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The Information Gap

Status · Oliver Darcy · last updated

On Monday, Jessica Lessin, founder and editor-in-chief of The Information, sat with Mark Zuckerberg for a high-profile interview meant to debut her publication’s new live video product, TITV. But what was supposed to be a splashy launch quickly turned into an awkward stumble. When the interview kicked off, viewers could see the pair, but couldn’t hear their words. After a few silent and surreal moments, Information journalist Akash Pasricha cut in to acknowledge the technical failure. The inaugural show then ended, and the company was left to publish a transcript and video the next day.

While the glitch drew headlines—Futurism declared the launch “crashed and burned”—another issue quietly stirred discontent among media insiders: Lessin’s personal relationship with Zuckerberg.

In Silicon Valley circles, it’s widely understood that Lessin and Zuckerberg are friends. Her husband, Sam Lessin, is a former Facebook executive and longtime Zuckerberg confidant. But the ties run deeper than the public might fully appreciate. I’m told, for example, that…

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