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

Eight Themes We’re Following Closely

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 29, 2018 6:58am PDT
I want to step back this week and talk themes. In the early days of The Information, we couldn’t cover everything so we made our mark where we could, focusing on themes like the rise and significance of messaging (culminating in Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp) and the underlying business performance of then (and still) late-stage... I want to step back this week and talk themes. In the early days of The Information, we...
The Takeaway

What No One Is Saying About Facebook

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 21, 2018 12:40pm PDT · 4 comments
As for the imbroglio over Facebook’s clumsy content moderation strategy—and even clumsier rationalization of it—I spent the last few days trying to find some coherent argument for how Facebook should police its platform and draw the line between what it should and shouldn’t allow. This stuff is tough. So tough. If you... As for the imbroglio over Facebook’s clumsy content moderation strategy—and even...
The Takeaway

Why Sun Valley Lost Interest in Silicon Valley

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 14, 2018 8:26am PDT
There was a time when Silicon Valley was the next big thing at Sun Valley. By that I mean that this annual conference—in its 36 years as a summer camp for old-school media moguls—was all about the “disruptors” from the Valley. Travis Kalanick was mobbed by attendees. Mark Zuckerberg was the person everyone wanted to meet.... There was a time when Silicon Valley was the next big thing at Sun Valley. By that I mean that...
The End of Growth
By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 7, 2018 8:23am PDT · 5 comments
The Takeaway

The End of Growth

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 7, 2018 8:23am PDT · 5 comments
Priya’s article this week about retailers flocking to Instagram instead of Amazon got me thinking about growth and where startups are finding it. (I suppose running a business also has something to do with my interest in this topic.)There have been several major shifts that are making it much harder—and more expensive—for... Priya’s article this week about retailers flocking to Instagram instead of Amazon got me...
The Takeaway

The New Tech Bundle

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 2, 2018 9:55am PDT · 1 comment
I smiled when I read Jessica Toonkel’s great story this week reporting Apple may sell one service bundling news, TV and music. Even my colleagues mock my love of bundle economics, discussed in columns like this one. I smiled when I read Jessica Toonkel’s great story this week reporting Apple may sell one...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway

Interview: The Zuckerberg News Doctrine

By Jessica E. Lessin · May 1, 2018 7:01pm PDT · 1 comment
I’m coming to you after spending an hour with Mark Zuckerberg talking on the record about the news industry. My takeaway: Zuckerberg is trying to get serious about news and hatching a doctrine around it that may take Facebook in some new directions. As a little context, I invited Zuckerberg to join an annual event I organize, along with... I’m coming to you after spending an hour with Mark Zuckerberg talking on the record about...
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

The Tech Company Comcast Should Buy Instead of Sky

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 27, 2018 7:01am PDT · 3 comments
Comcast’s Brian Roberts wants to plunk down $31 billion to acquire Sky, a European pay TV company previously promised to Disney via its pending acquisition of parts of Fox.There’s a lot standing in the way of the deal—specifically three Murdochs and Disney’s CEO Bob Iger (presumably). So the thing that crossed my mind... Comcast’s Brian Roberts wants to plunk down $31 billion to acquire Sky, a European pay TV...
Marissa Mayer. Photo by Bloomberg.
Why We Urgently Need a Female Elon Musk
By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 20, 2018 7:02am PDT · 13 comments
Marissa Mayer. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Why We Urgently Need a Female Elon Musk

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 20, 2018 7:02am PDT · 13 comments
In some ways, it was a fabulous week for women. An overwhelmingly female team of journalists at the New York Times were jointly awarded a Pulitzer Prize for exposing serial harassers like Harvey Weinstein. A team at the Washington Post, again dominated by women, won another Pulitzer for their investigation into Roy Moore. But it was also a very... In some ways, it was a fabulous week for women. An overwhelmingly female team of journalists at...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks to a House committee on Wednesday. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Facebook in 2020: ‘The AI Made Us Do It’

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 13, 2018 7:01am PDT · 6 comments
Data privacy took center stage at this week’s Facebook hearings. But as lawmakers grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on what data it tracks and what data it “sells,” another important question emerged. Zuckerberg said in very clear terms that he was responsible for the content on Facebook. The days of pretending to be a... Data privacy took center stage at this week’s Facebook hearings. But as lawmakers grilled...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Silicon Valley’s Big PR Mistake

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 6, 2018 7:01am PDT · 13 comments
I planned to write my column this week on the Techlash, the escalating backlash against Big Tech that has wiped away tens of billions from major tech companies’ market caps in the past few days, is dragging Mark Zuckerberg before Congress and probably has Jeff Bezos a little peeved or confused. Then the Techlash turned tragically violent... I planned to write my column this week on the Techlash, the escalating backlash against Big Tech...
Photo: Bloomberg
The Takeaway

