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

Incoming OpenAI CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo. Photo via Getty

AI Firms Get Religion on Marketing

By Martin Peers · May 8, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Artificial intelligence scientists and researchers, make room. You’re about to get an influx of new colleagues from the world of advertising and marketing, as the headlong race for AI dominance moves into a new, more commercial, phase. Exhibit A: As we scooped today, veteran marketing executive Mark D’Arcy, who spent a decade at Meta Platforms... Artificial intelligence scientists and researchers, make room. You’re about to get an influx of...

Photo via Getty

Disney's Sports Advantage Over Netflix

By Martin Peers · May 7, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Television advertising is becoming a one-trick pony—it’s all about sports. Check out Walt Disney Co.’s March-quarter results, released Wednesday. Ad revenue from its sports TV and streaming businesses rose 22%, due to staggering growth at ESPN’s U.S. business. “Live sports, as you know, is doing extremely well,” said Chief Financial... Television advertising is becoming a one-trick pony—it’s all about sports. Check out Walt...

Photo via Getty

DoorDash Buys European Fixer-Upper

By Martin Peers · May 6, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Food delivery’s great rivalry is heating up. DoorDash and Uber, the two giants of the restaurant-meal delivery scene in the U.S., are now poised to duke it out in Europe. DoorDash unveiled on Tuesday a $3.8 billion proposed takeover of UK-based Deliveroo, its biggest step yet to expand in Europe. Uber, meanwhile, did its best to rain on DoorDash... Food delivery’s great rivalry is heating up. DoorDash and Uber, the two giants of the...

Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2015. Photo via Getty

Elon Musk Wins OpenAI Battle, but Altman May Win the War

By Martin Peers · May 5, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2015. Photo via Getty

Elon Musk Wins OpenAI Battle, but Altman May Win the War

By Martin Peers · May 5, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Elon Musk might have won the battle over OpenAI’s future, but who’s to say Sam Altman isn’t going to win the war? Today’s announcement by the ChatGPT creator that it was abandoning plans to move its for-profit arm out from under control of the nonprofit—conceding to Musk’s legal efforts to stop the restructuring—could end up cementing... Elon Musk might have won the battle over OpenAI’s future, but who’s to say Sam Altman isn’t going...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo via Getty

Microsoft’s Big Week

By Martin Peers · May 2, 2025 2:59pm PDT · 3 comments

Satya Nadella, take a bow! Microsoft finished the week as the most valuable company in the world, worth $3.235 trillion, above Apple, long the market leader, which closed Friday with a market capitalization of $3.07 trillion. It’s no mystery why: Microsoft shares have outperformed all year, and this week they rallied strongly following the... Satya Nadella, take a bow! Microsoft finished the week as the most valuable company in the world,...

Photo via Getty

How Apple Is Dealing With Tariffs, So Far

By Martin Peers · May 1, 2025 5:00pm PDT

What a buzzkill. After Wednesday’s robust results from Meta Platforms and Microsoft, sparking Thursday’s tech stock rally, we came down to earth with results from Apple and Amazon Thursday evening. The numbers were pretty much par for the course for two companies whose high-growth days are in the past—5% top-line growth for Apple and 9%... What a buzzkill. After Wednesday’s robust results from Meta Platforms and Microsoft, sparking...

Photos via Getty

Meta Ramps Up AI Spending—Again

By Martin Peers · Apr 30, 2025 5:00pm PDT

When it comes to artificial intelligence, Mark Zuckerberg is not holding back. Meta Platforms revealed Wednesday it was raising its projected capital spending for this year to as high as $72 billion, from a previous high of $65 billion outlined in January. If Meta spent at the upper level of its new projection, its capital outlays this year... When it comes to artificial intelligence, Mark Zuckerberg is not holding back. Meta Platforms...

Photo via Getty

What Temu’s and Shein’s Travails Mean for Snap, Google and Meta

By Martin Peers · Apr 29, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Photo via Getty

What Temu’s and Shein’s Travails Mean for Snap, Google and Meta

By Martin Peers · Apr 29, 2025 5:00pm PDT

The end of the Temu-Shein era of cheap prices may be hurting digital ad firms just as much as bargain shoppers. Snap on Tuesday said the Trump administration’s closure of the duty-free import loophole—which allowed Temu and Shein to ship cheap stuff from China without paying duties—was affecting its ad business. Google forecast a similar impact... The end of the Temu-Shein era of cheap prices may be hurting digital ad firms just as much as...

Art by Clark Miller

Elite Group Chats Are Only Part of the Story

By Nick Wingfield · Apr 28, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Group chats are definitely having a moment. First, there were the headlines about how Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, had participated in private Signal discussion groups with Trump administration officials and family members in which he reportedly discussed upcoming U.S. military operations. Then, on Sunday, Ben Smith at Semafor ... Group chats are definitely having a moment. First, there were the headlines about how Pete...

Photo via Getty

DoorDash and Deliveroo on Brink of Marriage

By Martin Peers · Apr 25, 2025 3:45pm PDT

We could have a big deal coming soon. DoorDash looks likely to buy UK-based meal and grocery delivery firm Deliveroo for about $3.6 billion in cash, judging by a statement from Deliveroo on Friday that was also posted by DoorDash on its website. The U.S. delivery firm made an offer at that price earlier this month and Deliveroo said Friday it “... We could have a big deal coming soon. DoorDash looks likely to buy UK-based meal and grocery...

