The Briefing by Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Five times/week

The Briefing

By Martin Peers, Jessica Lessin and the team at The Information

Get smarter about the day’s news in tech, media and finance by following Silicon Valley’s most-read executive newsletter.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

Eran Zinman, co-CEO of Monday.com. Screenshot via YouTube/SaaStr AI.

Monday.com’s AI Hiring Lesson; BuzzFeed’s Rescue

By Martin Peers · May 11, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Digital media historians will be intrigued by news this afternoon that media mogul Byron Allen is buying control of once-important media outlet BuzzFeed. For more on this unusual deal, see below. Meanwhile... if you’re using mass layoffs as an indicator for AI’s impact on the job market, you may be looking in the wrong place. It might be smarter... Digital media historians will be intrigued by news this afternoon that media mogul Byron Allen is...

Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras Systems. Art by Clark Miller; YouTube.

Cerebras IPO Will Test Investor Appetite for AI Chip Startups

By Martin Peers · May 10, 2026 3:00pm PDT

How many AI chip designers can the public market support? We’ll get a sense of that on Thursday when Cerebras Systems, the biggest of a new generation of chip designers dedicated to AI, is expected to go public at a valuation of $35 billion. If it follows the pattern of other AI-related IPOs, such as cloud firm CoreWeave, Cerebras will be a big... How many AI chip designers can the public market support? We’ll get a sense of that on Thursday...

Coreweave CEO Michael Intrator. Getty Images.

CoreWeave’s Balancing Act

By Martin Peers · May 7, 2026 5:00pm PDT

If you’re getting dizzy watching CoreWeave’s balancing act, you’re not alone. The AI cloud startup reported first-quarter numbers Thursday evening showing that its business is ramping up quickly—revenue doubled in the quarter to $2 billion compared to the year-earlier period—but its investment spending and operating expenses are also taking off.... If you’re getting dizzy watching CoreWeave’s balancing act, you’re not alone. The AI cloud...

AP Images.

Elon Musk’s xAI Is Becoming a Cloud Firm

By Martin Peers · May 6, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

AP Images.

Elon Musk’s xAI Is Becoming a Cloud Firm

By Martin Peers · May 6, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Is xAI the next CoreWeave? SpaceX’s announcement on Wednesday that its xAI unit had struck a deal to supply computing capacity to Anthropic comes a couple of weeks after xAI struck a similar deal with AI coding startup Cursor. Last we checked, AI firms with leading models need all the computing capacity they can get, which means they’re... Is xAI the next CoreWeave? SpaceX’s announcement on Wednesday that its xAI unit had struck a deal...

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Getty Images.

Coinbase’s Missed ‘Learning’ on Hiring

By Martin Peers · May 5, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Greetings!Before we get to today’s news, check out our new text-to-audio tool that lets you listen to all of our articles on desktop or mobile web. Just press the Listen button on any article (I promise you will not hear my voice, just in case the thought of that was offputting!).There must be a template out there somewhere, probably created by... Greetings!Before we get to today’s news, check out our new text-to-audio tool that lets you...

CEO of Palantir Technologies Alex Karp speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026 Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images

Palantir’s AI Boom; Ryan Cohen’s Chutzpah

By Martin Peers · May 4, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Is Palantir soaking up all the growth in the enterprise software sector? That seems like a reasonable question judging by the company’s first-quarter results released on Monday, which showed 85% revenue growth. That’s an astounding growth rate for a business that’s 23 years old. Even better, Palantir turns a lot of that revenue into pure cash.... Is Palantir soaking up all the growth in the enterprise software sector? That seems like a...

Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Photo by Getty.

Palantir’s AI Pricing Power

By Laura Bratton · May 3, 2026 3:00pm PDT

Results from Google, Microsoft and Amazon last week showed AI is still fueling cloud revenues, news that helped lift the stock market to fresh records on Friday. This week, we’ll get a clearer glimpse into whether AI can also lift the lagging prices of software stocks such as Palantir and ServiceNow.Palantir kicks off the week’s wave of... Results from Google, Microsoft and Amazon last week showed AI is still fueling cloud revenues,...

