The Information

Directory
Search, find and engage with others who are serious about tech and business.
Forum
Follow and be a part of discussions about tech, finance and media.

Brand Partnerships
Premium advertising opportunities for brands
Group Subscriptions
Team access to our exclusive tech news
Newsletters
Journalists who break and shape the news, in your inbox
Video
Catch up on conversations with global leaders in tech, media and finance
Partner Content
Explore our recent partner collaborations

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming. Photo by Bloomberg

Tencent, Xiaomi Invested in TikTok’s Parent, ByteDance

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Aug 20, 2020 10:00am PDT

The list of current and former investors in TikTok’s owner ByteDance include some of the biggest names in finance, including Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic—along with some of the biggest Chinese tech firms. The Information has learned that Chinese internet giant Tencent, one of ByteDance’s biggest competitors, bought... The list of current and former investors in TikTok’s owner ByteDance include some of the...

Nashville skyline. Illustration by Mike Sullivan

How One Rental Startup Gamed Airbnb

By Paris Martineau · Aug 19, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Three years ago, an unusual real estate shopping spree among colleagues kicked off in Nashville, Tenn. Jay Roberts, the CEO and co-founder of a startup called Domio, purchased a newly constructed condo in the city’s North Nashville neighborhood with his then-girlfriend. A few days later, 24-year-old Adrian Lam, chief strategy officer and... Three years ago, an unusual real estate shopping spree among colleagues kicked off in Nashville,...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Apple’s China Loopholes Are Starting to Close

By Wayne Ma · Aug 18, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

In 2017, Apple rolled out a flurry of projects executives hoped would endear it to Chinese officials. It announced three new research and development centers in China and ceded control of Chinese user data to a local partner. Soon after, Apple’s newly appointed head of Greater China, Isabel Ge Mahe, had meetings with Chinese... In 2017, Apple rolled out a flurry of projects executives hoped would endear it to Chinese...

A still image from an Epic Games video spoofing Apple's '1984' commercial

Epic Games Seeks to Form Coalition of Apple Critics

By Nick Wingfield and Alex Heath · Aug 17, 2020 5:53pm PDT

A still image from an Epic Games video spoofing Apple's '1984' commercial

Epic Games Seeks to Form Coalition of Apple Critics

By Nick Wingfield and Alex Heath · Aug 17, 2020 5:53pm PDT

Epic Games, the videogame maker that started a daring legal brawl with Apple last week, is hoping to organize wider opposition to the tech giant. It could face an uphill battle in recruiting others to publicly join its cause. In recent weeks, Epic—which makes the hit game Fortnite—has reached out to other tech executives about... Epic Games, the videogame maker that started a daring legal brawl with Apple last week, is hoping...

TikTok's global business solutions vice president Blake Chandlee. Photo by Bloomberg

TikTok’s Uncertain Future Gives Advertisers Pause

By Anissa Gardizy · Aug 17, 2020 7:01am PDT

Until recently, restaurant chain The Halal Guys was considering advertising on TikTok, recognizing its popularity with younger members of its audience. But in the wake of the political turmoil over TikTok’s ownership, the company rethought those plans.“Given the recent turn of events, I’d prefer to take a ‘wait and... Until recently, restaurant chain The Halal Guys was considering advertising on TikTok,...

Lipstick in a mall in China. Photo by Imaginechina via AP Images.

Chinese Cosmetics Startup Perfect Diary Aims to Double Valuation to $4 Billion

By Yunan Zhang · Aug 17, 2020 5:01am PDT

Riding a wave of rebounding internet shopping and rising nationalism among young Chinese consumers, Perfect Diary, the four-year-old Chinese online makeup brand, is in talks to raise between $100 million and $200 million. If successful, the investment would double the startup’s valuation to $4 billion from $2 billion when it last... Riding a wave of rebounding internet shopping and rising nationalism among young Chinese...

