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

Why Google’s Demis Hassabis Won $3 Million

Why Google’s Demis Hassabis Won $3 Million

By Abram Brown · Apr 13, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:A secretive weapons billionaire and his never-ending transformationWhere art insiders and Silicon Valley collectors make their hidden-gem purchasesA power lunch to end all power lunchesPlus: Apple’s latest chase; Spider-Man takes on Big Brother; and a billionaire investor’s favorite book.A week ago, Demis... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:A secretive weapons billionaire and his never-ending...

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

Weekend: The NYT Gaming Czar Reveals His Playbook for Growth

By Abram Brown · Apr 6, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Microsoft’s hiring of Inflection co-founder Mustafa SuleymanHow an LA backwater turned into a hotbed of America-first capitalismThe Top 5: Best summer camps for future tech mogulsPlus: The guy who cost Reddit billions; a blast from Marvel’s past; an incredible shortcut through Robert Caro’s “The... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Microsoft’s hiring of Inflection co-founder...

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

Josh Kushner, The Next Unhappy Media Mogul?

By Abram Brown · Mar 30, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The skinny on Kim Kardashian’s Skims—and how it dodged retail armageddon.Beyoncé water and fake Pilsner: Our top 5 favorite New Age canned beverages that thirsty VCs love, too.Plus: The perils of inheritance; a man who could save us from our sinking world; and how a football star, a preacher and an actor... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The skinny on Kim Kardashian’s Skims—and how it dodged...

The Billionaires Trying to Save Our Worlds

The Billionaires Trying to Save Our Worlds

By Abram Brown · Mar 23, 2024 7:00am PDT

The Billionaires Trying to Save Our Worlds

The Billionaires Trying to Save Our Worlds

By Abram Brown · Mar 23, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Jeff Bezos’ plan for Blue Origin to rocket past Elon Musk’s SpaceXThey counsel Zuckerberg and advise Sam Altman: our picks of the top lawyers for startupsPlus: “3 Body Problem”; a startup’s glowing Frankenplant; and an unshakable source of American anxietyOver the last few days, I’ve spent much of... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Inside Jeff Bezos’ plan for Blue Origin to rocket past...

Art by Clark Miller

An Ode to a Dead Dealmaker

By Abram Brown · Mar 16, 2024 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from Hollywood to videogames to Madison Avenue* Foreign trade and fearsome foes!* A guide to acquiring one of Silicon Valley’s favorite fads: a chief of staff* Plus: The VC and surprise SF mayoral front-runner; the TikToker who can explain why AllBirds lost... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:* How OpenAI’s Sora is transforming everything from...

A Rising Star Investor's Polarizing Plan

A Rising Star Investor's Polarizing Plan

By Abram Brown · Mar 9, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The Silicon Valley rising star who angered AndreessenHow a white-collar pirate pilfered the richA million-dollar strawberry that venture capitalists cravePlus—Oscars weekend! A digital shortcut to enjoying this year’s biggest films and what the Academy should do in the years to come.A week ago, I bent the... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:The Silicon Valley rising star who angered AndreessenHow...

Hot Dealmakers As Tech's Winter Lingers

Hot Dealmakers As Tech's Winter Lingers

By Abram Brown · Mar 2, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:A new VC star’s unordinary approachOur finest AI tips to improve your lifeHow to best appreciate the new “Dune” moviePlus: What Socrates and Satya Nadella have in common; a vengeful billionaire and a murderous enigma; and a top-notch ‘Job.’A couple days ago, something unusual caught my attention: an... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:A new VC star’s unordinary approachOur finest AI tips to...

What Google Gemini’s Race Controversy Really Means

What Google Gemini’s Race Controversy Really Means

By Abram Brown · Feb 24, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment

What Google Gemini’s Race Controversy Really Means

What Google Gemini’s Race Controversy Really Means

By Abram Brown · Feb 24, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Welcome to your Weekend!The internet kicked up a fuss this week when it discovered a surprising thing about Google Gemini, the company’s generative artificial intelligence tool. While you couldn’t prompt it to, say, provide an image of a white pope, it did respond to a request asking for a Black pope. It also seemed to have a habit of placing... Welcome to your Weekend!The internet kicked up a fuss this week when it discovered a surprising...

When You’re Really a Twitter, But You Want to Be an Uber

When You’re Really a Twitter, But You Want to Be an Uber

By Abram Brown · Feb 17, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome to your Weekend!A couple days ago, Mark Zuckerberg had quite a lot to say about his company—and someone else’s. Specifically, he talked about how Meta Platforms’ virtual reality headset, the Quest (which starts at $499), compares to Apple’s VR headset, the Vision Pro ($3,499). “I expected Quest would be a better value for most people,”... Welcome to your Weekend!A couple days ago, Mark Zuckerberg had quite a lot to say about his...

Just How Sick is Silicon Valley?

Just How Sick is Silicon Valley?

By Abram Brown · Feb 10, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome to your Weekend!A week or so ago, I did a double redeye trip from New York to San Francisco, largely to see Brex co-founder Pedro Franceschi. As often happens these days, we spent part of our time in San Francisco talking about New York, where Franceschi had recently lived for a year and a half, stationing himself in a swank SoHo pad. In... Welcome to your Weekend!A week or so ago, I did a double redeye trip from New York to San...