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty.

Apple's Cash Strategy Shift

By Martin Peers · Apr 30, 2026 5:10pm PDT

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty.

Apple's Cash Strategy Shift

By Martin Peers · Apr 30, 2026 5:10pm PDT

Tim Cook is going out with a bang. Apple reported a stellar March quarter on Thursday, delivering 17% higher revenue, thanks to 22% growth in iPhone revenues, a big change from several years of anemic growth in sales of the ubiquitous device. In other words, far more consumers are upgrading their old iPhones than has been the case for a... Tim Cook is going out with a bang. Apple reported a stellar March quarter on Thursday, delivering...

Left to right: Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Andy Jassy and Google's Sundar Pichai. Getty Images.

Google Cloud and AWS Shine in Big Tech's Quarterly Update

By Martin Peers · Apr 29, 2026 5:00pm PDT

It was the Super Bowl of quarterly tech earnings today, with March-quarter results from Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platforms. The tsunami of numbers, all released within a few minutes of each other, might overwhelm even a top AI model. But for a human, what was clear was that surging demand for AI computing capacity is lifting cloud... It was the Super Bowl of quarterly tech earnings today, with March-quarter results from Google,...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar. Lauren Justice/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

OpenAI's Wall Street Disconnect

By Martin Peers · Apr 28, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Talk about out of touch with reality. Investors slammed the tech sector on Tuesday, spurred in part by a Wall Street Journal report that OpenAI had missed some internal revenue projections. Among the biggest to take a hit were two cloud firms that depend heavily on OpenAI for business: Oracle and CoreWeave, whose stocks fell 4% and 5.8%,... Talk about out of touch with reality. Investors slammed the tech sector on Tuesday, spurred in...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Sven Hoppe/Getty Images.

Microsoft Comes Out of OpenAI Deal a Winner; Risks in AI Financing

By Martin Peers · Apr 27, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Microsoft and OpenAI had big news this morning but before we dive into that, it's fair to say there’s a lot of excitement among investors (and reporters!) about the upcoming SpaceX IPO. But some people have a refreshingly realistic assessment of the situation. “There’s a trillion ways this can go wrong,” said Ashley MacNeill, co-head of capital... Microsoft and OpenAI had big news this morning but before we dive into that, it's fair to say...

Musk-OpenAI and Big Tech Earnings on Deck This Week

Musk-OpenAI and Big Tech Earnings on Deck This Week

By Martin Peers · Apr 26, 2026 3:00pm PDT

Musk-OpenAI and Big Tech Earnings on Deck This Week

Musk-OpenAI and Big Tech Earnings on Deck This Week

By Martin Peers · Apr 26, 2026 3:00pm PDT

This is going to be a fun week. First, Elon Musk and Sam Altman square off in a California court over the origins of OpenAI (for more details, see here). The final outcome probably won’t have a huge impact on the ChatGPT company—Musk’s chances of both winning the case and getting everything he wants from a victory seem unlikely, as we wrote here... This is going to be a fun week. First, Elon Musk and Sam Altman square off in a California court...

Tony Avelar/AP.

Big Tech's New Layoffs Phase is Underway

By Martin Peers · Apr 23, 2026 5:00pm PDT

We’re in a tech layoff era again—although a more accurate term may be an “employee replacement” phase. Meta Platforms told staff on Thursday it plans to lay off 10% of its staff, or about 8,000 people, next month. (The next few weeks won’t be fun at Meta!) The latest layoffs follow Meta’s cuts of about 2,000 people earlier this year and a spate... We’re in a tech layoff era again—although a more accurate term may be an “employee replacement”...

Elon Musk. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images.

