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The Briefing

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

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Recent Editions

Apple CEO Tim Cook during a videoconference congressional committee hearing in late July. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

Apple’s Thin Olive Branch to Critics: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 25, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Talk about a very thin olive branch. Apple’s decision to waive its 30% commission on in-app purchases relating to online events through the end of the year is about the smallest step the iPhone maker could take to calm critics of its App Store policies and particularly the commission it charges. In reality, the move is unlikely to do... Talk about a very thin olive branch. Apple’s decision to waive its 30% commission on in-app...
Amazon's new flying video cam, unveiled today. Photo by Amazon
The Briefing

Amazon’s Flying Camera Spotlights Privacy: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 24, 2020 5:31pm PDT
Amazon’s unveiling of new Echo and Ring devices today should test just how worried Americans are that tech companies are infringing on their privacy. That’s been a huge concern of parts of the news media in the past couple of years, focused on Facebook in particular. But there has been little evidence that privacy worries were... Amazon’s unveiling of new Echo and Ring devices today should test just how worried...
Rocket Companies' signage on the headquarters of its Quicken Loans building in Detroit the day Rocket went public last month. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Better.com’s Valuation Hopes Reflect Fintech Boom: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 23, 2020 5:30pm PDT
There’s something of a boom going on in finance tech startups, you may have noticed. Our scoop today about Better.com, the online mortgage lender, looking to raise money at a valuation of $4 billion—several times where it was last valued—highlights the trend. In the past week other startups in the consumer finance... There’s something of a boom going on in finance tech startups, you may have noticed. Our...
Attorney-General William Barr. Photo by Bloomberg
Google’s Antitrust Battle Looms: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Sep 22, 2020 5:31pm PDT
Attorney-General William Barr. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Google’s Antitrust Battle Looms: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 22, 2020 5:31pm PDT
If you haven’t boned up on antitrust law, now’s the time. Multiple news reports in the past day or so suggest the Justice Department will file its much-anticipated case against Alphabet in the next week, kicking off what is likely to be the first of several cases against big tech in the coming months.According to the New York Times... If you haven’t boned up on antitrust law, now’s the time. Multiple news reports in...
ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Trump Puts TikTok Deal in Doubt: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 21, 2020 5:31pm PDT
It’s rare to see M&A end up in complete confusion, as the TikTok deal now seems to be, but then again, it’s rare for M&A to be driven by President Trump. His comments to Fox News Monday morning that TikTok would be “totally controlled by Oracle...and if we find that they don’t have total control then we’re... It’s rare to see M&A end up in complete confusion, as the TikTok deal now seems to be,...
President Trump at a news conference on Friday. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

What TikTok Ban Means for Google, Facebook, Apple: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 18, 2020 6:02pm PDT
The Trump administration’s order to ban new downloads of TikTok and WeChat has raised an important question for the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix: Should they file a legal challenge to the order?Banning foreign-owned apps has near-term implications for Apple, which faces the prospect that iPhone owners who rely on... The Trump administration’s order to ban new downloads of TikTok and WeChat has raised an...
President Trump. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

What TikTok’s Future Might Look Like Under Oracle and Walmart: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 17, 2020 6:01pm PDT
ByteDance’s hopes of getting President Trump’s approval for its proposed deal with Oracle appear to be dwindling by the day, judging by the blizzard of media reports about the debate going on inside the Trump administration. That raises the prospect that ByteDance will have to accept a less favorable deal by yielding control of the... ByteDance’s hopes of getting President Trump’s approval for its proposed deal with...
Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. Photo by Snowflake
Snowflake Blitzes Wall Street: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Sep 16, 2020 5:30pm PDT
Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. Photo by Snowflake
The Briefing

Snowflake Blitzes Wall Street: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 16, 2020 5:30pm PDT
We won’t make any more jokes about Snowflake melting under Wall Street’s spotlight. The data analytics firm had a spectacular opening day as a public company, its stock more than doubling from its $120 a share IPO price to close at $255 after trading as high as $299. It’s proof of the pent-up demand for tech IPOs, which should... We won’t make any more jokes about Snowflake melting under Wall Street’s spotlight....
A graphic for Apple's new Fitness+ service unveiled today. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

