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

A Secret Power Clique Revealed

A Secret Power Clique Revealed

By Jon Steinberg · Oct 1, 2022 7:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!If you’re like the rest of the tech world, you may have spent the latter part of this past week flipping through “The Texts”—Elon Musk’s subpoenaed SMS chats with a rogues’ gallery of Silicon Valley power brokers and suck-ups. They make for fascinating reading, revealing how a bunch of guys named Joe, Jason and Jack... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!If you’re like the rest of the tech world, you may have spent the...

Knocked Down, Dragged Out, and Laid Off

Knocked Down, Dragged Out, and Laid Off

By Jon Steinberg · Sep 24, 2022 7:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! It was a tough week (and month and quarter) for people in tech. And that goes double for folks who work in crypto, which has seen a calamitous drop from its pandemic-era heights.Many might feel a hint of schadenfreude about the humbling of crypto. Certainly, its leaders seem worthy of comeuppance, after pumping... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! It was a tough week (and month and quarter) for people in tech....

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

By Jon Steinberg · Sep 17, 2022 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On a week when The Information celebrated the rising tide of women leaders in media, tech and finance at its annual WTF conference, we also examined a more complicated paragon of female leadership. This week's cover story by Annie on Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini is a masterclass in tightrope walking—by both... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On a week when The Information celebrated the rising tide of...

Can a Facial Recognition AI Also Predict Personality?

Can a Facial Recognition AI Also Predict Personality?

By Jon Steinberg · Sep 10, 2022 7:00am PDT

Can a Facial Recognition AI Also Predict Personality?

Can a Facial Recognition AI Also Predict Personality?

By Jon Steinberg · Sep 10, 2022 7:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Among the collection of poignant and powerful homages to Queen Elizabeth over the past few days was this silly non-sequitor from startup founder and investor Chris Bakke: "The Queen’s reign saw: 6 Popes14 US Presidents15 Prime ministers0 Profitable 15-minute grocery delivery companiesR.I.P."As... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Among the collection of poignant and powerful homages to...

Snap Hits Stormy, Shark-Infested Waters

Snap Hits Stormy, Shark-Infested Waters

By Jon Steinberg · Sep 3, 2022 7:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! I can’t remember the first time I heard of Snapchat, but I do remember being instantly nonplussed by it. What was it with these wacky millennials taking pictures of themselves vomiting rainbows (among other NFSW activities)? Why would you want photos of your friends to disappear after only a few seconds?... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! I can’t remember the first time I heard of Snapchat, but I do...

A Courtroom Drama in New Hampshire

A Courtroom Drama in New Hampshire

By Jon Steinberg · Aug 27, 2022 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Perhaps you’re reading this as you’re packing up the Winnebago for Burning Man, which is back in session this Sunday for the first time in three long years. If you are indeed heading to the playa, congratulations—I hope you dance like nobody’s watching. And I really hope you’re not planning to work while you’re... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Perhaps you’re reading this as you’re packing up the Winnebago...

Will Investors Ever Take to the Abortion Pill?

Will Investors Ever Take to the Abortion Pill?

By Jon Steinberg · Aug 20, 2022 8:00am PDT · 2 comments

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This week began with the news that the once-disgraced CEO of WeWork, Adam Neumann, was receiving a $350 million lifeline from Andreessen Horowitz. It ended with the news that the once-valorized CEO of Gravity Payments, Dan Price, had resigned in the wake of abuse allegations. How long before a blue-chip... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This week began with the news that the once-disgraced CEO of...

The Shaky Mental State of Silicon Valley

The Shaky Mental State of Silicon Valley

By Jon Steinberg · Aug 13, 2022 8:00am PDT

The Shaky Mental State of Silicon Valley

The Shaky Mental State of Silicon Valley

By Jon Steinberg · Aug 13, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Next month, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors reconvenes after its summer recess, one of the matters up for discussion will be a resolution to decriminalize the use of psychedelics. While San Franciscans have never needed Board approval to partake in the wonders of nature, you can bet plenty of tech... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Next month, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...

‘He's Making Up a World He Wants to Attack’: Vivek Ramaswamy and the Making of an Anti-ESG Culture Warrior

‘He's Making Up a World He Wants to Attack’: Vivek Ramaswamy and the Making of an Anti-ESG Culture Warrior

By Jon Steinberg · Aug 6, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On Friday morning, just minutes after we published this week’s cover story, I saw a New York Times headline that echoed one of our piece’s theses: “How Republicans Are ‘Weaponizing’ Public Office Against Climate Action.”Both the Times investigation, by David Gelles, and our own, by veteran business... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On Friday morning, just minutes after we published this week’s...

One Last Unicorn Before We Go: Inside Magic Eden's Pre-Crypto Crash Miracle

One Last Unicorn Before We Go: Inside Magic Eden's Pre-Crypto Crash Miracle

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 30, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! In a week that witnessed a “Category 5 Kardashian-Jenner hurricane” on Instagram, my colleague Annie offers a timely toolkit to reining in your lackluster social media feeds. I probably spend less time scrolling IG and TikTok than my Gen Z coworkers, but I, too, have been shocked at how misaligned my feeds are... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! In a week that witnessed a “Category 5 Kardashian-Jenner...

Throwing a Wrench in TikTok's Creator Factory

Throwing a Wrench in TikTok's Creator Factory

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 23, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! “TikTok is really TV these days,” influencer marketing CEO Mae Karwowski told our own Kaya Yurieff in this week’s cover story. “You’re flipping channels as you’re watching TikTok. You’re looking to be entertained.”And how, besides scrolling ad nauseam, do The Information’s subscribers like to be entertained?... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! “TikTok is really TV these days,” influencer marketing CEO Mae...

