June 17, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

SpaceX alum nabs $22M to turn rocket engines into geothermal power plants: Critical Energy is turning rocket engines into geothermal power plants, and it wants to build 300 GW per year by 2045. Read More

Pinterest launches an experimental AI shopping app called 'Ask Pinterest': Pinterest has launched 'Ask Pinterest,' an experimental AI-powered shopping app that lets users seek recommendations and inspiration through a conversational interface. Read More

Anthropic's latest feud with the Trump admin may actually help it, sales data suggests: Anthropic's popularity with business users is growing so well that the latest beef with the government might actually boost it, data from Ramp suggests. Read More

A message from Fidelity

Your Pitch Isn’t the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.

Investors don’t just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn’t come from slides. It comes from preparation.

Learn More

Morning Must-Reads

Pramaana Labs raises $27M seed round from Khosla Ventures to bring formal verification to AI: Pramaana will focus on highly sensitive verticals like law, drug discovery, and tax preparation — where errors can be costly and reliability is at a premium. Read More

Android 17 launches with new multitasking tools as Google expands Gemini features: Google has released Android 17 and Wear OS 7, introducing new multitasking features, parental controls, security tools, and smartwatch upgrades. The launch is also accompanied by a Pixel Drop that brings Google’s latest AI models to its devices. Read More

SpaceX valuation balloons to $2.6T, briefly passes Amazon: SpaceX's valuation has increased by $1 trillion since its shares started trading on Friday. Read More

Uber will bring its premium robotaxi service to Houston in 2027: This will be the second market to have an Uber robotaxi service outfitted with Lucid EVs equipped with a self-driving system from Nuro. Read More

Apple plans to change its Hide My Email privacy feature that could make it less effective: In the coming weeks, Apple will move anonymously generated emails addresses to a different domain. Read More

A message from PwC

The next generation of tech companies is being built now.

From AI-native startups to next gen companies in industrials, healthcare and energy, today’s founders are navigating accelerated change and scaling faster than ever. PwC helps emerging companies prepare for growth through tailored audit, tax, and deals solutions. From fundraising and expansion to the public markets, be ready for what comes next.

Scale with confidence

Last but Not Least

Qualcomm wants to be the chip inside whatever replaces your smartphone, and it just announced two products toward that end: Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said Tuesday that the company is working on over 40 different AI wearable devices — including jewelry, earbuds with cameras, pins, and watches — a sign of how aggressively the chipmaker is betting that the next major computing platform won't be a phone. Read More

Check out some of our other newsletters:

StrictlyVC

TechCrunch Events

TechCrunch Mobility

Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here

Got a tip?
Get in touch securely.

Want to advertise on TechCrunch?

Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Member Center

501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107