September 14, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Superhuman acquires YC-backed notetaker Fathom as productivity platforms push for agentic work: Fathom said that it has over 400,000 monthly active users Read More

The 9 buzziest startups from Y Combinator’s latest Demo Day, according to VCs: From floating reactors to brain chips: VCs picked their favorite YC startups from the summer batch. Read More

What's behind the AI industry’s latest warnings of doom?: On Equity, we discussed the AI industry's latest debate about whether it poses an existential threat to humanity. Read More

A message from Virginia Tech

Build the Systems Everything Else Depends On

The Virginia Tech Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering is delivered in Alexandria, minutes from the Capitol, with an Immersive Visualization Lab and a two-story drone testing cage on site. Specialize in wireless, networking, cybersecurity, machine learning, or autonomous systems, and see recent faculty research in AI-native wireless.

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Morning Must-Reads

Larry Ellison cancels $7.5 billion sale of Oracle stock: Oracle had previously disclosed that Ellison planned to sell 50 million shares worth around $7.5 billion. Read More

Automattic confirms Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted ouster by board: Automattic says Mullenweg is back as "chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board." Read More

A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya is a startup offering fun music apps without any AI prompting: Former Spotify exec's company releases experimental "singles" that involves users in music making. Read More

Anthropic CEO outlines plan to slow AI development: Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman seem to agree that it's time to "pace the frontier." What would that actually look like? Read More

OpenAI’s Sam Altman says it would be 'ill-advised' to go public in 2026: While OpenAI has filed confidentially for an IPO, the company will not be going public this year, according to CEO Sam Altman. Read More

A message from

Last but Not Least

Hear how AI can engineer nature’s comeback at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Not long ago, bringing an extinct species back to life belonged to science fiction. Today, it's the mission of a billion-dollar startup. Advances in artificial intelligence, genetics, and computational biology are changing what's possible in conservation research, raising questions that extend far beyond the laboratory. If technology can help revive extinct species, should it? And what role should AI play in shaping the future of biodiversity? Those are the questions at the center of "Can We Engineer Nature's Comeback?", a Real World AI Stage fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Joining the conversation is Ben Lamm, Co-Founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a company pioneering efforts to bring extinct species back through advances in synthetic biology and AI. Rather than focusing solely on the science, the discussion explores the technologies behind de-extinction, the role AI now plays in modern biology, and the growing debate over whether engineering nature represents a conservation breakthrough — or a distraction from protecting the ecosystems we already have. Disrupt returns to Moscone West in San Francisco, October 13–15, bringing together 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators for 250+ sessions exploring the technologies and market forces shaping what's next. Hear one of this year’s most provocative conversations. Secure your pass to Disrupt. Where AI meets biology AI is already reshaping software, robotics, and scientific research. Biology may be its next frontier. Researchers are using AI to analyze genetic data, model biological systems, and accelerate discovery. Companies like Colossal are pushing those advances even further, applying AI alongside Read More

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