Where Did All the Vests Go?: Inside Venture Capital’s Summer Disappearance Act

Where Did All the Vests Go?: Inside Venture Capital’s Summer Disappearance Act

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 16, 2022 8:00am PDT

Where Did All the Vests Go?: Inside Venture Capital’s Summer Disappearance Act

Where Did All the Vests Go?: Inside Venture Capital’s Summer Disappearance Act

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 16, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! If you’re reading this from somewhere along the Mediterranean or the East End of Long Island, you’re apparently not alone. As my colleague Erin Woo reports in this week’s cover story, a sizable chunk of tech’s investing class has traded deal-chasing for chaise-lounging recently. While a summer slowdown is sort... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! If you’re reading this from somewhere along the Mediterranean...

A Tech Billionaire's Heir Makes Her Mark on Congress

A Tech Billionaire's Heir Makes Her Mark on Congress

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 9, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! We interrupt your regular Elon Musk programming to bring you several stories that have nothing to do with unbuying Twitter, siring secret children with underlings, or threatening to fire employees. You can thank us in the comments.Instead, this weekend’s lineup begins with a look at Rep. Sara Jacobs,... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! We interrupt your regular Elon Musk programming to bring...

The La La Land Life of Venture Capitalist Brianne Kimmel

The La La Land Life of Venture Capitalist Brianne Kimmel

By Jon Steinberg · Jul 2, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! It’s peak out-of-office message season in Silicon Valley, and not just because of the Fourth of July weekend. Tech layoffs are popping off everywhere. Venture dealflow has slowed to a crawl. The economic headwinds are fierce and giving certain people super bad feelings. Plus, after two-plus years of... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! It’s peak out-of-office message season in Silicon Valley, and...

Truth or Consequences: Would You Take an AI-Powered Polygraph Test to Prove You Hadn't Cheated on a Spouse?

Truth or Consequences: Would You Take an AI-Powered Polygraph Test to Prove You Hadn't Cheated on a Spouse?

By Jon Steinberg · Jun 25, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Even before the Supreme Court’s earth-shaking rulings this week that struck down states’ gun restrictions and ended women's right to an abortion, Americans were losing faith in the highest court in the land. On Thursday, Gallup reported that trust in the Supreme Court has never been lower, with only 25% of... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Even before the Supreme Court’s earth-shaking rulings this week...

San Francisco's Tentative Comeback

San Francisco's Tentative Comeback

By Jon Steinberg · Jun 18, 2022 8:00am PDT

San Francisco's Tentative Comeback

San Francisco's Tentative Comeback

By Jon Steinberg · Jun 18, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Nick Wingfield, senior editor at The Information, here, sitting in for your regular newsletter maestro, Jon Steinberg. Is it 2018? That was the last time Bay Area venture capitalists and techies could brag that the Golden State Warriors were champions. For the two seasons prior to this one, San Francisco’s... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Nick Wingfield, senior editor at The Information, here, sitting...

It's Silicon Summer, Baby

It's Silicon Summer, Baby

By Jon Steinberg · Jun 11, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This is Jillian Goodman, The Information’s opinion editor, taking over for your usual newsletter-er, Jon Steinberg.The official start of summer isn’t for ten days yet, but here at Weekend, we’re already in full sunglasses mode. I’m filling in for Jon this week while he enjoys some much-needed vacation, and by... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This is Jillian Goodman, The Information’s opinion editor,...

Garry Tan vs. Chesa Boudin: The San Francisco Political Scene Gets a New Tech Combatant

Garry Tan vs. Chesa Boudin: The San Francisco Political Scene Gets a New Tech Combatant

By Jon Steinberg · Jun 4, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Though “normal” is relative in these pandemic times, this summer is offering at least a semblance of normalcy when it comes to travel. (Or revenge travel, as we’re now calling it.) By the time this newsletter lands in your inbox, I’ll be on a plane heading abroad for a two-week break—my first foreign travel... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Though “normal” is relative in these pandemic times, this...

How Taylor Lorenz Became America's Most Polarizing Tech Reporter

How Taylor Lorenz Became America's Most Polarizing Tech Reporter

By Jon Steinberg · May 28, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! I wish I was writing you in happier circumstances, and could simply talk up Annie's riveting profile of Taylor Lorenz, below. But this has been a tragic week. The mass murder of 19 kids and their two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, has been on all of our minds. Unfortunately, the hopelessness you're probably... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! I wish I was writing you in happier circumstances, and could...

“I Felt Like I’ve Been Taking Crazy Pills”: After a Meltdown, Crypto Pros Assess the Damage

“I Felt Like I’ve Been Taking Crazy Pills”: After a Meltdown, Crypto Pros Assess the Damage

By Jon Steinberg · May 21, 2022 8:00am PDT

“I Felt Like I’ve Been Taking Crazy Pills”: After a Meltdown, Crypto Pros Assess the Damage

“I Felt Like I’ve Been Taking Crazy Pills”: After a Meltdown, Crypto Pros Assess the Damage

By Jon Steinberg · May 21, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Feeling numb to the latest Elon Musk scandal, I went looking for another celebrity feud to obsess over for awhile. There was no way I was wading into the toxic cesspool that is Amber vs. Johnny. And I could care less about Ted Cruz’s opinion of Pete Davidson.But the Wagatha Christie trial? Oh, my friends, this... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! Feeling numb to the latest Elon Musk scandal, I went looking...