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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. Photos by Bloomberg
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Amazon Quietly Scrapped Checking Account Plans

By Priya Anand and Kevin Dugan · Nov 15, 2019 12:37pm PST
This week, Google confirmed that it will soon offer checking accounts to its users. But one of the company’s biggest rivals—Amazon—doesn’t appear to be joining it with a similar product anytime soon. After exploring a partnership with banks early last year to offer an Amazon-branded checking account, Amazon quietly... This week, Google confirmed that it will soon offer checking accounts to its users. But one of...
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Technologies' consumer business, in September. Photo by Bloomberg
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Huawei’s Google Problem Runs Deep

By Juro Osawa and Nick Bastone · Nov 14, 2019 7:02am PST · 2 comments
The world’s second largest smartphone maker is going to have a harder time divorcing Google than it thought. Huawei, the Chinese tech giant, has been scrambling for months to figure out how to sell its phones in international markets since U.S. sanctions blocked it from using Google’s mobile services. Huawei executives... The world’s second largest smartphone maker is going to have a harder time divorcing Google...
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Photo: AP
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Masayoshi Son, WeWork Execs to Meet as Decisions Loom

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 13, 2019 2:04pm PST
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son plans to visit WeWork’s San Francisco office Thursday as the company’s senior leadership discusses decisions including potential layoffs of thousands of employees. The leadership team also is expected to consider a financial plan to present to the company’s board of directors in the coming weeks,... SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son plans to visit WeWork’s San Francisco office Thursday as the...
The Athletic's Alex Mather with The Information's Jessica Lessin at an event last year. Photo by Erin Beach
The Athletic, Axios Raising Money as Rivals Consolidate
By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Nov 11, 2019 1:04pm PST · 2 comments
The Athletic's Alex Mather with The Information's Jessica Lessin at an event last year. Photo by Erin Beach
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The Athletic, Axios Raising Money as Rivals Consolidate

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Nov 11, 2019 1:04pm PST · 2 comments
Two of the younger digital media startups, The Athletic and Axios, are raising money to fuel diversification of their businesses, even as older media firms are consolidating.The Athletic, a subscription sports news site, is raising around $50 million at a valuation north of $500 million, said people familiar with the situation. The company has... Two of the younger digital media startups, The Athletic and Axios, are raising money to fuel...
Apple CEO Tim Cook. Photo by Bloomberg
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Apple Eyes 2022 Release for AR Headset, 2023 for Glasses

By Wayne Ma, Alex Heath and Nick Wingfield · Nov 11, 2019 5:01am PST · 3 comments
Apple is aiming to release an augmented-reality headset in 2022 and a sleeker pair of AR glasses by 2023, The Information has learned. Apple executives discussed the timelines, which haven’t been previously reported, in an internal presentation to employees at the company’s Cupertino, California, campus in October, according to... Apple is aiming to release an augmented-reality headset in 2022 and a sleeker pair of AR glasses...
Rubrik CEO Bipul Sinha and Cohesity CEO Mohit Aron. Photos by Bloomberg (Sinha), Cohesity (Aron)
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Inside Enterprise Tech’s Newest Feud: Rubrik vs. Cohesity

By Kevin McLaughlin · Nov 8, 2019 7:01am PST · 1 comment
A decade ago, Mohit Aron and Bipul Sinha were on the same team—Aron as the co-founder of Nutanix, then an innovative new data-center software startup, and Sinha as an early investor and board member in the company. Now the two are enmeshed in one of the tech industry’s most bitter rivalries. In early 2013, Aron left Nutanix to... A decade ago, Mohit Aron and Bipul Sinha were on the same team—Aron as the co-founder of...
Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. Photo by AP
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Burnett, Downey Looking to Raise $100 Million for Religious Streaming Service

By Jessica Toonkel · Nov 4, 2019 10:38am PST
Mark Burnett, the TV producer behind “The Apprentice” and “Survivor,” and his actress wife Roma Downey are trying to raise $100 million to launch a subscription-based streaming service for Christian viewers, according to people familiar with the situation. The fundraising effort comes as the number of streaming... Mark Burnett, the TV producer behind “The Apprentice” and “Survivor,” and...
One of Fitbit's smart watches. Photo by Bloomberg
Facebook Held Talks to Buy Fitbit Before Google Struck Deal
By Alex Heath · Nov 1, 2019 9:26am PDT · 2 comments
One of Fitbit's smart watches. Photo by Bloomberg
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Facebook Held Talks to Buy Fitbit Before Google Struck Deal

