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Mark Matousek

@matousekmark

Ghostwriter/Journalist

 Austin, TX
Joined August 2012
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2Media
Photo by Mark Matousek (@matousekmark)Photo by Mark Matousek (@matousekmark)
After two great years at The Information, I’m going to take a little time off before I give freelancing a shot. If you’re looking for help with copywriting, ghostwriting, research, or editorial strategy, you can reach me at [email protected].
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Soak it all in #GoIrish
Image from The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish)
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Scoop: Paypal has begun company-wide layoffs theinformation.com/articles/…
PayPal to Cut 9% of Staff in Companywide Layoffs

PayPal to Cut 9% of Staff in Companywide Layoffs

PayPal is laying off 9% of its staff, the company told employees in an email on Tuesday, as a newly appointed CEO looks to cut costs and improve profits. PayPal’s human resources team told staffers...

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w/@heetermaria Brex is laying off 20% of its employees and making changes to its management structure as part of an effort to reduce its cash burn More details here: theinformation.com/articles/…
Brex Cuts 20% of Staff and Shakes Up Senior Management

Brex Cuts 20% of Staff and Shakes Up Senior Management

Brex is cutting 20% of its workforce and shaking up senior management ranks in a new effort to slash its cash burn, as the fintech firm grapples with slower revenue growth. The company told employees...

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Brex saw a big boost in revenue in early 2023 as it brought in new customers during the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, but that growth stalled during the second half of the year More on the company’s revenue and cash burn here: theinformation.com/articles/…
Brex Is Burning $17 Million a Month, Raising Questions About Future Growth

Brex Is Burning $17 Million a Month, Raising Questions About Future Growth

One of the pandemic-era darlings of the fintech sector is stuck in a rut. Brex, which issues credit cards and manages cash for businesses, burned an average of about $17 million a month in cash in...

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New details on internal projects at Affirm and Klarna theinformation.com/articles/…
After Rebound, Affirm Eyes Path to Profits

After Rebound, Affirm Eyes Path to Profits

Affirm was among last year’s top stock market performers, as the company narrowed its losses and investors cheered deals with Amazon and Walmart that expanded the lender’s reach with shoppers. That...

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New details on one of PayPal CEO Alex Chriss’ biggest priorities: An internal project aimed at improving the company’s online checkout process and consumer app theinformation.com/articles/…
New PayPal CEO Fast-Tracks Upgrades to Beat Back Competition

New PayPal CEO Fast-Tracks Upgrades to Beat Back Competition

New PayPal CEO Alex Chriss is fast-tracking an effort to bolster the company’s defenses against Stripe and Apple Pay, highlighting how the payments giant has fallen behind newer, slicker competitors....

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New details on Brex’s finances and IPO timing. Annualized revenue growth surged after the collapse of SVB, but barely increased between Q2 and Q3 theinformation.com/articles/…
Brex’s Quarterly Revenue Growth Slows to 1%, Following Post-SVB Growth Spurt

Brex’s Quarterly Revenue Growth Slows to 1%, Following Post-SVB Growth Spurt

Almost no startup benefited more from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank than Brex, which saw a surge in deposits from young companies who use its credit card and cash management products. But that...

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Jack Dorsey wants to find more ways for Block’s businesses to benefit each other, but to make that happen, he’ll have to fix the company’s internal rivalries. The company’s units have often struggled to cooperate, acting at times like they’re competitors. theinformation.com/articles/…
Inside the War Between Square and Cash App at Dorsey’s Block

Inside the War Between Square and Cash App at Dorsey’s Block

As CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey was widely panned for his hands-off style, seen as contributing to the company’s uneven growth and slow-to-evolve culture, which paved the way for last year’s takeover...

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Employee share sale at Boring Co. suggests investors have faith that the company’s prospects have improved, despite setbacks in key projects. theinformation.com/articles/… By @beckpeterson & @matousekmark
Boring Co. Shares Rise Over 22% in Employee Share Sale

Boring Co. Shares Rise Over 22% in Employee Share Sale

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has sold shares owned by employees and investors at a price over 22% higher than in a funding round for the tunneling startup last year, according to two people...

