The Takeaway by Jessica E. Lessin — The Information

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The Takeaway

By Jessica E. Lessin

An inside perspective on tech, media and startups from a reporter and founder who tells the truth about Silicon Valley.

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Recent Editions

Art by Shane Burke.

The Media Faces a Test—and Is Already Failing

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 6, 2024 10:30am PST · 46 comments

The first thing I saw on my phone this morning when I awoke at 5:45 a.m. was a push alert from The New York Times announcing that Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential race put the U.S. “on the edge of a more authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its history.” The language made my stomach sink. Not because... The first thing I saw on my phone this morning when I awoke at 5:45 a.m. was a push alert from...

Jessica Lessin at this year's WTF: Women in Tech, Media and Finance summit. Art by Clark Miller

The Next News Disruption Has Already Begun

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 8, 2023 12:00pm PST · 24 comments

I could tell something had happened when I saw the river of notifications on my phone—WhatsApp messages, Slack messages, tweets and texts. “Can’t wait for The Information’s read on this one.” Gulp. Sam Altman had been fired as CEO of OpenAI. I spent the next two weeks with The Information team uncovering everything... I could tell something had happened when I saw the river of notifications on my...

Art by Clark Miller

‘Fix It—or Go Surfing’: Jessica Lessin on What She’d Tell Her Younger Self

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 5, 2023 6:00am PDT · 84 comments

Ten years ago, almost to the day, my husband Sam took a video of me curled up in bed, convinced I had food poisoning. I was so nauseous, I felt like I couldn’t move. It turned out it was just nerves. I had just told my parents I was going to leave a plum reporting job at The Wall Street Journal to start something new. It was the moment my... Ten years ago, almost to the day, my husband Sam took a video of me curled up in bed, convinced I...

Sam Altman. Photo by Getty

This Is How Sam Altman Works the Press and Congress. I Know From Experience.

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 7, 2023 9:00am PDT · 12 comments

Sam Altman. Photo by Getty

This Is How Sam Altman Works the Press and Congress. I Know From Experience.

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jun 7, 2023 9:00am PDT · 12 comments

Sam Altman is warning me about an unsettling new technology with dangers of misuse.“It’s one of those things, the more you think about it, the more ways you can figure out a creep could abuse it,” he said. The industry must propose solutions, he argued, to “keep from getting legislated out of business.”Sound familiar? Sam Altman is warning me about an unsettling new technology with dangers of misuse.“It’s one of...

Sam Bankman-Fried. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Press Failure That Led to FTX

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 21, 2022 11:28am PST · 22 comments

As the crypto currency contagion spreads, there is a tough truth about the press’s role in the crisis that is becoming crystal clear. Reporters and editors (myself and The Information included) were so busy waxing on about all the things crypto companies were not doing that we failed to focus on the risks with what they were actually... As the crypto currency contagion spreads, there is a tough truth about the press’s role in...

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Why Twitter Is More Powerful Than the Printing Press

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 29, 2022 1:00pm PDT · 3 comments

This week I was reminded that the best way to sharpen an argument is to listen to people who strongly disagree with you. My piece calling Musk a new type of creator CEO, one poised to wrest power by owning a key communication channel, prompted a wave of response. Most if it boiled down to this: Haven’t powerful people long controlled the media,... This week I was reminded that the best way to sharpen an argument is to listen to people who...

Elon Musk

Lessons from Elon Musk’s Imminent Acquisition of Twitter

By Jessica E. Lessin · Apr 25, 2022 8:56am PDT · 4 comments

So where do we go from here?The richest man in the world is poised to strike a deal to acquire one of the world’s most important communications platforms, according to multiple media outlets and what we’re hearing. To say this is striking is, well, an understatement. Many questions remain about how he will manage the company; who will be in... So where do we go from here?The richest man in the world is poised to strike a deal to acquire...

Art by Haejin Park

Covid Didn’t End the Tech Backlash. Could Putin?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 5, 2022 5:00am PST

Art by Haejin Park

Covid Didn’t End the Tech Backlash. Could Putin?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 5, 2022 5:00am PST

It is a truth universally acknowledged in Silicon Valley that when one tech platform takes a stand against some injustice, others are quick to follow. Big tech companies—like many corporations—wait for the first mover and follow in droves.And so it was this week, when Meta, Alphabet, Apple, Netflix, Reddit and many more blocked or curbed the... It is a truth universally acknowledged in Silicon Valley that when one tech platform takes a...

Art by Haejin Park.

Death of a Duopoly: Why It’s Time to Reconsider the Facebook-Google Rivalry

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 5, 2022 5:00am PST · 4 comments

Before I was an entrepreneur, my career as a tech journalist was marked by covering one story: the rise of the Facebook and Google advertising duopoly and everything it shaped.I started following Facebook as a cub college reporter when it had a few hundred users. Google was my first big corporate beat at The Wall Street Journal, and I spent... Before I was an entrepreneur, my career as a tech journalist was marked by covering one story:...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Why Influencer Journalists Should Not Be the Future of Journalism

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 8, 2022 5:00am PST · 4 comments

A new year is a cause for reflection—and for resuming this column, which I intend to write regularly, but not every week. You may recall I took a break to have my third child. All is well—and busy—in the Lessin household, and at The Information, which is growing rapidly.As I look across the media industry, I see a new genre of news organization... A new year is a cause for reflection—and for resuming this column, which I intend to write...