Photo by Getty

What Google’s First-Quarter Numbers Revealed

By Martin Peers · Apr 24, 2025 5:00pm PDT

In earnings season, which we’re in the midst of right now, no (bad) news is good news. Google delivered middling growth for the first quarter, with revenue rising 12%, in line with the fourth quarter, despite a noticeable slowdown in its cash machine of search and in YouTube ads. But despite the ever-present worries about President Donald Trump’... In earnings season, which we’re in the midst of right now, no (bad) news is good news. Google...

Left to right: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and President Donald Trump. Photos via Getty.

Walmart Helps Bail Out Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 23, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Left to right: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and President Donald Trump. Photos via Getty.

Walmart Helps Bail Out Amazon

By Theo Wayt · Apr 23, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy needs to send a thank-you card to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon—because it looks like Walmart just helped bail out Amazon. President Donald Trump’s signal on Tuesday that he might reduce tariffs on Chinese imports from the current level of 145% followed a meeting the president held with McMillon and the CEOs of Target and Home... Amazon CEO Andy Jassy needs to send a thank-you card to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon—because it...

Elon Musk. Photo via Getty

Tesla’s First Quarter Signals Bleak Year

By Martin Peers · Apr 22, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

When Elon Musk said in January that 2025 would be “a pivotal year for Tesla,” he surely wasn’t thinking of what has come to pass. The electric vehicle giant reported Tuesday that its auto revenues plunged 20% in the first quarter to their lowest level since 2021, dragging down Tesla’s overall revenue 9% and operating profit 66%. Tesla, which had... When Elon Musk said in January that 2025 would be “a pivotal year for Tesla,” he surely wasn’t...

Gail Slater (center), US assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division, and Todd Blanche (right), US deputy attorney general, today outside federal court. Photo via Getty.

DOJ Questions Google’s AI Tactics

By Martin Peers · Apr 21, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Is Google up to its old tricks in the new world of artificial intelligence? That’s what the government alleges. The Justice Department made a big deal in court today—as it argued how Google should be overhauled to remedy its search monopoly—with the charge that the tech giant was repeating its past sins in search in an effort to become dominant... Is Google up to its old tricks in the new world of artificial intelligence? That’s what the...

Photo via Getty

The AI Hole in Big Tech’s Pockets

By Martin Peers · Apr 18, 2025 1:30pm PDT

There were plenty of surprising revelations about Meta Platforms this week, thanks to its antitrust trial, most obviously that CEO Mark Zuckerberg mused in 2018 whether to spin off Instagram. But even more striking was The Information’s report on Thursday night that Meta for much of the past year was trying to get other big tech companies to... There were plenty of surprising revelations about Meta Platforms this week, thanks to its...

Photo via Getty

Google’s Antitrust Dilemma

By Martin Peers · Apr 17, 2025 5:15pm PDT

Photo via Getty

Google’s Antitrust Dilemma

By Martin Peers · Apr 17, 2025 5:15pm PDT

Before we get to today’s big tech developments, be sure to check out the scoop we just published about Meta Platforms asking companies like Microsoft and Amazon to help fund its Llama AI development. It’s a sign that the enormous costs of AI are straining even the coffers of one of the richest companies in tech… Right now, it’s all tech... Before we get to today’s big tech developments, be sure to check out the scoop we just published...

David Risher, CEO of Lyft. Photo via Getty

Does Lyft Need a New Engine?

By Martin Peers · Apr 16, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 3 comments

Does Lyft need a new engine to jump-start its performance? We’re thinking of activist investor Engine Capital, which has taken a stake in the ride-hailing firm and today said it would mount a proxy contest to win seats on Lyft’s board. Lyft’s stock price has been stalled (sorry) for years, trading at roughly 80% below its 2019 IPO price. It’s in... Does Lyft need a new engine to jump-start its performance? We’re thinking of activist investor...

Daniel Matheson, lead attorney for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, exits court today. Photo via Getty.

Could Meta Have Made Snap a Success?

By Martin Peers · Apr 15, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Mark Zuckerberg is very confident in his own abilities. His testimony in the government’s antitrust trial today—as reported by my colleague Kalley Huang—made clear his belief that both Twitter and Snap would have been better off if they had accepted the buyout bids he made early in their lives. By the same token, he believes Instagram today is... Mark Zuckerberg is very confident in his own abilities. His testimony in the government’s...

Meta's Chief Legal Officer, Jennifer Newstead, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House this morning. Photo via Getty.

Tech and Antitrust Trials Don’t Mix

By Martin Peers · Apr 14, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Antitrust trials and tech businesses don’t mix well. As was the case with the government’s ad tech case against Google last year, as well as its case against Meta Platforms, which went to trial in a Washington courtroom today, the lawsuits typically rest on years-old snapshots of an industry that are about as current as a picture you took of... Antitrust trials and tech businesses don’t mix well. As was the case with the government’s ad...

Photo via Getty

Google’s Continuous Cost-Cutting

By Martin Peers · Apr 11, 2025 3:27pm PDT

Photo via Getty

Google’s Continuous Cost-Cutting

By Martin Peers · Apr 11, 2025 3:27pm PDT

Google appears to have learned a lesson from 2023, when its layoffs of 12,000 people, or 6.4% of its workforce, became big news and sparked anger among employees used to its cushy culture. In the past 18 months or so, Google has made a series of smaller cuts, mostly at the scale of “hundreds of people” each time, according to news reports in The... Google appears to have learned a lesson from 2023, when its layoffs of 12,000 people, or 6.4% of...