August 28, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Open-weight AI companies are the Valley's hottest acquisition targets: There's a lot of capital pouring into the business of giving models away. Read More

An Anthropic researcher just gave us a peek at self-improving AI: Given 10 benchmarks for specific misaligned behaviors, the automated systems were able to improve performance on every single one without degrading overall performance. Read More

Brave's browser one-ups Chrome with its new support for email aliases: The feature, announced this week, allows Brave's users to sign up for websites and other online services without having to share their personal email addresses. Read More

Afternoon Must-Reads

Friend-focused photo-sharing app Retro snags $21M: Retro, a friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram employees, has raised more than $21 million in Series A funding. Read More

Rivian's CFO is leaving the company: Claire McDonough is stepping down on October 30 to pursue a new opportunity, the company said in a filing on Thursday. Read More

Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk label: A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, handing the AI company a victory as its second Pentagon lawsuit continues in Washington. Read More

Apple TV is raising its subscription prices again: Now, Apple TV subscriptions will cost $14.99 per month, up from its previous price of $12.99 per month. Read More

As electric two-wheelers gain a foothold, Belgian startup Any bets on cargo space: Launched by Belgian startup Any, LUV1 is a modular electric motorcycle with 120 liters of cargo space that can be used to carry bags, work equipment, or even pets. Read More

A message from ThoughtSpot

Why Traditional Analytics Are Failing Modern Teams

Your customers want answers inside your product, not another dashboard. Join ThoughtSpot on August 27 to see how top teams build AI-native analytics that tell users what to do next.

Last but Not Least

How Sweden built one of Europe’s hottest startup ecosystems : Sophia Bendz, general partner at Cherry Ventures, stopped by Equity to break down the latest in the Swedish tech ecosystem. Read More

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