Could Facebook Be Safer If Built Today?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 30, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments
As we digest the Cambridge Analytica scandal engulfing Facebook, the prevailing narrative is that the data genie can’t be put back in the bottle. Our data is out there. The internet won’t work without us giving it up. There is nothing to be done but hope regulators compel companies to be on their best behavior. But that simply... As we digest the Cambridge Analytica scandal engulfing Facebook, the prevailing narrative is that...
Photo: Bloomberg.
Facebook and Why the Walled Garden Won
By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 23, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments
Photo: Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Facebook and Why the Walled Garden Won

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 23, 2018 7:01am PDT · 4 comments
In watching Facebook engulfed in crisis this week, I thought back to where it all began.It was 2007. The social network had gathered 750 developers and reporters in San Francisco to prove to the world it wasn’t MySpace. Its larger nemesis was getting buzz for its “widgets”—applets you could install on your MySpace profile... In watching Facebook engulfed in crisis this week, I thought back to where it all began.It was...
The Takeaway

Subscriptions Are Taking Over News. What’s Next?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 16, 2018 7:02am PDT · 3 comments
In case you haven’t noticed, digital paywalls are in vogue in the news industry. Wired, Business Insider and Bloomberg launched new ones recently. Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed said “a partial paywall may make sense” for them. I’m going to spare you all what I think about this as Jessica the CEO of The Information.... In case you haven’t noticed, digital paywalls are in vogue in the news industry. Wired,...
Chart by Mike Sullivan
The Takeaway

Media’s Serious Cutback in Startup Investing

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 9, 2018 7:01am PST
Last week, I argued which tech companies are most and least likely to buy media companies. It made me wonder how aggressive media companies have been in tech deal-making. So I looked at their investing patterns, and they surprised me.Traditional media companies last year appeared to invest their smallest amount in startups since 2012, according... Last week, I argued which tech companies are most and least likely to buy media companies. It...
Disney CEO Robert Iger with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple executive Eddy Cue at Sun Valley in 2016. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

The Tech Company Most (and Least) Likely to Buy a Media Company

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 2, 2018 7:01am PST · 2 comments
Scuttlebutt around which Silicon Valley tech giant will be the first to buy a big media company is heating up again. The lion's share of this speculation comes from media executives, who would be all too keen to sell for the right price. Tech companies will be able to pay far more for content than media companies can, and it’s only a... Scuttlebutt around which Silicon Valley tech giant will be the first to buy a big media company...
Photo by AP.
What to Read in 2018: Our Recommendations
By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 16, 2018 7:00am PST
Photo by AP.
The Takeaway

What to Read in 2018: Our Recommendations

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 16, 2018 7:00am PST
Dear Subscribers, Our annual list of books recommended by our team and subscribers is a month late this year, but that’s a good thing. It gave us the chance to highlight some gems, like Emily Chang’s Brotopia, released this month, and many others. As always, we’ve assembled our list from talking to subscribers and our team and... Dear Subscribers, Our annual list of books recommended by our team and subscribers is a month...
Art by Mike Sullivan.
The Takeaway

Bitcoin, Unicorns and Why All Bubbles Aren’t Created Equal

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 9, 2018 7:02am PST · 2 comments
The “B” word returned this week. The stock market swooned. Bitcoin tanked. And the world was abuzz with conversations about whether bubbles were bursting—or not. Against this sudsy backdrop, I reached out to Bill Janeway, who has been studying bubbles as an economist and growth equity investor. Joining Warburg Pincus in the... The “B” word returned this week. The stock market swooned. Bitcoin tanked. And the...
Salesforce chief Marc Benioff at Davos last month. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

Tobacco, Tech and Ulterior Motives

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 2, 2018 7:01am PST · 6 comments
Last week, I was scrolling through Twitter when I was stopped by a headline. From snowy Davos, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was telling CNBC that Facebook should be regulated like a tobacco company.I wasn’t surprised by the analogy; I was surprised by who said it. I’ve been hearing that argument from the folks who run television news... Last week, I was scrolling through Twitter when I was stopped by a headline. From snowy Davos,...
Meg Whitman. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

What Meg Whitman’s TV Job Says About Tech and Media

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 24, 2018 3:11pm PST
Coming to you with a mid-week column, as Tom and I just got off the phone with Meg Whitman, who was talking about her surprise decision to become CEO of a short-form video startup in Los Angeles. Yup, that Meg Whitman. The outgoing CEO of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, which came out of a $22 billion split she orchestrated as the company struggled... Coming to you with a mid-week column, as Tom and I just got off the phone with Meg Whitman, who...
Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.
What Publishers Missed About Facebook’s News Feed
By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 19, 2018 7:00am PST · 5 comments
Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.
The Takeaway

What Publishers Missed About Facebook’s News Feed

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 19, 2018 7:00am PST · 5 comments
When Mark Zuckerberg recently announced News Feed would show less content from publishers, I had a major moment of deja vu. Remember when our News Feeds were riddled with games like Farmville, the Nike running app and Spotify? That was the result of a concerted effort by Facebook to get people to spend more time on the service. Eventually, it... When Mark Zuckerberg recently announced News Feed would show less content from publishers, I had...