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

Art by Clark Miller

The Neo Robot Economy

By Abram Brown · Nov 1, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside Benchmark’s high-stakes pressure test • Artificial Intelligence: The VCs who turned vibe code into whimsical passion projects• Artificial Intelligence: Venerable Casio’s surprise hit? An AI robopet • WTF: Behind the scenes at our summit for the most powerful and influential... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Inside Benchmark’s high-stakes pressure...

Art by Clark Miller

Our Smart Bed Future May Be a Nightmare

By Abram Brown · Oct 25, 2025 7:04am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders!Quickly, a programming note: The Briefing, the newsletter written by my colleague Martin Peers, is shifting to an altered schedule, and starting tomorrow, it’ll appear Sunday through Thursday. Martin on a Sunday evening—what a treat! Among other topics, he’ll be applying his inimitable powers of explanation to previewing tech... Welcome, Weekenders!Quickly, a programming note: The Briefing, the newsletter written by my...

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI’s Erotica Experiment Won’t Last

By Abram Brown · Oct 18, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Arena: Call it moneyball for minors—inside the booming business of youth sports apps• The Top 5: Best new places for a tech holiday party • Plus, our Recommendations: “The Big Short” with “Against the Rules: The Big Short Companion,” “Murderland,” and “John Candy: I Like Me”Two months ago, Cleo... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Arena: Call it moneyball for minors—inside the...

Art by Clark Miller

The AI That’s Morally Repugnant

By Abram Brown · Oct 11, 2025 8:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

The AI That’s Morally Repugnant

By Abram Brown · Oct 11, 2025 8:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: E-commerce startups are back from the dead• The Arena: Sports braces for the new referee: AI• Artificial Intelligence: Meet the Cursor Resistance—the techies who hate AI coding tools• Plus, our Recommendations: “Our Common Nature,” “Empire of AI” and “Black Rabbit”A number of existential... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: E-commerce startups are back from the...

OpenAI, Sora—and the Internet’s Cheetos Brain

OpenAI, Sora—and the Internet’s Cheetos Brain

By Abram Brown · Oct 4, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Can Reed Jobs be more than the son of Steve?• Electric Vehicles: The Chinese flying car that should worry Detroit—and Silicon Valley • Plus, our Recommendations: “The Romesh Ranganathan Show,” “When It All Burns” and “The Eastern Gate”The ultimate winner from the artificial... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Can Reed Jobs be more than the son of...

Art by Clark Miller

Working at AI Speed Without Going Crazy

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 27, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Mira Murati’s enigma machine • Artificial Intelligence: Nvidia’s AI stimulus plan• Plus, our Recommendations: “Desk Set,” “Mission Accomplished” and “It’s Only Drowning”When you’ve worked in an industry for a while, you learn its rhythm. For... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: ...

Flavio Cobolli takes a selfie of Team Europe ahead of the Laver Cup in San Francisco on Wednesday. Photo by Getty

What I Asked Alcaraz in the Land of Alcatraz

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 20, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Musk’s Memphis supercomputer fixer • The Arena: The highlightification of sports. • The Top 5: Tech elites turn to luxury matchmakers to find love.• Plus, our Recommendations: “Home Cooking,” “The World’s Worst Best” and “Three Days of the Condor.” It definitely wasn’t the... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Musk’s Memphis supercomputer...

Art by Clark Miller; photos from Getty Images

Elizabeth Holmes’s Resurrection is Gonna Happen

By Abram Brown · Sep 13, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller; photos from Getty Images

Elizabeth Holmes’s Resurrection is Gonna Happen

By Abram Brown · Sep 13, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Anthropic’s different approach to Trump • The Arena: Steve Ballmer may be too rich for the NBA• Artificial Intelligence: AI boom complicates how schools recruit, retain doctoral students • Plus, our Recommendations: “Fiasco: Benghazi,” “Make Me Commissioner” and “And So It Goes”... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Anthropic’s different approach to...

Art by Clark Miller; photos from Getty Images

Tesla Hastens the Era of the Trillionaire

By Abram Brown · Sep 6, 2025 7:28am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The tech elite sees GLP-1s as all-purpose wonder drugs• The Arena: Inside the NFL’s feud with venerable ol’ Nielsen• The Top 5: The AI era’s favorite hacker houses• Does a shoeless office stink? Depends on who you ask in Silicon Valley• Plus, our Recommendations: “Bad Elizabeth,” “Dirtbag... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The tech elite sees GLP-1s as all-purpose...

Art by Clark Miller

How AIs Can Have Secret Conversations

By Abram Brown · Aug 30, 2025 8:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Finally! An explanation of what the Musk-Altman legal feud really means• The Arena: Can the metaverse and TikTok help tennis connect with young fans?• Plus, our Recommendations: “The Rise and Fall of Indie Sleaze,” “Anointed” and “Alien: Earth” Generally speaking, humans communicate with... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Finally! An explanation of what the...