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Discord is shutting down Gas, the anonymous compliments app it acquired in January. Discord CEO Jason Citron told employees the company bought Gas, which topped app-store rankings shortly after its 2022 launch, primarily for the team that built it. theinformation.com/articles/…
Discord Shutters Gas, Making It Two in a Row for Gas Founder

Discord Shutters Gas, Making It Two in a Row for Gas Founder

Nikita Bier has done it again. Nine months after he sold anonymous-compliments app Gas to Discord, the app is being shut down, Discord CEO Jason Citron has told employees. Bier is known in Silicon...

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Chime’s CTO, chief people officer, and general counsel have left the company, or announced their intention to leave, in recent months: theinformation.com/articles/…
Trio of Top Executives Exit Chime

Trio of Top Executives Exit Chime

Several top executives at Chime, the once-highflying online banking startup whose growth has lately slowed, are heading for the exits. Beth Steinberg, Chime’s chief people officer, is planning to...

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The SoftBank-backed social media startup IRL is shutting down after an investigation by its board found that 95% of its claimed users were fake theinformation.com/articles/…
Social App IRL, Which Raised $200 Million, Shuts Down After CEO Misconduct Probe

Social App IRL, Which Raised $200 Million, Shuts Down After CEO Misconduct Probe

Last year, the CEO of messaging app IRL repeatedly said it had 20 million monthly active users, who chatted about shared interests and planned real-world events together. Today, a spokesperson for...

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New details on Chime’s financials, products the company’s testing, and internal estimates of fraud w/@erinkwoo theinformation.com/articles/…

Chime’s Slowdown Highlights Limits of Bank Disruptors

Chime found a way to offer zero-fee banking services without being a bank itself. But that approach is starting to show its limits. While Chime brought in more than $1 billion in revenue last year,...

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New details on IRL’s CEO shakeup: A special committee of the company’s board suspended former CEO Abraham Shafi after receiving a report from outside counsel that outlined a pattern of misconduct by Shafi. theinformation.com/articles/…
IRL Suspended CEO Shafi After Reported Pattern of Misconduct; Acting CEO Named

IRL Suspended CEO Shafi After Reported Pattern of Misconduct; Acting CEO Named

A special committee of messaging app IRL’s board of directors suspended CEO Abraham Shafi on Friday after receiving a report from outside counsel that outlined a pattern of misconduct by Shafi, an...

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IRL CEO Abraham Shafi stepped down from the company following our reporting on allegations that the messaging startup inflated its users numbers with bots. theinformation.com/articles/…
IRL’s CEO Steps Down After Allegation of Inflated User Numbers

IRL’s CEO Steps Down After Allegation of Inflated User Numbers

Abraham Shafi has stepped down as CEO of messaging app IRL following allegations that the company used bots to inflate the users it reported publicly and to investors, according to a person with...

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A former employee of SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL alleged in a legal filing that the company has inflated its user count and retaliated against him and other employees who raised concerns about the accuracy of its user numbers. theinformation.com/articles/…
Former IRL Employee Alleges Company Inflated User Count

Former IRL Employee Alleges Company Inflated User Count

A former employee of SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL alleged in a legal filing that the company has inflated its user count and retaliated against him and other employees who raised concerns about...

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Discord had stronger revenue growth last year than many other tech companies, but its growth rate was much lower than in 2021. That, along with a widening loss in Q1 of this year, could complicate any near-term IPO plans it might have. theinformation.com/articles/…
Discord’s Revenue Growth Slows to 44% in 2022

Discord’s Revenue Growth Slows to 44% in 2022

Many tech firms saw meager revenue growth, or even a decline, last year as the digital ad market stalled and businesses cut back spending on software. Messaging startup Discord was an exception....

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The SEC has been investigating whether SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL violated securities laws. In May, we reported that some IRL employees had expressed concern about the company’s claim that it had around 20 million active users. theinformation.com/articles/…
SEC Probes Whether SoftBank-Backed Messaging App Misled Investors

SEC Probes Whether SoftBank-Backed Messaging App Misled Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission has been investigating whether SoftBank-backed messaging app IRL violated securities laws, including in the way the startup described its business performance...

theinformation.com
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Our updated Tesla org chart includes 113 of Tesla’s top executives, managers, and individual contributors, including Elon Musk’s 28 direct reports. theinformation.com/articles/…
113 People Who Run Tesla

113 People Who Run Tesla

Elon Musk, who is set to add Twitter to the sprawling roster of companies he oversees, is known for juggling many responsibilities. His 28 direct reports at Tesla, where he is CEO, reflect his...

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