Police investigated a shooting in Orinda, Calif., during a party at a rental home last October. Photo: AP

Airbnb Wrestles With House Party Problem Ahead of IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 13, 2020 10:59am PDT · 6 comments

Chris Fling heard gunshots at around 1 a.m. two weekends ago across the street from his Tulsa, Okla., home. He had been watching dozens of young people gather earlier that evening at the house, which had been rented on Airbnb for the night. One teenager at the party had been shot in the arm, the Tulsa police said. The next day, Fling found... Chris Fling heard gunshots at around 1 a.m. two weekends ago across the street from his Tulsa,...

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, in August 2019. Photo: AP

Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Plots New Early-Stage VC Fund

By Kate Clark · Aug 13, 2020 7:02am PDT

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, in August 2019. Photo: AP

Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Plots New Early-Stage VC Fund

By Kate Clark · Aug 13, 2020 7:02am PDT

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has begun meeting with investors to raise money for a new venture firm following his departure from Initialized Capital, the early-stage investing fund he co-founded, according to two people familiar with the matter. Ohanian in June said he was leaving Initialized, which backed high-valued startups such as... Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has begun meeting with investors to raise money for a new...

The Dubsmash music video app. Photo courtesy of Dubsmash.

Facebook, Snap Held Talks to Buy TikTok Rival Dubsmash

By Alex Heath · Aug 12, 2020 2:01pm PDT

Facebook and Snap recently held talks to buy Dubsmash, a lip-syncing video app that has surged in popularity alongside a crop of other TikTok competitors.Dubsmash was approached by both Facebook and Snap about a deal in recent weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter. The acquisition talks progressed far enough to include... Facebook and Snap recently held talks to buy Dubsmash, a lip-syncing video app that has surged in...

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. Photo by Bloomberg

AT&T Wants $1.5 Billion in Crunchyroll Sale to Sony

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Aug 12, 2020 9:27am PDT

AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll Japanese anime-streaming service to Sony, according to three people familiar with the situation. If the two sides could reach a deal—which is far from certain—it would strengthen Sony’s position in the niche market, as it already owns a rival anime service... AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll Japanese anime-streaming...

Fish captured by an Aquabyte camera. Image: Aquabyte

AI Startups Proliferate as Businesses Look for Savings

By Amir Efrati · Aug 12, 2020 7:10am PDT · 3 comments

Artificial intelligence has taken some punches. For years, IBM’s Watson promised to transform the business world but failed to live up to its own hopes and marketing blitz. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and others vowed to build cars that drive themselves, but they aren’t even close to that goal. In June, The Economist declared: “An... Artificial intelligence has taken some punches. For years, IBM’s Watson promised to...

Ali Ghodsi, CEO of Databricks. Image: Databricks

Startup Winners in the AI Boom

By Amir Efrati · Aug 12, 2020 7:02am PDT · 5 comments

Ali Ghodsi, CEO of Databricks. Image: Databricks

Startup Winners in the AI Boom

By Amir Efrati · Aug 12, 2020 7:02am PDT · 5 comments

Dozens of startups, as well as some public companies, are fueling a boom in artificial intelligence that is increasingly automating certain functions of businesses or their products. The Information has learned the revenue and growth figures for some of the highest-profile AI startups (see below), as business customers purchase software allowing... Dozens of startups, as well as some public companies, are fueling a boom in artificial...

A move by Apple to restrict ad tracking on iPhones and iPads could reduce the effectiveness of Facebook's ad tracking system. Photo: AP

Facebook, Gaming Firms Brace for Apple’s Restrictions on Ad Targeting

By Tom Dotan and Alex Heath · Aug 11, 2020 7:02am PDT · 1 comment

Facebook representatives in recent weeks have been meeting with mobile gaming companies, a key group of advertisers, ahead of a major change by Apple that will make it harder for apps to track the behavior of iPhone owners.In the talks, Facebook employees have sought to hear gaming companies’ concerns about Apple’s next mobile... Facebook representatives in recent weeks have been meeting with mobile gaming companies, a key...

