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The Information's 411

Below is a collection of every The Information's 411 article by The Information.
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The Information's 411
entertainment

Special 411 Podcast: Jessica Lessin interviews Kara Swisher

By Jessica E. Lessin · April 6, 2023 2:15 PM PDT · 1 comment
A few weeks ago, at the SXSW conference, I sat down with journalist and the host of “Pivot” and “On with Kara Swisher,” Kara Swisher. With Silicon Valley Bank imploding around us, and technology companies on edge about all sorts of issues, it felt like a good time to check with Swisher on not just the state of tech, but... A few weeks ago, at the SXSW conference, I sat down with journalist and the host of...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — That’s The Vibe

By Tom Dotan · Feb. 26, 2016 1:59 PM PST
Stephen Nellis spent the early part of the week up in Seattle, checking out, among other things, Amazon’s first retail store. In Friday’s podcast, he described the experience as like walking into a high-end retail chain of the future, with requisite Amazon touches like recommendations and a laser focus on gathering data.Then Stephen... Stephen Nellis spent the early part of the week up in Seattle, checking out, among other things,...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Multiples

By Tom Dotan · Feb. 19, 2016 3:12 PM PST
Ripples from the recent stock price collapse for subscription software companies has reached the private markets. If LinkedIn and Box are now going to be valued at much smaller multiples than before, what does that say about the pumped up valuations for private companies like DropBox? Steve came on the show to talk about what’s in store... Ripples from the recent stock price collapse for subscription software companies has reached the...
The Information’s 411 — Hype Smoothie
By Tom Dotan · Feb. 12, 2016 1:49 PM PST
The Information's 411
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The Information’s 411 — Hype Smoothie

By Tom Dotan · Feb. 12, 2016 1:49 PM PST
Compared to a few years ago, there’s a lot more skepticism today within the tech and finance worlds around startups. All those concerns came to a head this week in a pair of stories we did that touched on themes we’ve been following closely.The first was Alfred’s deep dive into the methods mutual funds and other public market... Compared to a few years ago, there’s a lot more skepticism today within the tech and...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Enviable Titles

By Tom Dotan · Feb. 5, 2016 11:30 AM PST
Twitter’s earnings next week are bound to draw attention as the instability at the company continues.On this week’s podcast, Amir elaborated on his story previewing Twitter’s revenue and user growth. It’s not all bad news for the company, as brand ads are outperforming expectations. But direct response ads are starting to... Twitter’s earnings next week are bound to draw attention as the instability at the company...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Shrinking Pies

By Tom Dotan · Jan. 29, 2016 1:52 PM PST
Whether you think it’s an industry-wide correction or isolated examples, the specter of down rounds have been circling Silicon Valley’s unicorns. Both Foursquare and Jawbone had their valuations cut down in recent fundings, yet investors and executives have argued that these down rounds are employee friendly. Jessica looked at the... Whether you think it’s an industry-wide correction or isolated examples, the specter of...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Heartstrings

By Tom Dotan · Jan. 22, 2016 1:35 PM PST
San Francisco is an infamously expensive city to live in, and the tech companies renting office space here are feeling it acutely. Cory joined to talk about how much tech firms are spending on their offices. The ones paying out big bucks are those in the multi-billion dollar valuation club like Uber and Dropbox.Cory stayed on to talk about his... San Francisco is an infamously expensive city to live in, and the tech companies renting office...
The Information’s 411 — Bad Week
By Tom Dotan · Jan. 15, 2016 2:25 PM PST
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Bad Week

By Tom Dotan · Jan. 15, 2016 2:25 PM PST
It was a bad week for the markets but an especially bad week for tech stocks like Twitter. Each new day seemed to bring a new low for the company’s stock. That kind of a collapse has rippled through the tech industry as investors and companies nervously eye private valuations. It was a story we covered earlier this week, and Reed joined to... It was a bad week for the markets but an especially bad week for tech stocks like Twitter. Each...
The Information's 411
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The Information’s 411 — War Games

By Tom Dotan · Jan. 8, 2016 1:19 PM PST
In the first podcast of the year, Jessica dropped in to talk about her weekly column, which took a hard look at the problem of gender diversity in Silicon Valley. And it started from an interesting observation about The Information’s subscriber base.Then Reed explained our latest data-driven project, The Information’s Insider List,... In the first podcast of the year, Jessica dropped in to talk about her weekly column, which took...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Run for the Exits

By Steve Nellis · Dec. 31, 2015 11:08 AM PST
In our last podcast of 2015, The Information’s entire staff crammed into our conference room to talk about their predictions for next year. We touched on prospects for Google, Microsoft, Snapchat and more.Amir predicted a shakeout in mobile advertising as big players like Twitter make money off their datasets and smaller, third-party... In our last podcast of 2015, The Information’s entire staff crammed into our conference...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Downside Protections

