Periodically

The Takeaway

By Jessica E. Lessin

An inside perspective on tech, media and startups from a reporter and founder who tells the truth about Silicon Valley.

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Recent Editions

The Takeaway

Virtual Events and Why I Am Never Going Back

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 12, 2020 7:45am PDT · 2 comments
A week ago, I spent a Friday evening quite nervous that our second The Information WTF conference—virtual, of course—would fall flat. Yes, we had a great lineup. But would our nearly 500 attendees want to stare at their computers for two days straight? How would the interviews go over? Would people pay $1,000 for a ticket with no... A week ago, I spent a Friday evening quite nervous that our second The Information WTF...
People shop at a fruit market in Brooklyn. Photo by AP
The Takeaway

How Brooklyn Is Taking On Amazon

By Paris Martineau · Sep 5, 2020 7:45am PDT · 1 comment
We’re in the midst of the perfect storm (or perhaps the perfect double hurricane) to cause the mass extinction of small businesses and the consolidation of wide swaths of commerce. The last six months have been punishing for most small businesses, particularly those that catered to the surrounding community, relying primarily on foot... We’re in the midst of the perfect storm (or perhaps the perfect double hurricane) to cause...
The Takeaway

The Mistake I Made About Apple’s and Google’s Businesses

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 22, 2020 7:47am PDT · 1 comment
One of my most vivid memories from my eight years at The Wall Street Journal was sitting with my boss talking about the future of Google. I had just taken over the beat, and my editor was trying to map out for me how to cover the most important internet company at the time (and arguably now). “If you just remember one theme,... One of my most vivid memories from my eight years at The Wall Street Journal was sitting with my...
Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo by Bloomberg
Our (Mostly Male) Tech CEOs Face a Time of Reckoning
By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 15, 2020 7:45am PDT · 7 comments
Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

Our (Mostly Male) Tech CEOs Face a Time of Reckoning

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 15, 2020 7:45am PDT · 7 comments
Earlier this week, while scanning Twitter in between meetings, I saw an article about a new gender discrimination suit filed against Pinterest. I made a mental note to read it later. The female in me is always disturbed by and wants to know more about these suits. But the editor in me too often gets distracted by other topics dominating the... Earlier this week, while scanning Twitter in between meetings, I saw an article about a new...
Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Larry Summers on Trump’s ‘Tragic Precedent,’ TikTok and Regulation

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 8, 2020 8:00am PDT · 5 comments
It was a week of shattering precedents as President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Treasury would exact a bounty for allowing the sale of TikTok and signed an executive order that would block U.S. companies from doing deals with the video app and with Chinese messaging service WeChat. So I reached out to someone who knows a little bit... It was a week of shattering precedents as President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Treasury...
ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

The Bad Luck of Zhang Yiming (and Why You Should Care)

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 25, 2020 7:46am PDT · 5 comments
I first met Zhang Yiming, the founder of Bytedance, six years ago at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park. The Information and GeekPark, a Chinese tech incubator, were hosting an event for entrepreneurs from the U.S. and China. Zhang, who was then little-known, had founded a Chinese news app called Toutiao which uses AI to recommend... I first met Zhang Yiming, the founder of Bytedance, six years ago at Facebook’s...
The Takeaway

Tech Is Rebounding: The Winners, Losers and Risks

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 18, 2020 7:46am PDT
Back in March, there was something particularly cruel about how the pandemic affected Airbnb. As its bankers were finishing up paperwork to file for a direct listing, a way to go public when your cash coffers are so full you don’t need more cash, travel ground to a halt. The company said revenue would likely take a 50% hit in the... Back in March, there was something particularly cruel about how the pandemic affected Airbnb. As...
What Would Have Happened at Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley Conference (or at Least I Think So)
By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 11, 2020 7:47am PDT
The Takeaway

What Would Have Happened at Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley Conference (or at Least I Think So)

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 11, 2020 7:47am PDT
In pre-pandemic times, the most well-known CEOs in tech and media would have spent this week in Sun Valley, hobnobbing, taking nature walks, and yes, doing a little business as part of investment bank Allen & Co.’s storied conference. I’ve been on the sidelines of the event for around a decade on and off, reporting and... In pre-pandemic times, the most well-known CEOs in tech and media would have spent this week in...
The Takeaway

The Tech and Media Culture War That Isn’t

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 4, 2020 7:46am PDT · 1 comment
Reporters, tech investors and executives like to think they are at the center of the world. And this week, based on conversations on Twitter, it briefly felt like they were. For months, a handful of outspoken venture capitalists have been attacking journalists for 1) downplaying coronavirus earlier this year and 2) just generally being... Reporters, tech investors and executives like to think they are at the center of the world. And...
The Takeaway

Here’s an Idea for Advertisers Leaving Facebook—Support News

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 27, 2020 7:45am PDT · 1 comment
The march of digital advertising heavyweights refusing to advertise on Facebook took some major steps forward this week, with Verizon and Unilever joining the boycott. The brands, and many others, want Facebook to do a better job removing hate speech and misinformation. Mark Zuckerberg announced some new measures to do so Friday, but the brands... The march of digital advertising heavyweights refusing to advertise on Facebook took some major...
A street in San Francisco May 6. Even as coronavirus restrictions start to loosen, many office workers are likely to keep working from home. Photo: Bloomberg
The Takeaway

