Startups

With AI, investor loyalty is (almost) dead: at least a dozen OpenAI VCs now also back Anthropic

While some dual investors are understandable, others were more shocking, and signal the disregard of a longstanding ethical conflict-of-interest rule.

Ex-Apple team launches Acme Weather, a new take on weather forecasting

The team that sold their last app Dark Sky to Apple are back with Acme Weather, which offers alternative forecasts, rainbow and sunset alerts, and more.

Anthropic accuses Chinese AI labs of mining Claude as US debates AI chip exports

Anthropic accuses DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax of using 24,000 fake accounts to distill Claudes AI capabilities, as U.S. officials debate export controls aimed at slowing Chinas AI progress.

Ubers new autonomous vehicle division is about survival and opportunity

Uber Autonomous Solutions will see the company taking on all the tasks associated with operating a robotaxi, self-driving truck, or sidewalk delivery robot business.

Particles AI news app listens to podcasts for interesting clips so you you dont have to

AI news app Particle can now pull in key moments from podcasts, letting readers instantly play short, relevant clips alongside related stories.

Spotify rolls out AI-powered Prompted Playlists to the U.K. and other markets

Spotify continues to test its AI-powered Prompted Playlists feature, now rolling out the tool to Premium subscribers in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Sweden.

VPN flaws allowed Chinese hackers to compromise dozens of Ivanti customers, says report

Chinese hackers allegedly broke into the network of an Ivanti subsidiary in 2021. The hackers exploited a backdoor in its VPN product, which allowed the hackers to gain access to 119 other unnamed organizations.

5days left to lock in the lowest TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket rates

5 days to save up to $680 on yourTechCrunch Disrupt 2026ticket. These lowest rates of the year disappear on February 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register here.

How AI agents could destroy the economy

Citrini Research imagines a report from two years in the future, in which unemployment has doubled and the total value of the stock market has fallen by more than a third.

Wispr Flow launches an Android app for AI-powered dictation

AI-powered dictation startup Wispr Flow has launched its Android app today. The company released its app for Mac and Windows first, then launched on iOS in June 2025. On iOS, users could use Wispr Flow through a dedicated keyboard. On Android, the interface is a bit different, as you can access the dictionary through a []

Apple might take a new approach to announcing its next products

Apple has invited the tech press to a special Apple experience on March 4, but it might unfold a bit differently than the company's standard press event.

Can the creator economy stay afloat in a flood of AI slop?

On the latest episode of Equity, we debated whats next for the creator economy, and whether there will be any room for the next generation of creators to stand out.

Quantonations double-sized second fund shows quantum still has believers

Quantonation Ventures, a venture firm investing in quantum and physics-based startups, has closed its oversubscribed second fund at 220 million, or approximately $260 million. Thats more than twice the size of its inaugural fund, and comes in addition to other signals that the quantum winter isnt coming yet.

Trump says Netflix will face consequences if it doesnt fire board member Susan Rice

Netflix board member Susan Rice had predicted that corporations that take a knee to Trump will be held accountable when Democrats return to power.

Chinas brain-computer interface industry is racing ahead

Chinas brain-computer interface industry is rapidly scaling from research to commercialization, driven by strong policy support, expanding clinical trials, and growing investor interest.

6 days left to lock in the lowest TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 rates

Super Early Bird pricing for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ends February 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT. That means you have just 6 days left to secure up to $680 of ticket savings.

The 9,000-pound monster I dont want to give back

I thought: other than hotels that use SUVs like the Escalade IQL to ferry guests around, what kind of monster chooses a car like this?

Move over, Apple: Meet the alternative app stores available in the EU and elsewhere

A list of some of the alternative app stores iPhone users in the EU can try today.

Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today after alleged DDoS attack

Wikipedia editors have decided to remove all links to Archive.today, a web archiving service that they said has been linked to more than 695,000 times across the online encyclopedia.

Microsofts new gaming CEO vows not to flood the ecosystem with endless AI slop

Is Microsoft's gaming division doubling down on AI?

Google VP warns that two types of AI startups may not survive

As generative AI evolves, a Google VP warns that LLM wrappers and AI aggregators face mounting pressure, with shrinking margins and limited differentiation threatening their long-term viability.

OpenAI debated calling police about suspected Canadian shooters chats

Jesse Van Rootselaar's descriptions of gun violence were flagged by tools that monitor ChatGPT for misuse.

The creator economys ad revenue problem and Indias AI ambitions

Thecreatoreconomy is evolving fast, and ad revenue aloneisntcutting it anymore.YouTubers are launching product lines,acquiringstartups, and building actual business empires.In fact,MrBeasts companybought fintech startup Step, and his chocolate business is outearning his media arm. Thisisntjustonecreatorsstrategy.Formany,itsthenew playbook. On this episode of TechCrunchsEquitypodcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan unpack how creators are diversifying beyond ads, []

Remember HQ? Quiz Daddy Scott Rogowsky is back with TextSavvy, a daily mobile game show

The former HQ host Scott Rogowsky is back with TextSavvy, a live mobile game show that he's building on his own terms.

Anthropic-funded group backs candidate attacked by rival AI super PAC

Dueling pro-AI PACs have centered around backing or targeting one New York congressional bid: Alex Bores, whose RAISE Act requires AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious system misuse.

Apples iOS 26.4 arrives in public beta with AI music playlists, video podcasts, and more

Several updates are introduced in iOS 26.4, including an AI-powered playlist-generation feature in Apple Music, support for video content in the Podcasts app, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, and more.

InScope nabs $14.5M to solve the pain of financial reporting

The startup, founded by accountants who worked at Flexport, Miro, Hopin and Thrive Global, automates the difficulties of prepping financial statements.

Prepare for pitch battle: Startup Battlefield 200 nominations are open

Nominations for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 are open. Pitch atDisrupt 2026in October in front of top VCs and the full TechCrunch audience. Nominate your startup or for one that's deserving.

AIs promise to indie filmmakers: faster, cheaper, lonelier

AI expands access to filmmaking for resource-constrained creators. But as efficiency becomes the industrys north star, creativity risks being overwhelmed by a deluge of low-effort, AI-generated content.

Peak XV raises $1.3B, doubles down on AI as global VC rivalry in India heats up

Peak XV says most of its new capital will target India as the firm prioritizes AI, fintech and cross-border bets while navigating recent partner departures.

Why investors are going gaga over solid-state transformers

The technology promises to replace several parts of the grid with one device thats both controllable and updatable.

OpenAI says 18 to 24-year-olds account for nearly 50% of ChatGPT usage in India

The company said on Friday that users between 18 and 24 years of age account for nearly 50% of all messages sent by Indians to ChatGPT, and users under 30 accounted for 80% of usage in the country.

The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

The OpenAI mafia: 15 of the most notable startups founded by alumni

UAEs G42 teams up with Cerebras to deploy 8 exaflops of compute in India

Abu Dhabi-based tech company G42 has partnered with U.S.-based chipmaker Cerebras to deploy eight exaflops of compute through a new system in India

General Catalyst commits $5B to India over five years

The pledge marks a sharp jump from General Catalyst's earlier $500 million$1 billion India earmark.

Ali Partovis Neo looks to upend the accelerator model with low-dilution terms

Neo's new Residency program invests $750,000 in an uncapped SAFE for startups and provides a $40,000 no-strings-attached grant for college students.