weekend box office figures for “Wonder Woman 1984” should...
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma last year. Photo: Bloomberg
The Briefing

Antitrust Alignment: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By The Information Staff · Dec 24, 2020 5:55pm PST
Government officials in the U.S. and China seem to be at odds over everything these days, but there is now an area where they appear to be on the same page: reining in Big Tech. On Thursday, Chinese regulators took the rare step of announcing an investigation of the country’s most valuable company, Alibaba, over allegations that it used... Government officials in the U.S. and China seem to be at odds over everything these days, but...
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan last year. Photo by Bloomberg
Will the Zoom Boom Last?: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By The Information Staff · Dec 23, 2020 5:32pm PST
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan last year. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Will the Zoom Boom Last?: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By The Information Staff · Dec 23, 2020 5:32pm PST
We broke the news today that Zoom Video Communications is starting to map out a post-pandemic future, one where society is no longer constantly tethered to videoconferencing to connect with colleagues, friends and family. Under consideration, Kevin reports, are email and calendar services that could compete with giants Microsoft and Google. Yet... We broke the news today that Zoom Video Communications is starting to map out a post-pandemic...