The Weekend by The Information Staff

Every Saturday

The Weekend

By The Information Staff

Know what happens when Silicon Valley logs off—the trends and people shaping culture, technology and everything in between.

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Recent Editions

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Who Had Power At That Trump AI Summit?

By Abram Brown · Oct 3, 2026 8:01am PDT

• The Big Read: Why a legal blitz over AI hacks is inevitable• Sean Parker’s quiet resurrection job• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Permanent Questions,” “This Cursed Beautiful Land” and “East of Eden”The AI titans probably all fly private. But if any of them did travel commercial regularly, they’d’ve long ago earned... • The Big Read: Why a legal blitz over AI hacks is inevitable• Sean Parker’s quiet resurrection...

Art: Clark Miller

Why I’m Keeping Meta’s Muse on a Short Leash

By Nick Wingfield · Sep 26, 2026 8:01am PDT

• The Big Read: A biology contest pitting OpenAI against human scientists goes awry • Why the big, bad bears aren’t ready to bet big on AI yet • A gusher of oil money is washing up in Silicon Valley• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Journey,” “Roll the Calls” and “Backrooms”After returning from a mostly... • The Big Read: A biology contest pitting OpenAI against human scientists goes awry • Why...

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Dario Amodei's Tabloid Era

By Abram Brown · Sep 19, 2026 8:05am PDT

• Exclusive new list! Introducing Tech’s 50 Most Influential People• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Embedded: Where Is Austin Tice?,” “Valley of Death” and “Hope”Honestly, I almost feel a little sorry for Dario Amodei. That essay-writing, sweater-loving nerd is getting the treatment normally meted out to grim-eyed... • Exclusive new list! Introducing Tech’s 50 Most Influential People• Plus, Recommendations—our...

Art: Clark Miller

Meta’s Muse Agent Almost Cost Me $408

By Abram Brown · Sep 12, 2026 8:01am PDT · 2 comments

Art: Clark Miller

Meta’s Muse Agent Almost Cost Me $408

By Abram Brown · Sep 12, 2026 8:01am PDT · 2 comments

• The Big Read: Investor Anjney Midha cut Anthropic an early check. His hot streak has kept going • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Our Town,” “Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings” and “The Gentlemen”A hotel room’s quality can be measured in terms of abundance: extra towels, spare bathrobes—plenty of Nespresso pods.... • The Big Read: Investor Anjney Midha cut Anthropic an early check. His hot streak has kept...

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Tommy Agriodimas)

Tech’s Phone-Free, Viking-Filled Wedding of the Summer

By Abram Brown · Sep 5, 2026 7:57am PDT

• Our very first Fall Preview package! Nvidia’s new sales chief, Anthropic’s mega IPO—and 12 other things that will define Silicon Valley over the next three months • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Dolly Parton’s America,” “Money to Burn” and “Coyote vs. Acme”After Code.org founder Hadi Partovi popped the question a... • Our very first Fall Preview package! Nvidia’s new sales chief, Anthropic’s mega IPO—and 12...

Art: Clark Miller

The Hugging Face Hack’s Chilling Postmortem

By Abram Brown · Aug 29, 2026 8:00am PDT

• The Big Read: Notion makes an all-in bet on AI • How ‘tax alpha’ mania took over Silicon Valley • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Flood,” “Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea” and “American Doctor”A group of hippos is called a bloat. Multiple pandas form an embarrassment. (Yes, really.) And what about 1,200 rogue AIs... • The Big Read: Notion makes an all-in bet on AI • How ‘tax alpha’ mania took over Silicon...

Art: Clark Miller

America Really, Really Hates Data Centers

By Abram Brown · Aug 22, 2026 8:00am PDT

• The Big Read: AI promises to cure cancer. Scientists feel existential dread• The new robotics ‘arms race’: Who can do the craziest hype video?• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Dan Taberski’s Manifesto,” “A Tender Age” and “The End of Oak Street” With surprising swiftness, data centers have become the bête noire of... • The Big Read: AI promises to cure cancer. Scientists feel existential dread• The new robotics ‘...

Art: Clark Miller (photos: courtesy of "Disruption")

An Almighty Algorithm’s Grand Debut

By Abram Brown · Aug 15, 2026 8:01am PDT

Art: Clark Miller (photos: courtesy of "Disruption")

An Almighty Algorithm’s Grand Debut

By Abram Brown · Aug 15, 2026 8:01am PDT

• The Big Read: Inside the ascendance of Anthropic’s “first lady”• Elon Musk’s flying roadster is finally ready • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani,” “Little Blue Dot” and “Furious”What’s the best measure of AI’s great proliferation?Most obviously, we can sum up the enormous amounts of money... • The Big Read: Inside the ascendance of Anthropic’s “first lady”• Elon Musk’s flying roadster is...

Anthropic's Dario Amodei (left) and physicist Leo Szilard. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images

Visiting Anthropic’s Favorite Atomic Author

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 8, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sequoia’s new leaders go all out on AI. • Why U.S. robotics startups are stuffing parts from China in their luggage.• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “What to Carry, What to Burn,” “The Secret Dinner” and “Arco”The West Seattle hillside home of Richard Rhodes, with... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sequoia’s new leaders go all out on...

