Japan comes up all. the. time. when I chat with venture capitalists about their travel, ahem, fundraising plans this year. We did a deep dive into Tokyo becoming a fundraising hot spot, and its push into risky, startup-y spaces:

theinformation.com/articles/japan… w/ Juro Osawa &

More venture capitalists from Silicon Valley and elsewhere in the world are flying to Japan. Why? Here is a story with natasha mascarenhas & Margaux MacColl after my recent trip to Tokyo. theinformation.com/articles/japan…

The Big Read: Japan’s new appetite for risk lures venture investors to Tokyo.

theinformation.com/articles/japan…

From Juro Osawa, natasha mascarenhas and Margaux MacColl.

'They missed out on software. There is definitely an undertone of ‘We don’t want to miss out on the AI wave.''

For many reasons, Japan is shaping up as one of the most important places in tech in 2024. Our Weekend Big Read explains why: theinformation.com/articles/japan…

Bytedance is exploring scenarios for selling #TikTok without algorithms
Hell of a scoop by Erin Woo Qianer Liu & Juro Osawa
Subscribe to The Information to stay ahead of curve

theinformation.com/articles/byted…

news: TikTok GC plans to step down as the company is about to start a court challenge to a U.S. law, which Biden could sign this week, to force a divestiture of the app (or otherwise ban it).

theinformation.com/articles/tikto… by Juro Osawa

Thread 🇲🇽🚢🇺🇸🚚🇨🇦: American companies that manufacture overseas are increasingly dodging import duties by embracing a controversial trade 'loophole' that's been key to the rise of Shein and Temu.

The Information

TikTok's prospects of defeating a Congressional ban look pretty good actually, Erin Woo and Juro Osawa report.

theinformation.com/articles/to-fi…

TikTok Spent Years Developing Data Security Plan: Washington Ignored It
—— Our latest story about how TikTok’s management misread the political situation in the U.S. W/ Jing Yang Erin Woo
theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

In the past couple of years, TikTok has spent $1.5 billion and restructured operations to appease a federal government committee reviewing national security risks.

The flaw in that strategy is now apparent.

theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

By Juro Osawa Jing Yang Erin Woo

As a bill to force a ban or sale of TikTok winds its way through Congress, the company’s U.S. investors are sitting quietly on the sidelines, afraid they’ll be perceived as disloyal to the U.S. if they come out in support of the app. w/ Juro Osawa theinformation.com/articles/as-ti…

TikTok owner ByteDance has quietly invested in a Chinese chip firm backed by the government. The investment, which aligns with Beijing's push to accelerate domestic chip development, was disguised by corporate entities in Singapore and the Cayman Islands. theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

TikTok is reactivating creators as lobbyists, plus asking users to call their local rep amid a renewed threat of a ban. One representative's office got so many calls that they had to turn their phones off. Our story: theinformation.com/articles/tikto… with Erin Woo Juro Osawa

they went for the king and missed theinformation.com/articles/sequo…

You're going to start hearing more about CapCut, a TikTok sister app of sorts, in China hawk circles.

theinformation.com/articles/tikto… Juro Osawa

While so much so has been debated over TikTok’s #China ties, little attention is given to how CapCut, another super popular app in the Bytedance family, is run.
Until Juro Osawa’s fantastic reporting The Information:

theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

TikTok has emphasized its leaders are not in China. But CapCut, a ByteDance-owned video-editing app popular with TikTok users in the U.S., is directly run by China-based leaders. CapCut was the second most downloaded free iPhone app in the U.S. last year. theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

NEW: Baidu Venture, a VC firm backed by Chinese tech giant Baidu, is in talks to sell its stakes in U.S. startups to an American buyer. The firm’s U.S portfolio includes AI robotics startup Machina Labs, which counts the U.S. Air Force as a customer. theinformation.com/articles/as-ch…

Scoop: TikTok is planning to open studios in LA for creators to film live shopping streams. The locations will have cameras, lights and product samples of stuff available on TikTok Shop. Livestreaming factories are very popular in China. w/Erin Woo theinformation.com/articles/tikto…

(1/3 🧵) Have a pitch abt the players and powers within Silicon Valley, Hollywood or Wall Street?

@TheInformation’s Weekend magazine wants to commission those pieces. Email me: abeThe Information.com. And pls RT!

Largely, we’re looking for two sorts of stories…