TechCrunch Top 3

Critical infrastructure giant Itron says it was hacked: The American technology giant provides water and energy monitoring and utility meters to hundreds of millions of homes and businesses. Read More

China blocks Meta’s $2B Manus deal after months-long probe: China has ordered Meta to unwind its multibillion-dollar Manus acquisition, dealing a potential setback to Zuckerberg’s push into AI agents. Read More

Meta inks deal for solar power at night, beamed from space: Overview Energy's first contract with Meta is a small step toward a future of space-based solar power. 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.

Morning Must-Reads

OpenAI could be making a phone with AI agents replacing apps: The phone could go in mass production in 2028, an analyst says. Read More

SpeakOn's dictation device is a good idea marred by platform limitations: This $129 device uses MagSafe to stick on the back of an iPhone to power transcription across apps Read More

The Stanford freshmen who want to rule the world . . . will probably read this book and try even harder: Can a book like this actually change anything? Or does the spotlight, as it always seems to, send more students racing to the place? Read More

Spotify's next frontier: fitness content: Spotify is adding fitness as its next major category, launching workout videos, playlists, and Peloton classes inside the app for free and Premium users. Read More

To buy this Bay Area home, you’ll need Anthropic equity: Someone’s offering an unusual deal for a 13-acre property in Mill Valley, just north of South Francisco. Read More

Last but Not Least

What’s behind Europe’s efforts to ditch US software in favor of sovereign tech: Governments across Europe are looking to rely less on American tech providers. Read More