Art by Clark Miller

Why MIT’s Viral AI Study Struck A Nerve

By Abram Brown · Aug 23, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders!I’m delighted to introduce Weekend’s latest addition: Jemima McEvoy, who joins as a reporter.Jemima comes from Forbes, where she was a staff writer and a distinguished member of the Wealth Team, the group of reporters who assemble the Forbes 400 and World’s Billionaires lists and chronicle these moguls throughout the year.... Welcome, Weekenders!I’m delighted to introduce Weekend’s latest addition: Jemima McEvoy, who...

Art by Clark Miller

AI’s Personality Problem

By Abram Brown · Aug 16, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

AI’s Personality Problem

By Abram Brown · Aug 16, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Foreign researchers weigh AI riches against immigration worries • The Arena: Why David Ellison will want more streaming punch for Paramount• Plus, our Recommendations: “Buzz: The Man & The Moon,” “An Oral History of Atlantis” and “The Gilded Age.” Soon, the greatest challenge in... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Foreign researchers weigh AI riches ...

Art by Clark Miller

A Fix for the Anxious Generation?

By Abram Brown · Aug 9, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Nvidia’s quiet rising stars? The CEO’s kids • The Top 5: The best at-home longevity tests• Plus, our Recommendations: “StanLand,” “King of Kings” and “Pee-wee as Himself” In Piedmont, Calif., a group of parents have been encouraging their friends to do the unthinkable: Take their kids... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Nvidia’s quiet rising stars? The CEO’s...

Art by Mike Sullivan

The Whiz-Bang AI That Hollywood Hates

By Abram Brown · Aug 2, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Microplastics are Silicon Valley’s new big worry• Media: Beehiiv, the next billion-dollar newsletter startup?• Plus, our Recommendations: “Camp Shame,” “Algospeak” and “KPop Demon Hunters”Leave it to Las Vegas to stir up tensions between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. The Sphere, the orblike... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Microplastics are Silicon Valley’s new...

Art by Clark Miller; Image via Getty.

LeBron’s AI Blunder, Tech’s Fortunate Bet on Trump

By Abram Brown · Jul 26, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sports execs’ favorite pastime? Venture capital• The Top 5: The best new startup accelerators • Plus, our Recommendations: “Autocracy in America,” “I Regret Almost Everything” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” LeBron James would like the internet to behave itself. Of course, it won’... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sports execs’ favorite pastime? Venture...

Art: Clark Miller

Weekend: Can Meta Fix This Common AI Flaw?

By Abram Brown · Jul 19, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art: Clark Miller

Weekend: Can Meta Fix This Common AI Flaw?

By Abram Brown · Jul 19, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Flying taxis near reality thanks to an unexpected boost from Toyota• The Top 5: A tech mogul’s guide to summer fashion, Sun Valley style • Plus, our Recommendations: “Flesh and Code,” “The CIA Book Club” and “Su Majestad.”Silicon Valley has many flaws. A prominent one: an... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Flying taxis near reality thanks to an...

Art by Clark Miller

A Tech Bro Gets Flooded By Hate

By Abram Brown · Jul 12, 2025 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Dylan Field thrived after the Adobe deal died• Artificial Intelligence: Silicon Valley’s summer obsession? AI note taking • Plus, our Recommendations: A true crime podcast about a ninth life; the Roosevelts and the panda bear; and revisiting a cruise from hellAugustus Doricko has... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: How Dylan Field thrived after the Adobe...

Art by Clark Miller

OpenAI and Meta Should Call a Cease-Fire

By Abram Brown · Jul 5, 2025 7:00am PDT · 3 comments

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Lists: 25 great books for summer 2025 • The Arena: A counter-terrorism startup is a surprise WNBA partner• Artificial Intelligence: Why Meta and Google learned to love art• Plus, our Recommendations: a pop-critic laureate; Alexander Hamilton’s dual roles; and a nightly island getawayThe holiday... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• Lists: 25 great books for summer 2025 • The Arena:...

Art by Clark Miller (photo: Getty Images)

Nintendo, the Next Apple?

By Abram Brown · Jun 28, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The deals, free agents and egos fueling the AI talent grab • The Top 5: The most rigorous summer camps• Plus, our Recommendations: A Pablo Escobar tell-all; Netflix’s latest sleuths; and the amazing Gila monsterMamma Mia! Nintendo’s Switch 2, the latest console from the venerable... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: The deals, free agents and egos fueling...

Art by Clark Miller

Who Controls Sam Altman’s Story?

By Abram Brown · Jun 21, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art by Clark Miller

Who Controls Sam Altman’s Story?

By Abram Brown · Jun 21, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Humanoid robots are the latest pawns in the U.S.-China tech war• The Arena: Can 3D printing—yes, 3D printing—make Nike a winner again?• The quiet AI mogul with $1 billion in sales—and no investors • Plus, our Recommendations: Putin’s favorite fintech; the dirt on d’oh!; and a collision... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Humanoid robots are the latest pawns in...