Why the Press Could Fail

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 18, 2021 7:45am PDT · 11 comments

As a news entrepreneur, I’ve spent most of the last eight years focused on the business model challenges to our industry, which have been seismic. I’ve argued, again and again, that quality journalism won’t survive unless publishers stop trying to game algorithms for ad dollars and start holding themselves to a higher bar: journalism worth... As a news entrepreneur, I’ve spent most of the last eight years focused on the business model...

Why the Apple App Store Ruling Is a Big Deal

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 11, 2021 7:45am PDT · 5 comments

Why the Apple App Store Ruling Is a Big Deal

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 11, 2021 7:45am PDT · 5 comments

It’s been a bustling week for tech news, ending with the long-awaited decision in the Epic Games versus Apple trial over Apple’s App Store power. As Josh and Martin have analyzed, the ruling avoided the worst outcome for Apple, with the judge deciding not to call it the most dreaded word in tech: a monopolist. Still, I’m left with the... It’s been a bustling week for tech news, ending with the long-awaited decision in the Epic Games...

Silicon Valley’s Hypocrisy Over Elizabeth Holmes

By Jessica E. Lessin · Sep 4, 2021 7:45am PDT · 8 comments

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is back in the news in Silicon Valley. The jury in her forthcoming trial, in which she stands accused of defrauding investors and the public about the company’s blood tests, was selected this week. The trial starts next week and will last a few months. I was thinking about Holmes this week as I was... Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is back in the news in Silicon Valley. The jury in her...

What Silicon Valley Got Wrong About OnlyFans

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 28, 2021 7:45am PDT · 7 comments

Here’s a puzzle I can’t quite crack when it comes to Silicon Valley: Investors, entrepreneurs and reporters here pride themselves on spotting what’s new. Yet they so often gravitate to the old and familiar. Investors fund entrepreneurs who look and act like those who came before them. Entrepreneurs emulate iconic leaders like Steve Jobs,... Here’s a puzzle I can’t quite crack when it comes to Silicon Valley: Investors, entrepreneurs and...

‘Speed’ and ‘Growth’ and WTF 2021

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 21, 2021 7:45am PDT

A lot of words seem to capture the last 18 months, none of them terribly positive: Virus, death, upheaval and tragedy are some that come to mind.But two more positive ones that I don’t think are getting enough attention are speed and growth. Throughout the business world—and especially in tech, media and finance—these words capture what so many... A lot of words seem to capture the last 18 months, none of them terribly positive: Virus, death,...

DoorDash, Instacart and Washington’s Soft Power

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 14, 2021 7:45am PDT · 1 comment

DoorDash, Instacart and Washington’s Soft Power

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 14, 2021 7:45am PDT · 1 comment

When we got a tip that a public tech company was contemplating a major acquisition that would cost $40 billion to $50 billion, the wheels here at The Information started turning. Was Snap buying Twitter? (Yes, all tech journalists immediately jump to the idea of Twitter going on the block because it sort of always is.) Nah, Twitter would cost... When we got a tip that a public tech company was contemplating a major acquisition that would...

What the VC Reckoning Means for Entrepreneurs

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 7, 2021 7:45am PDT · 6 comments

When I finished reading Sam’s excellent column this week on the end of venture capital as we know it, I had one question: What do the changes mean for entrepreneurs?So I spent some time this week thinking about the subject and grilling Sam and others about it. I’ve learned a lot.First, a recap of the column: In 2,000 words, Sam summarized his... When I finished reading Sam’s excellent column this week on the end of venture capital as we know...

What the Heck Is Going On in China?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 31, 2021 7:45am PDT · 3 comments

It’s been a few months of startling headlines out of the China tech sector as the government has initiated an unprecedented crackdown across all corners of China’s tech economy. More on why it is happening later—first let’s consider some of the carnage. It’s been a few months of startling headlines out of the China tech sector as the government has...

Are Reporters Too Negative? Well, It Depends

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 24, 2021 7:45am PDT · 2 comments

These days, when I ask sources in Silicon Valley what I should write about, I get some version of: “The big story is really how great everything is going.”At that I roll my eyes. As a journalist, I’m wired to believe that the hype isn’t always as it appears. But lately I’ve been thinking more about the negative consequences of—well, being so... These days, when I ask sources in Silicon Valley what I should write about, I get some version...

What Makes a Good CEO?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 17, 2021 7:46am PDT · 1 comment

What Makes a Good CEO?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jul 17, 2021 7:46am PDT · 1 comment

Tech CEOs are grabbing their fair share of headlines, per usual. Mark Zuckerberg is in the news again in the wake of a negative new book about Facebook and a controversy over his Fourth of July watersports moment (patriotic or not?). Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are duking it out over their journey to space, or somewhere close to it,... Tech CEOs are grabbing their fair share of headlines, per usual. Mark Zuckerberg is in the...