Photo by Bloomberg

Marc Benioff in Lockdown

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 10, 2020 6:16am PDT

Every fall, more than 150,000 people flood a convention center in San Francisco for Dreamforce, the annual conference put on by the city’s largest technology company, Salesforce. Although nominally about the online marketing tools and other cloud services Salesforce specializes in, the event has turned into a cultural jamboree featuring... Every fall, more than 150,000 people flood a convention center in San Francisco for Dreamforce,...

Andy Forssell, WarnerMedia. Photo: Getty Images

WarnerMedia CEO Unveils Major Reorg that Promotes New Head of Streaming

By Jessica Toonkel · Aug 7, 2020 12:49pm PDT

WarnerMedia on Friday announced a major reorganization that elevates streaming executive Andy Forssell to oversee the company’s global direct-to-consumer business, including HBO Max, reporting directly to new CEO Jason Kilar. The new structure, which resulted in the departure of two top entertainment executives, also streamlines... WarnerMedia on Friday announced a major reorganization that elevates streaming executive Andy...

Zhang Yiming, CEO and founder of Bytedance, in Beijing. Photo by Bloomberg.

Once a Hero, TikTok’s Founder Is Under Attack in China

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Aug 6, 2020 8:01am PDT · 4 comments

Zhang Yiming, CEO and founder of Bytedance, in Beijing. Photo by Bloomberg.

Once a Hero, TikTok’s Founder Is Under Attack in China

By Yunan Zhang and Juro Osawa · Aug 6, 2020 8:01am PDT · 4 comments

Zhang Yiming was a hometown hero. Local media heralded his startup, ByteDance, as China’s most internationally successful internet product. It was the first Chinese tech company to challenge the likes of Facebook for global pop-culture dominance with its breakout hit app, TikTok. Now, as his company is under attack across the world,... Zhang Yiming was a hometown hero. Local media heralded his startup, ByteDance, as China’s...

Illustration by J.Claeys

Casper’s Sleep Troubles

By Zoë Bernard · Aug 6, 2020 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

Hours after Casper Sleep executives rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange to inaugurate the mattress maker’s initial public offering in early February, the mood at the company’s downtown New York offices was celebratory. CEO Philip Krim was jubilant, while Gregory Macfarlane, then Casper’s chief financial officer,... Hours after Casper Sleep executives rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange to inaugurate...

HeadSpin founders Manish Lachwani and Brien Colwell. Photo courtesy of Headspin.

Startup HeadSpin to Return Funding After Probe of Financial Statements

By Kate Clark · Aug 3, 2020 10:08pm PDT · 1 comment

HeadSpin, a mobile app testing company recently valued at $1.16 billion, plans to return up to $95 million in funding to investors after an internal review of financial irregularities forced it to restate its financials.The previously unreported review follows the board’s discovery that the company was on track to post only $15 million in... HeadSpin, a mobile app testing company recently valued at $1.16 billion, plans to return up to...

Photo by Bloomberg

Trump Threat of Ban Puts TikTok-Microsoft Talks on Hold

By Jessica E. Lessin and Alex Heath · Aug 1, 2020 1:16pm PDT · 1 comment

President Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban Chinese-owned TikTok has halted a potential acquisition of the popular app by Microsoft, with both companies waiting for more information from the U.S. government, according to several people involved in the talks. Late Friday, the companies were in advanced stages of negotiating a... President Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban Chinese-owned TikTok has halted a...

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo: Bloomberg

Airbnb’s New Strategy: Living Without Google

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 31, 2020 7:08am PDT · 1 comment

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo: Bloomberg

Airbnb’s New Strategy: Living Without Google

By Cory Weinberg · Jul 31, 2020 7:08am PDT · 1 comment

Employees who worked on Airbnb’s marketing team in recent years have sometimes pondered a tantalizing question: What would happen to the company’s growth if it stopped spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on ads that appear high up in Google search results? The pandemic may have given Airbnb the opportunity to test... Employees who worked on Airbnb’s marketing team in recent years have sometimes pondered a...