May 04, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

We'll take it: a TikToker rallies pledges to buy Spirit Airlines after its abrupt weekend collapse: Within hours he'd thrown up a website — a janky, one-hour job, by his own admission — and by Sunday, 36,000 "founding patrons" had pledged nearly $23 million, crashing his servers in the process. Read More

Ouster's new color lidar is coming to replace cameras: A sensor that can simultaneously capture depth and image data has long been a "holy grail," Ouster CEO Angus Pacala told TechCrunch. Read More

Amazon opens up its global logistics network to all businesses: The new service, called Amazon Supply Chain Services, pits the e-commerce giant directly against UPS and FedEx. Read More

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.

A message from Fidelity

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

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Morning Must-Reads

This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling: The Xteink X3 is a delightfully tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that attaches to the back of your phone like a Pop Socket. Read More

‘This is fine’ creator says AI startup stole his art: The ad comes from Artisan, the AI startup behind billboards urging businesses to "stop hiring humans." Read More

Nicolas Sauvage is betting on the boring parts of AI: The portfolio he has assembled since 2019 is dotted with technologies that have become more widely interesting to VCs over the last year: Read More

In Harvard study, AI offered more accurate emergency room diagnoses than two human doctors: A new study examines how large language models perform in a variety of medical contexts, including real emergency room cases — where at least one model seemed to be more accurate than human doctors. Read More

Barocal can cool your food and drink by squeezing a hunk of plastic crystals: Barocal might have discovered a cheap, nonpolluting material that could dethrone today's refrigeration technology. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Events

5 days to get a second Disrupt 2026 pass at 50% off

From now until May 8, 11:59 p.m. PT, buy one pass and get a second of the same type for 50% off. Bring a partner or colleague with you and get more out of Disrupt together. Tap into 200+ sessions, make high-value connections, and gain insights that can move your startup forward or shape your next big investment. Register before time runs out.

Last but Not Least

Farewell, Jeeves: Ask.com shuts down: Owner IAC says it's discontinuing its search business. Read More

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