Elon Musk Strikes Unusually Cautious Tone on Tesla Call

By Theo Wayt · Apr 22, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Tesla’s earnings calls are usually freewheeling affairs, with pulsating electronic music and wildly optimistic projections from CEO Elon Musk, who often likes to crack crude jokes and giggle. Today was different. Instead of the typical sci-fi rhapsodies about self-driving vehicles taking over the world and robots solving poverty, Musk spent much... Tesla’s earnings calls are usually freewheeling affairs, with pulsating electronic music and...

SpaceX's South Texas production facility. Photo by Reginald Mathalone/Getty Images.

What SpaceX’s Cursor Deal Says About xAI

By Martin Peers · Apr 21, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Elon Musk’s marketing pitch for the SpaceX IPO just got a bit more complicated. SpaceX’s revelation Tuesday afternoon that it was working closely with Cursor, the once-dominant coding firm, and might buy it for $60 billion, raises new questions about the health of xAI, Musk’s AI startup that SpaceX acquired for $250 billion in stock in early... Elon Musk’s marketing pitch for the SpaceX IPO just got a bit more complicated. SpaceX’s ...

Apple's Tim Cook and John Ternus. Getty Images.

Apple’s CEO Switch; Amazon’s AI Hedge

By Martin Peers · Apr 20, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Apple's Tim Cook and John Ternus. Getty Images.

Apple’s CEO Switch; Amazon’s AI Hedge

By Martin Peers · Apr 20, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Happy talk. That’s what you get when CEOs pass the baton, and so it was with Apple’s long-anticipated announcement that Tim Cook would give up the top job, effective in September. “I love Apple with all of my being,” Cook said in the announcement (he’s sticking around as executive chair). “I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in... Happy talk. That’s what you get when CEOs pass the baton, and so it was with Apple’s...

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen at the company's 2025 summit. David Becker/AP.

Adobe and Google Cloud Head to Vegas

By Martin Peers · Apr 19, 2026 3:00pm PDT

If you’ve never visited Las Vegas, this week might be the time. Adobe and Google Cloud are both having big shows there this week, with Adobe kicking off its customer summit tomorrow and running through Wednesday. Google Cloud Next, conveniently, starts Wednesday and runs through Friday. Come for one, stay for both!The two companies might be in... If you’ve never visited Las Vegas, this week might be the time. Adobe and Google Cloud are both...

TSMC CEO C. C. Wei. Getty Images.

TSMC’s Strong Results is One More Bullish AI Sign

By Martin Peers · Apr 16, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Upbeat signals about the AI business are proliferating. The latest was chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s first-quarter report on Thursday, showing revenue growth of 40.6%, above the top end of its projected range. The company raised its full-year growth rate to above 30%. According to TSMC CEO C.C. Wei, “AI-related demand... Upbeat signals about the AI business are proliferating. The latest was chipmaking giant Taiwan...

Mike Krieger from Anthropic. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Figma’s Apple Moment; Allbirds’ AI Pivot

By Martin Peers · Apr 15, 2026 5:00pm PDT

AI really is transforming the world! The latest example: Dying shoemaker Allbirds is turning itself into an AI chip firm called NewBird AI. Its stock rocketed 600% in response. But before we dig into that bizarre story, we should highlight what may be today’s more meaningful news: Anthropic executive Mike Krieger’s departure from the board of... AI really is transforming the world! The latest example: Dying shoemaker Allbirds is turning...

Photo via Globalstar

What Amazon’s Globalstar Purchase Means for SpaceX

By Martin Peers · Apr 14, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Photo via Globalstar

What Amazon’s Globalstar Purchase Means for SpaceX

By Martin Peers · Apr 14, 2026 5:00pm PDT

Every now and then we get a reminder that big tech’s pockets are as deep as the Mariana Trench. Amazon’s purchase of satellite firm Globalstar offers one of those reminders. Despite spending $200 billion this year on capital expenditures for its AI expansion and committing $50 billion on an OpenAI investment, Amazon can still find a few loose... Every now and then we get a reminder that big tech’s pockets are as deep as the Mariana Trench....