By Tom Dotan · Dec. 18, 2015 1:23 PM PST
In what is our second-to-last podcast of 2015, Alfred and Reed appeared to discuss our series of stories this week that looked at how investors in private tech companies are structuring deals. Increasingly, the investment firms leading fundraising rounds are pushing for terms that give them downside protections. That can leave employees, among... In what is our second-to-last podcast of 2015, Alfred and Reed appeared to discuss our series of...
The Information’s 411 — Greek Dramas
By Tom Dotan · Dec. 11, 2015 1:50 PM PST
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Greek Dramas

By Tom Dotan · Dec. 11, 2015 1:50 PM PST
The holiday season, and holiday parties, are in full swing; at The Information we just hosted ours Thursday night. But there’s little in the way of celebration coming out of Yahoo right now. The company announced that it was pulling back on its proposed spin-off of its Alibaba stake, and instead will look to spin out Yahoo’s core... The holiday season, and holiday parties, are in full swing; at The Information we just hosted...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — Bezos v. Kalanick

By Tom Dotan · Dec. 4, 2015 2:10 PM PST
With the year all but wound down, we decided to look ahead to 2016. Earlier this week we named Jeff Bezos our “Person of 2016,” based on Amazon’s expected rollouts of same day delivery, the Internet of Things, media and other strands of the Seattle company’s empire. Travis Kalanick was our second place pick.But... With the year all but wound down, we decided to look ahead to 2016. Earlier this week we named...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 — The Pop

By Tom Dotan · Nov. 20, 2015 3:38 PM PST
Depending on whom you ask, Square’s IPO earlier this week was either a sign of investment banking ineptitude or savvy. In dropping the price below the expected offering range, only to see the stock jump on the first day of trading, the banks behind the deal either misjudged demand or cleverly priced the offering to ensure a first day pop... Depending on whom you ask, Square’s IPO earlier this week was either a sign of investment...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 - Ad Stars

By Tom Dotan · Nov. 6, 2015 1:29 PM PST
Despite the greatest efforts of tech companies, ads don’t sell themselves. They need people to bridge the gap between digital technology, advertising and media. As Tom explains on this week’s podcast, these people are often behind-the-scenes types who typically don’t get much publicity. But they’re playing a crucial role,... Despite the greatest efforts of tech companies, ads don’t sell themselves. They need people...
The Information’s 411 - Supervoting
By Tom Dotan · Oct. 30, 2015 10:28 AM PDT
The Information's 411
uber/lyft

The Information’s 411 - Supervoting

By Tom Dotan · Oct. 30, 2015 10:28 AM PDT
Earlier this week, we learned that Information subscribers aren’t as impressed with the Internet of Things as the tech industry would probably like them to be. And as Steve Nellis explains on this week’s podcast, that’s a big problem given how much emphasis companies like Google, Apple and even Salesforce are putting on making... Earlier this week, we learned that Information subscribers aren’t as impressed with the...
The Information's 411

The Information’s 411 - Blood Feuds

By Tom Dotan · Oct. 23, 2015 2:39 PM PDT
The controversy over blood testing biotech firm Theranos has extended into its second week, as founder Elizabeth Holmes continues to push back forcefully against the allegations made in a tough Wall Street Journal story. Jessica joins the podcast this week to give her take on the mystique surrounding Ms. Holmes and whether her techy rhetoric... The controversy over blood testing biotech firm Theranos has extended into its second week, as...
The Information's 411
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The Information’s 411 - Righting Ships

By The Information Staff · Oct. 16, 2015 10:37 AM PDT
The Information’s intern Sam Lessin makes his first appearance on the Podcast, talking about his Monday column that looked at why troubled tech companies rarely pull out of a downward spiral. It isn’t that companies like Twitter and Yahoo aren’t staffed by talented people, but the very nature of tech... The Information’s intern Sam Lessin makes his first appearance on the Podcast, talking...
The Information's 411
uber/lyft

The Information’s 411 — Fleet Week

By Tom Dotan · Oct. 9, 2015 8:42 PM PDT · 1 comment
This was a busy week for the tech industry in San Francisco.It started with the official announcement that Jack Dorsey will be the permanent CEO of Twitter. Soon after was the Vanity Fair party—the annual, if slightly uncomfortable, social mixing of tech titans and Hollywood moguls. And it ended with Fleet Week and the majestic sonic booms... This was a busy week for the tech industry in San Francisco.It started with the official...
The Information’s 411 — The Coronation
By Tom Dotan · Oct. 2, 2015 11:59 AM PDT
The Information's 411
media/telecom

The Information’s 411 — The Coronation

By Tom Dotan · Oct. 2, 2015 11:59 AM PDT
On the eve of Jack Dorsey’s official coronation as permanent CEO of Twitter, we have two questions: how did we get here, and what does it mean now?That’s what Jessica and Tom mull over in this week’s podcast. But at least there’s no more question about who’s in charge. Jack is going to be anointed permanent CEO just... On the eve of Jack Dorsey’s official coronation as permanent CEO of Twitter, we have two...