June 18, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

NASA picks Eric Schmidt's rocket company for Mars mission, setting up a race with SpaceX: Relativity Space—a rocket maker acquired by former Google executive chair Eric Schmidt last year after stumbling on the path to orbit—might just beat SpaceX to Mars. Read More

Chi-Hua Chien saw Facebook coming — now he says the real AI winners won't be selling AI: Chi-Hua Chien has spent more than two decades as a venture capitalist, but he thinks like a cultural anthropologist. Read More

After unveiling ridiculously expensive AR glasses, Snap's stock takes a dive: Snap's long-awaited smart glasses debut hasn't exactly done wonders for the company's stock. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Roelof Botha joins SpaceX's board of directors: The former Sequoia Capital leader is filling an "existing vacancy" on SpaceX's board, days after the company went public in the largest IPO ever. Read More

Cybercriminals allegedly hacked tens of thousands of Fortinet firewalls used by major companies all over the world: An alleged Russian-speaking group of cybercriminals is reportedly compromising and targeting several major companies that use Fortinet Firewalls and VPNs through previously known passwords. Read More

Waymo recalls nearly 4,000 robotaxis to stop them driving into highway construction zones: The company has identified at least 13 instances where its robotaxis drove into highway sections closed for construction. Read More

AI is hurting Apple in more ways than one: it may force iPhone price increases: CEO Tim Cook said in a recent interview that the situation is "unsustainable." Read More

World leaders want American AI. They just don't want America to be able to turn it off.: French President Macron and Indian PM Modi raised alarms at the G7 summit that the U.S. could cut off access to American AI overnight — a fear the Anthropic blackout just made real. Read More

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Last but Not Least

Spotify's reserved ticket sales to music superfans are now going live: Spotify is launching "Reserved," a new system that will hold two concert tickets for an artist's superfans before they're on sale to the public. Read More

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