Eric Newcomer — The Information

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Eric Newcomer

Goji developer Josh Williams. Photo by Tim Van Damme.

New iOS Apps Take Page from Android Playbook

By Eric Newcomer · Nov. 20, 2014 7:01 AM PST

For years, Android has been the home of mobile feature customization, while Apple has tightly controlled iOS. But in iOS 8, Apple has loosened its restraints, giving developers more opportunities build apps that let people input information from the home screen, send elaborate communications from their keyboard or track their favorite articles... For years, Android has been the home of mobile feature customization, while Apple has tightly...

Matthew Vascellaro

Media/Telecom Uber/Lyft

Hiring the Leader Tech Startups Live or Die By

By Eric Newcomer · Nov. 12, 2014 11:23 AM PST · 1 comment

Startup founders may get the most public adulation, but a company’s head of engineering can play an equally pivotal role in shaping top technology companies. It can be the most highly paid position at a company, CEO included. When startups like Uber, Dropbox and Twitter needed a vice president of engineering, they tapped Riviera Partners,... Startup founders may get the most public adulation, but a company’s head of engineering can...

Art by Sam Lessin.

Subscriber Survey

Media/Telecom Enterprise

The Information Subscribers Say…

By Eric Newcomer and Sam Lessin · Nov. 11, 2014 10:35 AM PST · 1 comment

The Information subscribers are nine times more optimistic about the tech sector than they are about the overall economy, according to The Information’s first monthly Subscriber Viewpoint survey.And they’re increasingly optimistic about the long-term prospects of Apple, Alibaba and Airbnb. They’re far less bullish on Square and... The Information subscribers are nine times more optimistic about the tech sector than they are...

Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin. Photo by Associate Press.

Crowdfunding Gets Crowded

By Eric Newcomer · Nov. 4, 2014 1:01 PM PST · 3 comments

Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin. Photo by Associate Press.

Crowdfunding Gets Crowded

By Eric Newcomer · Nov. 4, 2014 1:01 PM PST · 3 comments

When “Life Itself,” the documentary about deceased film critic Roger Ebert, aired at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it marked a big win for Indiegogo. The online crowdfunding site helped its producers find 1,657 backers who gave more than $150,000 to finish the film, partly in exchange for the chance to watch a live... When “Life Itself,” the documentary about deceased film critic Roger Ebert, aired at...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg.

Media/Telecom Google

Facebook Gaining Edge Over YouTube for Some Video Ads

By Tom Dotan and Eric Newcomer · Oct. 30, 2014 7:00 AM PDT

As Facebook continues to ramp up the presence of video in its News Feed, executives at ad agencies and brands have begun noticing a surprising trend: The first views for a new video tend to happen on Facebook rather than YouTube. The shift was strong enough for one media planning agency to rethink its client’s Super Bowl advertising... As Facebook continues to ramp up the presence of video in its News Feed, executives at ad...

Barry Silbert, founder of the Digital Currency Group. Photo by Associated Press.

Banks Freeze Out Bitcoin

By Eric Newcomer · Oct. 20, 2014 7:01 AM PDT · 1 comment

With $40 million in investments, you’d think the bitcoin company Xapo would have an easy time finding a bank to hold all that money. But twice in the last year, banks have sent Xapo to the curb. “Here’s a cashiers check for all your cash, thank you for your business,” Xapo CEO Wences Casares recalls a U.S. bank telling... With $40 million in investments, you’d think the bitcoin company Xapo would have an easy...

Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

The Information’s Essentials

Enterprise Facebook

The Engineers Successful Tech Companies Can’t Do Without

By Eric Newcomer · Oct. 13, 2014 10:48 AM PDT

Great software engineers are the backbone of any promising technology company—and they’re in rare supply. Big tech companies do everything they can to land talent, going so far as buying companies to acquire accomplished software engineers. In San Francisco, the median software engineer makes $100,000, according to the job site... Great software engineers are the backbone of any promising technology company—and...

Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

AngelList Founder: ‘Frothy’ Market Puts Burden on Investors

By Eric Newcomer · Oct. 9, 2014 7:01 AM PDT

Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

Venture Capital

AngelList Founder: ‘Frothy’ Market Puts Burden on Investors

By Eric Newcomer · Oct. 9, 2014 7:01 AM PDT

Naval Ravikant, a serial founder and investor, once sued Benchmark and August Capital for misleading employees about the value of Epinions, a company he co-founded. Since then he’s been poking venture capital firms in the eye another way: He’s making it easier for investors outside the typical VC orbit to invest in Silicon Valley... Naval Ravikant, a serial founder and investor, once sued Benchmark and August Capital for...

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has been pitching Atlas. Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Facebook

Wary of Facebook, Publishers Wait on Atlas

By Tom Dotan and Eric Newcomer · Oct. 7, 2014 7:01 AM PDT

As Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, took the stage last Monday to unveil the revamped version of its ad-buying platform Atlas, she announced what is widely considered the first credible threat to Google’s display ad dominance. But something was missing: major publishers that Facebook ultimately wants to list... As Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, took the stage last Monday to...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Google Facebook

For Developers, Headaches from Apple’s New Location Warnings

By Eric Newcomer · Oct. 2, 2014 7:01 AM PDT

Before Apple pushed out its iOS 8 update, developers at fitness app RunKeeper faced a tough choice. Unless they changed their app, people would be asked if the app could track their location even when they weren't using it—which could prompt them to opt out. “It sounds like a confusing and almost nefarious thing,” says Max... Before Apple pushed out its iOS 8 update, developers at fitness app RunKeeper faced a tough...

