August 09, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

This 'adversarial' pattern can prevent surveillance cameras from detecting you: A security researcher has designed an algorithm that can create computer-generated patterns capable of hiding people, faces, and vehicles from detection by surveillance cameras. Read More

OpenAI acquires presentation startup NextSlide: NextSlide says its team members are now working on ChatGPT. Read More

Historian Jill Lepore says Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy: On the latest episode of Equity, we spoke to Jill Lepore about "government by machines" and why Elon Musk is a bad science fiction reader. Read More

A message from Tether

Tether Addresses a Top Challenge in Brain-Computer Interfaces

Three peer-reviewed papers show a single AI model can decode speech, vision, and music from brain activity across different people, cutting patient calibration from weeks to minutes. The research tackles one of neurotech's biggest challenges, that every brain has different signals.

Read The Research

Sunday Must-Reads

Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.: As part of a planned Texas data center, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could reportedly become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States. Read More

Cloudflare launches Kitesurf, a browser built for AI agents: Kitesurf is a cloud-hosted browser designed for AI agents instead of people. It uses less computing power than Chromium for common automation tasks, helping developers build browser-based AI agents more efficiently. Read More

The AI safety test is becoming a safety risk: AI agents are escaping cybersecurity testing environments and reaching real-world systems, raising questions about whether safety infrastructure, industry standards and regulation can keep pace with increasingly powerful models. Read More

This former notorious red-light district is now one of the world’s top AI hubs: More than 20 years ago, King's Cross was one of the seediest area's in London. Now it's sprouting something new. Read More

After Rippling blew millions on AI in months, it built an employee ROI tool: After its own AI usage wake-up call, Rippling this week unveiled AI Spend Console, a product that tracks individual and team employee AI spending. Read More

A message from Fidelity

What Investors Actually Want to See in 2026

Investors in 2026 are pickier than ever—but they're crystal clear about what they want. This webinar with our partner Fidelity Private Shares reveals the 5 core metrics and attributes driving investment decisions across stages and industries. You'll learn exactly how to benchmark your business, understand investor priorities, and position yourself for funding success.

Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum.

Last but Not Least

OpenAI says it slowed Astra model development over security concerns: OpenAI said this model, which is still in development, reached its "critical cybersecurity threshold," meaning it could independently identify and carry out cyberattacks against traditionally well-protected real-world systems. Read More

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