The Aftershocks of Extended Remote Work

By Laura Mandaro · Jun 20, 2020 7:46am PDT · 1 comment
Today marks the official start of summer. Even here in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has been slower to remove coronavirus restrictions than many parts of the country, it feels shutdowns are nearly behind us. People are drinking beer on restaurant patios. Traffic is returning. Yet a review of when tech companies are planning to bring... Today marks the official start of summer. Even here in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has been...
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg
The Case Against Apple
By Nick Wingfield · Jun 13, 2020 7:46am PDT · 1 comment
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

The Case Against Apple

By Nick Wingfield · Jun 13, 2020 7:46am PDT · 1 comment
In early 2017, the Yale Law Journal published a paper entitled “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” written by a then-unknown law student at the university, Lina Khan. The paper’s novel analysis of Amazon’s effect on competition—which went against the grain of conventional views about antitrust enforcement—... In early 2017, the Yale Law Journal published a paper entitled “Amazon’s Antitrust...
The Takeaway

The Conversation We Need to Have

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 6, 2020 7:47am PDT · 2 comments
As protests over police brutality and racial injustice continued to sweep the country this week, leaders from across the technology industry and the world picked up their pen. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel boldly called for a commission to address racism and higher taxes on the wealthy to support the underserved. Tim Cook promised Apple would do more to... As protests over police brutality and racial injustice continued to sweep the country this week,...
The Takeaway

The End of the ‘Neutral’ Tech Platform

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 30, 2020 7:46am PDT · 2 comments
This week’s war between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and President Donald Trump over Twitter fact checking and labeling his tweets set off a bomb in Washington over tech regulation. It raised fascinating questions about the power of technology platforms over speech and was, as a technology journalist, quite fun to watch.It also should put an... This week’s war between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and President Donald Trump over Twitter...
The Takeaway

Could Remote Work Backfire for Minorities?

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 23, 2020 8:00am PDT · 2 comments
A month or so ago, when it became clear that the pandemic would change the way we work permanently, I was hopeful that one change—more remote work—could help Silicon Valley fix its diversity problem. When I think about the subject of remote work cultures, I think back to the very stressful months at the beginning of my two... A month or so ago, when it became clear that the pandemic would change the way we work...
Journalist Katie Couric speaks during the 2020 Makers Conference in Los Angeles. Photo by Bloomberg.
Katie Couric’s Latest Act Is Paying Off
By Jessica E. Lessin · May 16, 2020 8:02am PDT · 3 comments
Journalist Katie Couric speaks during the 2020 Makers Conference in Los Angeles. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Katie Couric’s Latest Act Is Paying Off

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 16, 2020 8:02am PDT · 3 comments
The news about the news is increasingly grim. Newsrooms are cutting journalism jobs in droves. Many news businesses are collapsing. Clearly, it’s time for new approaches.With that on my mind, I checked in this week with a journalist I admire, someone who has always taken big risks in her career: Katie Couric.Couric, of course, was TV... The news about the news is increasingly grim. Newsrooms are cutting journalism jobs in droves....
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

The Truth About Airbnb and Uber Layoffs

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 9, 2020 7:47am PDT · 3 comments
When Cory broke the news that Airbnb was planning to lay off 25% of its staff this week, I wasn’t surprised by the cuts. The pandemic has wiped out demand for travel. It has been clear that no travel business would be spared from cost-cutting. But the scope of the cuts—a quarter of the company or some 1,900 people—did... When Cory broke the news that Airbnb was planning to lay off 25% of its staff this week, I...
The Takeaway

To Return or Not to Return? That Is the Question

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 2, 2020 7:46am PDT · 3 comments
This week, it was finally time to confront the question I have been avoiding for weeks: how and when our team at The Information should go back to our offices. I think that day is still likely far away in San Francisco and New York. (Our Hong Kong team just moved into their new digs!) But in the interest of being prepared, I felt that I had... This week, it was finally time to confront the question I have been avoiding for weeks: how and...
The Takeaway

Why the Glass Might Be Half Full for Local News

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 25, 2020 7:47am PDT · 3 comments
Earlier this week, I got a push notification from the San Francisco Chronicle with a map of Covid-19 infections by ZIP code. It was exactly the kind of local news I felt I needed to read—immediately. I looked away from the Zoom meeting I was on, tapped and instantly shared the link with friends.  Covid-19 has devastated local... Earlier this week, I got a push notification from the San Francisco Chronicle with a map of...
TaskRabbit founder Leah Solivan.
Fundraising in a Crisis: Lessons From TaskRabbit
By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 18, 2020 7:45am PDT
TaskRabbit founder Leah Solivan.
The Takeaway

Fundraising in a Crisis: Lessons From TaskRabbit

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 18, 2020 7:45am PDT
It was December 2008, and Leah Busque was broke. It had been six months since she had left her cushy job as an engineer for IBM to build a service helping people outsource their errands to folks looking for extra income. And despite months of conversations with investors—occurring against headwinds of the financial crisis—her credit... It was December 2008, and Leah Busque was broke. It had been six months since she had left her...