Italian prosecutors confirm journalist was hacked with Paragon spyware

March 5, 2026

Italian authorities are making progress in their investigation into a wide-ranging spyware scandal in Italy involving Paragon spyware. But the mystery of who hacked two Italian journalists with Paragon spyware continues.

It’s official: The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk

March 5, 2026

The Department of Defense has officially labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk, making the AI firm the first American company with the label. Meanwhile, the DOD continues to use Anthropic’s AI in Iran.

X revamps Creator Subscriptions with new features, like exclusive threads and shareable cards

March 5, 2026

X is rolling out a series of new features for creators, like the ability to offer paid threads and other marketing tools.

Want to Work at One of the World’s Biggest Tech Companies? Here Are the Top Traits its CTO Looks For in New Hires

March 5, 2026

From direct communication to adaptability, here are the key qualities to develop.

5 Compelling Reasons Why All Entrepreneurs Should Play Chess

March 5, 2026

Chess is known to be strategic, analytical and intellectual. But what are the more obscure reasons that entrepreneurs should play chess?

Hardware testing startup Nominal hits $1B valuation, raises $155M in 10 months

March 5, 2026

Nominal providers hardware testing equipment to defense tech companies. Founders Fund led the preemptive deal.

Roblox launches real-time AI chat rephrasing to filter out banned language

March 5, 2026

The new feature goes beyond Roblox’s current text filter, which simply replaces banned words and phrases with the “#” symbol.

FYI: Impersonators are (still) targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

March 5, 2026

Fraudsters are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads, and reaching out to companies. Here’s what we’re doing about it, and what you can look out for.

An Insurance Salesman Went Down a Wellness Rabbit Hole, and Started a Side Hustle In His Kitchen. Now It’s On Track for $3M.

March 5, 2026

Brian Lizama was working as a senior vice president at a life insurance company, managing over 300 agents, when inspiration struck.

This is the Biggest Mistake Founders Make When Entering a ‘Hot’ Market

March 5, 2026

When a market heats up, the real advantage belongs to founders who focus on control and durability rather than speed alone.

The Download: gig workers training humanoids, and better AI benchmarks