Gen Z Is Snatching Up Franchises — They Want to Own Rather Than Compete for Jobs That ‘Might Not Exist in 10 Years’
Franchise ownership among young people is up 163% since 2022.
The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries
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. The US military’s race to make fake blood In February 2007, a US military helicopter carrying blood to a field hospital was shot down in Iraq, killing all seven crew members.…
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He Was a Candidate for Several Prestigious Literary Awards — Then a Detector Said He Used AI to Write ‘100%’ of His Novel
Thélyson Orélien, 38, faces accusations that he used AI to write his popular debut novel. Here’s his response.
Anthropic, Gamma, and Clay share what happens when enterprises actually deploy AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Anthropic, Clay, and Gamma on what it takes for an AI product to go beyond the demo at the AI Stage at TechCrunchDisrupt 2026. Register to join and get 50% off a second pass.
Physical AI chip developer SiMa.ai hits $1.45B valuation
The edge computing startup raised a $150 million Series C led by Fidelity and Amplify.
Mavi bets on the AI boom creating demand for a new kind of accountant
Accounting staffing company Mavi emerges from stealth with $4million in funding.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Says There’s a ‘0% Chance’ AI Wipes Out Humanity by 2030
As AI insiders warn the technology could kill us all, the Nvidia CEO says he thinks these doom and gloom predictions are exaggerated.
After a deepfake voice fooled her grandfather, this founder sprang into action
After her grandfather was scammed by a deepfake of his brother’s voice, Tarini Padmanabhuni founded DetectifAI, a San Francisco startup building AI models small enough to run directly on smartphones and flag fake voices in real time, and it’s now one of the companies competing in Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley on bringing fusion to the grid at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
CFS’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley join the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to discuss the breakthroughs moving fusion forward, the challenges that remain, and what it will take to deliver fusion power to the grid at scale. Get your pass at regular price and get a second one at 50% off.
FBI reportedly declares ‘cyber security incident’ after hackers steal agents’ personal data
The bureau has not yet publicly confirmed a breach, but has told its agents that their personal information and Social Security numbers were exposed.
Next five VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Thousands of applications. Multiple rounds of review. Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Startup Battlefield 200 is almost here, and with today’s announcement, the judging panel is nearly complete. In just a couple of weeks, 200 carefully selected startups will gather at […]