By Alex Heath · Nov 1, 2019 9:26am PDT · 2 comments
Before Google reached a $2.1 billion deal to buy Fitbit, announced on Friday, Facebook held talks to acquire the smartwatch maker, according to two people familiar with the situation. But Facebook was interested in buying Fitbit at roughly half what Google proved willing to pay, one of the people with direct knowledge of the talks said.... Before Google reached a $2.1 billion deal to buy Fitbit, announced on Friday, Facebook held talks...
A protest by Google employees last year over the company's handling of harassment charges against former executives. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Google Discourages Culture Fit in Hiring With ‘Googleyness’ Update

By Nick Bastone · Oct 31, 2019 11:23am PDT · 1 comment
When Google interviews job candidates, it has long considered a handful of attributes, including the applicants’ leadership, knowledge about the roles they are applying for and “general cognitive ability.” But in a move little noticed outside the company, Google has clarified the definition of the most sacred of those... When Google interviews job candidates, it has long considered a handful of attributes, including...
Photo: Katerra
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SoftBank’s Latest Real Estate Headache: Setbacks at Katerra

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 31, 2019 7:01am PDT
Cameron Lamming, an executive at property developer RAR Hospitality, knew he was taking a risk when he hired Katerra, a construction startup without much of a track record, to design and build a new hotel in San Diego. But Katerra had recently raised nearly $1 billion from SoftBank’s Vision Fund, and the startup estimated it could build... Cameron Lamming, an executive at property developer RAR Hospitality, knew he was taking a risk...
Vudu's app on an iPhone. Photo by Bloomberg
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Walmart Eyes Vudu Sale

By Jessica Toonkel, Priya Anand and Tom Dotan · Oct 30, 2019 11:18am PDT · 2 comments
Walmart is considering selling its 15-year old Vudu on-demand video service, say people familiar with the situation, a sign of how the digital video business has evolved from on-demand rentals and purchases to streaming.Word of Walmart’s desire to sell Vudu comes days before Disney and Apple each launch video streaming services meant to... Walmart is considering selling its 15-year old Vudu on-demand video service, say people familiar...
YY CEO Li Xueling, holding the hammer, at the New York Stock Exchange last year when YY's subsidiary Huya went public. Photo by Bloomberg
As TikTok’s Growth Slows, a Chinese Rival Gains Ground
By Yunan Zhang · Oct 30, 2019 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
YY CEO Li Xueling, holding the hammer, at the New York Stock Exchange last year when YY's subsidiary Huya went public. Photo by Bloomberg
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As TikTok’s Growth Slows, a Chinese Rival Gains Ground

By Yunan Zhang · Oct 30, 2019 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
ByteDance, the Chinese developer of TikTok, the worldwide hit downloaded more than a billion times, was the first Chinese company to challenge Facebook and Snap on the global stage. But now, ByteDance is facing a Chinese challenger of its own, a short-form video-sharing app called Likee.Launched two years ago and now owned by Nasdaq-listed YY... ByteDance, the Chinese developer of TikTok, the worldwide hit downloaded more than a billion...
Mary Meeker, Mamoon Hamid and John Doerr. Photos by Bloomberg (Meeker and Doerr), Kleiner Perkins (Hamid)
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Mixed Returns for Kleiner Perkins: Weak Venture Funds, Strong ‘Growth’

By Zoë Bernard · Oct 28, 2019 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
Kleiner Perkins—the venture firm once celebrated for early stakes in Amazon, Google and Genentech—has a long way to go in its quest to claw its way back to the top of Silicon Valley investors. But recent, previously unreported data on the performance of its funds from the past nine years show there are also some bright spots for the... Kleiner Perkins—the venture firm once celebrated for early stakes in Amazon, Google and...
Sony's Vue streaming service being demonstrated at the E3 convention in 2015. Photo by Bloomberg
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Sony Explores Sale of Vue, Signaling Shift on Streaming