California Governor Jerry Brown. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech Industry, Meet California Regulation

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 29, 2014 10:30 AM PDT

A few months ago, a little-remarked on privacy bill easily passed the California Senate. The law, proposed by California State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, would have heavily restricted online marketing and data brokers. The industry kicked into gear. Lobbyists flooded the State Assembly which was set to vote next on the bill. Its legislators... A few months ago, a little-remarked on privacy bill easily passed the California Senate....

Priceonomics founder Rohin Dhar. Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

A Media Business Model Built by Geeks

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 24, 2014 11:39 AM PDT

Priceonomics founder Rohin Dhar. Illustration by Matt Vascellaro.

A Media Business Model Built by Geeks

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 24, 2014 11:39 AM PDT

There are media companies, technology companies and media companies that want investors to think they are technology companies. Then there’s Priceonomics, a Y Combinator-backed San Francisco-based company that raised $1.5 million in seed funding way back in 2012. While Priceonomics came barreling out of YC eager to build a big technology... There are media companies, technology companies and media companies that want investors to think...

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen. Photo by Associated Press.

State Attorneys General Wield Soft Power on Tech

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 19, 2014 10:43 AM PDT

With a gridlocked Congress, the business of regulating technology companies is increasingly falling to state attorneys general, who are playing a high-profile role in checking the power of Uber, Airbnb, Google, Facebook and others. New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman has been pressuring sharing economy companies like Airbnb and Uber to... With a gridlocked Congress, the business of regulating technology companies is increasingly...

Jonathan Ward. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Tech Giants Find Expression in Architecture

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 17, 2014 2:20 PM PDT

Technology giants are molding the way billions of people live and think, but their reach isn’t limited to cyberspace. They’re increasingly looking for real-world opportunities to project their brands and shape the environment, and one of the biggest opportunities lies in the the physical design of their massive headquarters. A host of huge... Technology giants are molding the way billions of people live and think, but their reach isn’t...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo by Bloomberg.

Asia Enterprise

China’s Tencent Shows a Model for Microsoft & Minecraft

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 16, 2014 7:47 AM PDT

Tencent Holdings CEO Pony Ma might have cracked an approving smile when he heard the news that Microsoft was shelling out $2.5 billion to buy Mojang AB, the Swedish developer of the smash hit Minecraft. Mr. Ma’s company has made a fortune by using video games as a lever to assert Tencent’s dominance in the online world—mobile... Tencent Holdings CEO Pony Ma might have cracked an approving smile when he heard the news that...

GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney. Photo by Bloomberg.

Investors’ Growing Taste for Food Delivery

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 12, 2014 12:12 PM PDT

GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney. Photo by Bloomberg.

Investors’ Growing Taste for Food Delivery

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 12, 2014 12:12 PM PDT

It’s not delivery, it’s lots of delivery. One of the hottest spaces for venture capital is food, as investors bet that improvements in logistics can cut the high costs normally incurred by food delivery services. Major funding rounds in the last few months include DoorDash’s $17.3 million Series A, Blue Apron’s $50... It’s not delivery, it’s lots of delivery. One of the hottest spaces for venture...

Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator. Photo by Bloomberg.

Venture Capital

Venture Firms Fret as Y Combinator Soars

By Eric Newcomer · Sept. 8, 2014 7:58 AM PDT · 5 comments

For even the most distinguished of venture capital firms, it’s now obvious that Y Combinator and other startup “accelerators” pose an existential threat. And recent moves by Y Combinator and its new boss, Sam Altman, are bound to further aggravate tensions with VCs even if the red-hot accelerater chooses not to become a direct... For even the most distinguished of venture capital firms, it’s now obvious that Y...

Photo by Bloomberg.

Court Ruling on Contractors a Red Flag for On-Demand Services

By Eric Newcomer and Tom Dotan · Sept. 4, 2014 12:34 PM PDT

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week called a spade a spade: If you’re driving a FedEx-branded truck, wearing a FedEx uniform, and doing what FedEx tells you to do, then you’re a Fedex employee, not an independent contractor. The implications of the ruling for companies such as Uber, Lyft, Google,... A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week called a spade a spade: If...

Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. Illustration by Matthew Vascellaro.

Media/Telecom Amazon

Building the ‘Comcast of Gaming’ at Amazon

By Amir Efrati and Eric Newcomer · Sept. 3, 2014 6:22 PM PDT · 1 comment

Last week, 31-year-old Emmett Shear joined an exclusive club of tech startup founder/CEOs who agreed to sell their company for about $1 billion or more. While his startup, the online video-game broadcaster Twitch, is just three years old, it had spun out of a different live-video site he helped launch in 2007. Twitch quickly became the... Last week, 31-year-old Emmett Shear joined an exclusive club of tech startup founder/CEOs who ...

Union workers protesting at Twitter in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech Workers of the World, Unite?

By Eric Newcomer · Aug. 27, 2014 8:04 AM PDT · 15 comments

Union workers protesting at Twitter in San Francisco. Photo by Bloomberg.

Tech Workers of the World, Unite?

By Eric Newcomer · Aug. 27, 2014 8:04 AM PDT · 15 comments

The Silicon Valley technology worker doesn’t quite fit the profile of the exploited proletarian: The average high-tech salary in San Francisco is $156,518, according to one estimate. Compared with a fast-food worker, let alone a child laborer in Asia, the high-tech coder-laborer class—typified by the well-educated, male software... The Silicon Valley technology worker doesn’t quite fit the profile of the exploited...