TechCrunch Top 3

Push for $40 smartphones builds momentum, but still faces cost hurdles: A coalition of telecom operators and device makers is pushing $40 smartphones to bring up to 20 million people online, but rising component costs threaten the plan. Read More

Google just gave Sundar Pichai a $692M pay package: Most of it is tied to performance, including new stock incentives linked to Waymo and Wing, its drone delivery venture. Read More

The 2027 Chevy Bolt is the McRib of the automotive world: TechCrunch drove the 2027 Chevy Bolt and found that incremental improvements build on a solid basic recipe to deliver an affordable EV. 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 UK Office for Investment

UK Quantum – Accelerating healthcare prevention

The UK's National Health Service is already placing quantum at the centre of its preventative healthcare strategy. By 2030, the UK aspires to use quantum sensing to improve early diagnosis and treatment, from cancer screening to enhanced MRI scanning.

Learn More

Morning Must-Reads

Ring's Jamie Siminoff is still trying to calm privacy fears, but his answers may not help: The facial recognition question is where things get more tangled. Read More

OpenAI hardware exec Caitlin Kalinowski quits in response to Pentagon deal: Hardware executive Caitlin Kalinowski announced today that in response to OpenAI's controversial agreement with the Department of Defense, she's resigned from her role leading the company's robotics team. Read More

Palmer Luckey's retro gaming startup ModRetro reportedly seeks funding at $1B valuation: The company launched its first product, a Game Boy-style handheld device called the Chromatic, in 2024. Read More

A roadmap for AI, if anyone will listen: The Pro-Human Declaration was finalized before last week's Pentagon-Anthropic standoff, but the collision of the two events wasn't lost on anyone involved. Read More

TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian's R2 gambit: Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things "future of transportation." Read More

A message from Stripe

Complimentary pass to Sessions with code s26techcrunch100

Join Stripe at Sessions 2026—the internet economy conference—happening April 29–30 in San Francisco. Join fellow business leaders, founders, and developers to explore the latest in financial technology, global commerce, and strategies for growth. Register with code s26techcrunch100 for a complimentary pass.

Last but Not Least

Zoox starts mapping Dallas and Phoenix for its robotaxis: It's a precursor to launching robotaxis in those cities, though the Amazon-owned company is still waiting for federal approval to commercially operate its purpose-built AV. Read More