Apple Gets Physical With New Service: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 15, 2020 5:30pm PDT
Apple today unveiled its latest foray into the subscription business with a new fitness service that will begin offering studio-style workouts later this year. You might think it would worry Peloton, whose business has lately been thriving, particularly as the new service, Fitness+, will be included in a new discounted bundle of Apple services.... Apple today unveiled its latest foray into the subscription business with a new fitness service...
Oracle's Larry Ellison. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Oracle’s Winning TikTok Hand: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 14, 2020 5:30pm PDT · 1 comment
The drama over TikTok is far from resolved but right now it looks like Oracle may be one of the big winners from the saga. Its stock price rose 4% today on news that the ageing enterprise software giant would be a “trusted technology provider” to TikTok—in a deal the details of which remain murky. But simply being a tech... The drama over TikTok is far from resolved but right now it looks like Oracle may be one of the...
President Trump. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Where the TikTok Stalemate Will Lead: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 11, 2020 6:01pm PDT
The deadline for ByteDance to reach a deal to sell TikTok or face a U.S. shutdown is fast approaching. While it isn't clear whether time runs out on Sept. 15 or Sept. 20—the administration has used both dates at different times—President Trump has said there will be no extension.Meanwhile, China is taking the position, according... The deadline for ByteDance to reach a deal to sell TikTok or face a U.S. shutdown is fast...
Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin and Amazon CEO. Photo by Bloomberg
Amazon’s Space Ambitions, WTF Day Two: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Sep 10, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin and Amazon CEO. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Amazon’s Space Ambitions, WTF Day Two: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 10, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Not content to have conquered Planet Earth, Amazon is now looking to space. The ecommerce and cloud computing conglomerate has hired a head of space policy, CNBC reported, Peter Marquez, who was space policy head for the National Security Council under the Bush and Obama administrations.This follows, as CNBC pointed out, Amazon Web... Not content to have conquered Planet Earth, Amazon is now looking to space. The ecommerce and...
Sarah Bond, Head of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development, at an Xbox briefing last year. Photo by AP
The Briefing

Microsoft’s Game Plan, Day One of WTF: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 9, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Microsoft on Wednesday revealed prices for its new Xbox game consoles going on sale in November. What was interesting, though, was a new plan in which gamers can get the consoles with no money down. Instead, in a model borrowed from the cellphone industry, they will pay over two years—getting both the console and access to... Microsoft on Wednesday revealed prices for its new Xbox game consoles going on sale in November....
Apple CEO Tim Cook appearing by videoconference before the House Judiciary Committee in July. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Apple’s Epic Response: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 8, 2020 5:31pm PDT
The legal fight between Apple and Epic Games chugged onward Tuesday, as Apple countersued the developer of “Fortnite” and asked a judge for financial damages. While Apple’s countersuit didn’t contain any big surprises, it did include what might be Apple’s clearest defense yet against anyone who argues it is behaving... The legal fight between Apple and Epic Games chugged onward Tuesday, as Apple countersued the...
Masayoshi Son
The Briefing

SoftBank’s Latest Gambit: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 4, 2020 5:31pm PDT
With its high-priced Vision Fund investments, SoftBank drove up the value on private tech startups over the past few years. More recently, it has been doing the same with the price of public tech giants through massive option purchases on tech stocks.That’s according to a couple of reports on Friday, in the Financial Times and the Wall... With its high-priced Vision Fund investments, SoftBank drove up the value on private tech...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg
Facebook’s Misinformation Game Plan: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Sep 3, 2020 5:01pm PDT
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Facebook’s Misinformation Game Plan: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 3, 2020 5:01pm PDT
Facebook got big headlines today for its decision to ban political ads in the final week of the presidential race, its latest move aimed at battling misinformation ahead of the November election. The impact the ban will have is debatable. A less flashy update to Facebook’s Messenger app, also announced today, will likely have a more... Facebook got big headlines today for its decision to ban political ads in the final week of the...
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

Airbnb’s SPAC Rejection: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 2, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Merging with a special purpose acquisition company—those fast-proliferating publicly traded firms that have cash and whose mission in life is to acquire a business—has emerged as an appealing route for private tech firms looking to go public. But Airbnb’s rejection of an approach from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s... Merging with a special purpose acquisition company—those fast-proliferating publicly traded...
Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the iPhone 11 Pro after an event unveiling it last September. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

What Apple’s 5G Push Means: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 1, 2020 5:01pm PDT
Apple’s plans to launch four new phones with 5G capability this fall, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, makes one thing clear: 5G will soon get taken seriously by consumers.The major phone carriers have had 5G networks up and running for at least several months now. But with only Android phones offering 5G capability, and... Apple’s plans to launch four new phones with 5G capability this fall, according to a...
Bloomberg
The Briefing

Beijing Throws TikTok a Curveball, the Zoom Boom

By Martin Peers · Aug 31, 2020 5:33pm PDT
The Chinese government’s decision to require export controls for certain types of artificial intelligence technology, making official approval necessary for a sale of any part of TikTok to a U.S. company, is a reminder of how it can complicate life even for successful Chinese tech giants.The decision throws the timeline of a TikTok sale... The Chinese government’s decision to require export controls for certain types of...
Photo by Bloomberg
A TikTok Deal Gets Closer, Facebook Bashes Apple
By Martin Peers · Aug 28, 2020 4:05pm PDT
Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

A TikTok Deal Gets Closer, Facebook Bashes Apple

By Martin Peers · Aug 28, 2020 4:05pm PDT
TikTok appears to be inching closer to a deal to be acquired by groups led by either Microsoft or Oracle, along with minority investors. Once that’s done, the hard part will start.If the deal only involves the TikTok service in North America, Australia and New Zealand, as Microsoft said earlier this month, figuring out how those assets and... TikTok appears to be inching closer to a deal to be acquired by groups led by either Microsoft or...