Amazon makes its AI-powered Alexa+ free on Fire TV, no Prime required
Amazon is making its AI-powered Alexa+ assistant free on all compatible Fire TV devices in the U.S., automatically upgrading users whether or not they subscribe to Prime.
The Download: AI’s popularity paradox and EmTech Future 2026
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. People really hate AI, so why can’t they get enough? —Will Douglas Heaven Over the summer I talked to the CEO of Springboards, a startup building an LLM designed to come…
August 2026
Amazon’s Prime Air is taking off in nearly 500 U.S. cities
Amazon is significantly expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service, with plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026.
Calendly throws its hat into meeting note-taker circus
Calendly is also releasing a meeting scheduling assistant called Callie
The founder’s secret weapon: Work at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and learn how the pros do it
Volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and get an insider’s view of how world-class tech events get built and more.
Costco Is Getting Into This $600 Billion Business — Here’s Its Plan
Costco already sells gas, vacations and glasses. Now it’s teaming up with a nonprofit insurer to sell Medicare plans too.
Home batteries are suddenly cheap and everywhere. Here’s why.
Companies including Tesla and Base Power are vying for a piece of the rapidly growing market for home batteries. One technology has made it all possible.
Jack in the Box’s ‘Hot Ones’ Promotion Was Supposed to Bring the Heat. So Why Did It Leave Customers Cold?
CFO Dawn Hooper says the spicy limited-time menu was ‘highly polarizing.’ The chain leaned into a Philly Cheesesteak platform instead.
CareCloud confirms 3.7M patients had their medical records stolen in data breach
The cyberattack at CareCloud resulted in one of the largest reported data breaches in the U.S. healthcare industry this year.
The Download: AI’s self-improvement problem, and what’s driving the heat
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. AI’s recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all The AI industry’s boldest promise right now is that AI will soon improve itself, with almost no need for human oversight.…
AI isn’t close to curing cancer. This startup says it knows what it will take.
It’s the data, stupid.