The Billionaire Doing the Unthinkable

The Billionaire Doing the Unthinkable

By Abram Brown · Feb 3, 2024 7:00am PST

Welcome to your Weekend!A few years ago, I went to India to see two friends get hitched on a beach in Goa, a ceremony that, like much of the country, offered a rich blend of ancient and modern. On that trip, I met the bride’s grandmother—Aaji to all, the Marathi term for your mom’s mom—and as I’ve seen her more since, I’ve come to treasure the... Welcome to your Weekend!A few years ago, I went to India to see two friends get hitched on a...

Art by Clark Miller

Inside Reed Hastings' Life After Netflix

By Abram Brown · Jan 27, 2024 6:00am PST

Art by Clark Miller

Inside Reed Hastings' Life After Netflix

By Abram Brown · Jan 27, 2024 6:00am PST

Welcome to your Weekend!Let me introduce—well, reintroduce—myself. I’m Abram Brown, the new editor of Weekend, the magazine you’ve got in front of you. This issue marks my return to The Information after earlier tenures as a Weekend staff editor and senior reporter. In coming weekends, you’ll notice some changes to Weekend, but its raison d’être... Welcome to your Weekend!Let me introduce—well, reintroduce—myself. I’m Abram Brown, the new...

Middle East Money Is Back on the Table

Middle East Money Is Back on the Table

By Nick Wingfield · Jan 20, 2024 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.When a team of assassins killed the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a little over five years ago, Silicon Valley for a moment found its vertebrae. At the time, tech investors and founders were growing increasingly intoxicated by funding from Saudi sources. But those days... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.When a team of assassins killed the dissident journalist Jamal...

Art by Clark Miller

The Cost of Social Media Superpowers

By Nick Wingfield · Jan 13, 2024 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.When it comes to the way people under the age of 25 use their phones, I try to have what Zen Buddhists and certain tech CEOs call a beginner’s mindset. For example, not too long ago I learned that my daughter shares her location through her phone with two dozen college friends and that they all do the same with her.... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.When it comes to the way people under the age of 25 use their phones,...

Art by Clark Miller

The AI Election Apocalypse Isn’t Here—Yet

By Nick Wingfield · Jan 6, 2024 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.We’re nine days away from the official start of the race for the White House, with the Iowa Republican caucuses on January 15th. A lot of people are already on edge about this election for a variety of reasons. At the top of that list are technologists who believe a cataclysmic mash-up of artificial intelligence and... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.We’re nine days away from the official start of the race for the...

Tech Leaders Pour One Out for 2023

Tech Leaders Pour One Out for 2023

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 30, 2023 6:00am PST

Tech Leaders Pour One Out for 2023

Tech Leaders Pour One Out for 2023

By Nick Wingfield · Dec 30, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.I’m a sucker for year-end lists, reflections and resolutions, despite the fact that so many of them suffer from predictability. One of the highlights of my week was sitting around my dining room table with extended family discussing what everybody liked and didn’t like about 2023.It was also fascinating to hear tech... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.I’m a sucker for year-end lists, reflections and resolutions, despite...

The Man Who Fights X's Battles

The Man Who Fights X's Battles

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 23, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Hard to believe it’s been 14 months since Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco with his infamous "let that sink in" wash basin. Feels like 14 years, to be honest. In the time since, at least three-quarters of the company has been fired or has voluntarily departed. Those ranks include almost... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Hard to believe it’s been 14 months since Elon Musk walked into...

The 'All-In' Podcast Gets Its Closeup

The 'All-In' Podcast Gets Its Closeup

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 16, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.The winding path to this week’s must-read cover story on the “All-In” podcast began, for this editor, in August 2022. That’s when I first reached out to one of the show’s co-hosts, Jason Calacanis, to see if he and his fellow “besties” would sit for a profile. I’d met and interacted with Calacanis a few times... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.The winding path to this week’s must-read cover story on the “All-In”...

From Day One to Decade One

From Day One to Decade One

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 9, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend: 10th Anniversary Edition!Ten years isn't a lot in geologic or California redwood time—but it's an eternity in media time. Just ask some of the news startups that went bankrupt over the last decade. So what secrets have we at The Information gathered in our first ten years of bringing business news to the business... Hi, welcome to your Weekend: 10th Anniversary Edition!Ten years isn't a lot in geologic or...

It's Vinod Khosla's World

It's Vinod Khosla's World

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 2, 2023 6:00am PST

It's Vinod Khosla's World

It's Vinod Khosla's World

By Jon Steinberg · Dec 2, 2023 6:00am PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Next week will mark The Information's 10-year anniversary, and we'll be commemorating the last decade of tech by publishing a series of top 10 lists, plus some reflections from our founder Jessica Lessin. But before we look back at the Valley's greatest hits (and misses), we also wanted to look forward, peering... Hi, welcome to your Weekend.Next week will mark The Information's 10-year anniversary, and we'll...