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Oct 24, 2019 12:28pm PDT · 1 comment
Sony Corp. is exploring the sale of its Playstation Vue service, which offers a slimmed-down version of cable TV delivered over the internet, said people familiar with the situation. Sony’s move is the latest sign that the four-year-old trend toward cheaper cable-like streaming services also promoted by YouTube, DirecTV and Dish Network... Sony Corp. is exploring the sale of its Playstation Vue service, which offers a slimmed-down...
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WeWork’s Biggest Losers—and Remaining Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 24, 2019 10:15am PDT · 4 comments
SoftBank has given WeWork a new lease on life. But some of the company’s biggest shareholders, including Hony Capital, Fidelity and thousands of employees—as well as SoftBank itself—are now in the red.WeWork’s new valuation of $11.60 a share is below what was paid by every outside investor who put money into WeWork since... SoftBank has given WeWork a new lease on life. But some of the company’s biggest...
Carbon Robotics co-founder and CEO Rosanna Myers at a conference in Hong Kong last year. Photo by Bloomberg.
Startup Carbon Robotics Shutting Down, Selling Assets
By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 23, 2019 12:49pm PDT
Carbon Robotics co-founder and CEO Rosanna Myers at a conference in Hong Kong last year. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Startup Carbon Robotics Shutting Down, Selling Assets

By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct 23, 2019 12:49pm PDT
Robotic arms that can perform complex, delicate tasks—from assembling electronics to picking and packing online orders in warehouses—are one of the holy grails of researchers and tech companies. Developing them is also proving to be highly risky, as the failure of another robotic arm startup shows. Carbon Robotics, a San... Robotic arms that can perform complex, delicate tasks—from assembling electronics to...
CNN's offices in Atlanta. Photo by Bloomberg
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CNN to Launch Digital News Service to Compete With Facebook, Apple

By Jessica Toonkel · Oct 23, 2019 7:01am PDT · 2 comments
First there was Knewz. Now there is “Newsco.” Media companies are ramping up their efforts to take on Facebook and Apple with digital news services. Just a few months after Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. announced it was developing Knewz.com, a news aggregation service offering articles from a wide range of outlets, CNN is... First there was Knewz. Now there is “Newsco.” Media companies are ramping up their...
Lime scooters in Munich, Germany. Photo: AP
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Lime’s Loss to Top $300 Million in 2019

By Cory Weinberg · Oct 21, 2019 3:37pm PDT
Scooter rental operator Lime has touted itself as one of the fastest-growing startups ever, blanketing cities such as Berlin, Paris and Los Angeles with thousands of two-wheeled electric vehicles. But the firm is losing money nearly as quickly as it expands in part because the company’s vehicles tend to break down before they can generate... Scooter rental operator Lime has touted itself as one of the fastest-growing startups ever,...
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AWS Customers Rack Up Hefty Bills for Moving Data

By Kevin McLaughlin and Amir Efrati · Oct 21, 2019 7:01am PDT · 3 comments
There are a lot of ways companies can rack up high bills for using cloud services, sometimes unexpectedly. One particularly stiff expense is the cost of shifting data from one cloud provider’s servers to another provider, or to a company’s own data center. The Information has learned just how much some companies have had to pay for... There are a lot of ways companies can rack up high bills for using cloud services, sometimes...
Former HBO chief Richard Plepler. Photo by Bloomberg
Ex-HBO Chief Plepler Has Discussed Launching Studio
By Jessica Toonkel and Alex Heath · Oct 18, 2019 11:36am PDT
Former HBO chief Richard Plepler. Photo by Bloomberg
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Ex-HBO Chief Plepler Has Discussed Launching Studio

By Jessica Toonkel and Alex Heath · Oct 18, 2019 11:36am PDT
Less than a year after leaving WarnerMedia, former HBO CEO Richard Plepler appears to be getting back in the entertainment business. Plepler has told industry associates over the past several weeks that he is looking to start his own production studio, tentatively called Eden Productions, according to people who have spoken to him. Plepler... Less than a year after leaving WarnerMedia, former HBO CEO Richard Plepler appears to be getting...