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The Briefing

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

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Recent Editions

Europe's competition czar, Margrethe Vestager. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

EU Warns of Tougher Measures Against Tech: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Oct 7, 2020 5:31pm PDT
As much of the news media dived deep into the House of Representatives’ antitrust report on big tech, a more consequential development was unfolding in Europe. Broadcom settled “abuse of dominance” proceedings initiated by the European Commission by caving on the main points the regulator sought. And Europe’s competition... As much of the news media dived deep into the House of Representatives’ antitrust report on...
David Cicilline, who heads the antitrust subcommittee of the House of Representatives. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

House’s Antitrust Verdict on Big Tech: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Oct 6, 2020 6:02pm PDT
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the House of Representatives committee investigating big tech should conclude that all four companies—Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple—are monopolies in one way or another. The views of Democrats who control the committee came through at the CEO hearing in late July. But the report does provide... It shouldn’t be a surprise that the House of Representatives committee investigating big...
An Asana sign at the New York Stock Exchange when the company went public last week. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Briefing

What Palantir and Asana Mean for Direct Listings: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Oct 5, 2020 5:31pm PDT · 1 comment
Stocks enjoyed a robust rally on Monday—except for the two newest stocks to go public via direct listing, Palantir and Asana. For the fourth consecutive day, both stocks lost ground. Palantir is now down 5% from its close last Wednesday, while Asana is down 13%. Both are down much more from their highs on their opening day. The weak... Stocks enjoyed a robust rally on Monday—except for the two newest stocks to go public via...
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai testifying at a congressional committee hearing late July. Photo by Bloomberg
How Big Could Google and Facebook Get?: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Oct 2, 2020 5:01pm PDT
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai testifying at a congressional committee hearing late July. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

How Big Could Google and Facebook Get?: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Oct 2, 2020 5:01pm PDT
This was a week so packed with news that one reporter tweeted that we’re now in a period of “news hyperinflation,” likening the news environment to hyperinflation in Germany in the 1920s. But amid the barrage, some big picture events are unfolding, like the antitrust investigations now under way, could affect the tech industry... This was a week so packed with news that one reporter tweeted that we’re now in a period of...
Amazon workers protesting the company over climate change last September. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

51% of Subscribers Disagree With Coinbase’s Armstrong: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Oct 1, 2020 5:31pm PDT · 1 comment
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s blog post saying that Coinbase won’t “engage” with social issues unrelated to the company’s core mission as a crypto exchange has spotlighted a hugely contentious issue that divides people at tech companies big and small. Our subscribers, perhaps not surprisingly, are just as divided.... Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s blog post saying that Coinbase won’t...
Palantir's sign hangs from the front of the New York Stock Exchange today. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Palantir and Asana: Two Very Different Debuts: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 30, 2020 5:31pm PDT · 1 comment
Palantir and Asana went public Wednesday, immediately doubling the number of high-profile tech companies that have joined the public market through direct listings of their shares, rather than via a traditional IPO. But that might be the only thing that the two companies had in common on their first day on the public market. Asana shares opened... Palantir and Asana went public Wednesday, immediately doubling the number of high-profile tech...
The entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. resort last March when the coronavirus pandemic forced the park to close. Photo by AP
The Briefing

Disney’s Big Layoffs: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 29, 2020 5:32pm PDT
Disney’s announcement Tuesday that it will lay off 28,000 theme park workers was a good reminder that, while the stock market acts like there’s no pandemic, Covid-19 is still devastating the economy. The entertainment giant has had to severely limit attendance at its park in Florida, while state rules forced Disney to keep its... Disney’s announcement Tuesday that it will lay off 28,000 theme park workers was a good...
Uber started a boat service in London. Photo by Bloomberg
Uber’s London Win Reinforces Optimism of Investors: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By Martin Peers · Sep 28, 2020 5:31pm PDT
Uber started a boat service in London. Photo by Bloomberg
The Briefing

Uber’s London Win Reinforces Optimism of Investors: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Sep 28, 2020 5:31pm PDT
Uber got some good news on Monday when a U.K. judge ruled that the company could get back its license to operate in London. That sent Uber’s shares up 3%. That makes sense, you might think, since London is Uber’s most important market, where it has made plenty of money. But Uber never stopped operating in London: It was allowed to... Uber got some good news on Monday when a U.K. judge ruled that the company could get back its...
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...