Art: Clark Miller

Why Apple Should Buy Granola

By Abram Brown · Aug 1, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

• The Big Read: Silicon Valley looks to a new biotech frontier—Montana • Garry Tan’s political dreams require this 32-year-old’s ‘grunt’ force • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Dead Rabbit,” “The Amateur” and “The Drama”Here’s a thought that would’ve seemed startling not long ago: There’s a very good chance that... • The Big Read: Silicon Valley looks to a new biotech frontier—Montana • Garry Tan’s...

Art: Clark Miller

Will We Really Want 100 Corgi Cafes?

By Jemima McEvoy · Jul 25, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Shopping: Introducing the Summer Fun List—gear, gadgets and toys that all come highly recommended• AI: Where is China ahead of America? In cracking down on AI romances • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Last Twelve Weeks,” “The Nord Stream Conspiracy”and “The Dark Wizard”Just... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Shopping: Introducing the Summer Fun List—gear, gadgets...

Art: Clark Miller

Why Andreessen Horowitz’s New Investor Left Apple

By Abram Brown · Jul 18, 2026 8:02am PDT

Art: Clark Miller

Why Andreessen Horowitz’s New Investor Left Apple

By Abram Brown · Jul 18, 2026 8:02am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Trump’s AI agenda collides with reality• Tech Culture: Welcome to the great private jet drought• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Gastronomics,” “Catch the Devil” and “The Invite”At the dawn of the AI boom, the technology sparked a real melee between newcomer startups... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Trump’s AI agenda collides with reality•...

Art: Clark Miller

AI Researchers Are Having an Identity Crisis

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jul 11, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Welcome to the era of the eggmaxxer • Style and Shopping: A buyer’s guide to mogul casual, Sun Valley edition• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Signal Hill,” “The Sixth Nik” and “X-Men ’97”As AI rapidly improves in areas such as coding and mathematics, AI... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Welcome to the era of the eggmaxxer ...

Art: Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

Alex Karp, Open Source AI and a Neocloud Heyday

By Abram Brown · Jul 4, 2026 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Pickleball is the past—the tech elite is obsessed with padel. • Plus, an Americana-themed batch of Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “The Americans,” “East of Eden,” “High Desert Daydream,” “Lonesome Dove,” USA vs. Belgium, and “The Twilight Zone.” The year’s midpoint is an... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Pickleball is the past—the tech elite is...

Art: Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Where Tech Political Spending Goes Next

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 27, 2026 8:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How a Chinese megabillionaire became the Jensen Huang of batteries. • Style and Shopping: Tech invaded Cannes. Then we went shopping.• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Long Buried,” “How to Not Die in Prison” and “Dust Bunny”On Tuesday, a closely watched... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How a Chinese megabillionaire became the...

Art: Clark Miller

AI Devices, Midjourney’s Spas and Snap’s Flop-sicles

By Jemima McEvoy · Jun 20, 2026 8:01am PDT

Art: Clark Miller

AI Devices, Midjourney’s Spas and Snap’s Flop-sicles

By Jemima McEvoy · Jun 20, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The brains behind Bernie’s AI sovereign wealth fund? A Silicon Valley law professor • The Takeaway: How I learned to love Mark Rober• E-commerce: The fast-growing Thiel-backed startup defying a creator economy slowdown• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Foul... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The brains behind Bernie’s AI sovereign...

Art: Mike Sullivan

AI’s Blithe Spending and Crusoe’s Stargate Woes

By Abram Brown · Jun 13, 2026 8:09am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Tech readies itself for a Reta-aissance • Politics and Policy: A Silicon Valley politician’s counter move to the big tech PACs• Biotech: Longevity startups’ holy grail pursuit faces a prosaic roadblock• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Last Resort,” “The Yahoo Boys”... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Tech readies itself for a...

Art: Clark Miller (Photos: Getty Images)

Inside SpaceX’s Strange, Stratospheric IPO

By Abram Brown · Jun 6, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The quiet VIP of SpaceX’s wild IPO• SpaceX millionaires mull IPO windfalls: a house, a college fund—or ‘chill on a beach’?• SpaceX mafia see IPO as liftoff opportunity for their startups too • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Where the River Took Us,” “Villa Coco”... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The quiet VIP of SpaceX’s wild IPO•...

Art by Clark Miller

Defense Tech Grows Up

By Leo Schwartz · May 30, 2026 9:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Can OpenAI’s revenue chief catch Anthropic in enterprise tech?• Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “Deep Cover: The Family Man,” “1873” and “Legends”On Tuesday, I dropped in at JPMorgan Chase’s glitzy new Midtown headquarters for a confab on national... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Can OpenAI’s revenue chief ...

A Complicated Comeback for Stanford’s Ex-President

A Complicated Comeback for Stanford’s Ex-President

By Amy Dockser Marcus · May 23, 2026 8:01am PDT

A Complicated Comeback for Stanford’s Ex-President

A Complicated Comeback for Stanford’s Ex-President

By Amy Dockser Marcus · May 23, 2026 8:01am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The tech elite’s go-to real estate broker? The mayor’s brother • Crypto: Inside crypto’s Washington command center • Lists: 20 great books for summer 2026 • Plus, Recommendations—our weekly pop culture picks: “John Kiriakou’s Dead Drop,” “Returning”... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The tech elite’s go-to real estate...