April 17, 2026

Anthropic launches Claude Design, a new product for creating quick visuals: The company says Claude Design is intended to help people like founders and product managers without a design background share their ideas more easily.  Read More

Hackers are abusing unpatched Windows security flaws to hack into organizations: A security researcher published details of three security vulnerabilities in Windows Defender, and the code used to exploit them. Now hackers are taking advantage of the vulnerabilities in real-life attacks, according to a cybersecurity firm. Read More

Sources: Cursor in talks to raise $2B+ at $50B valuation as enterprise growth surges: Returning backers a16z and Thrive are expected to lead the round. Read More

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.

Temps are changing and your mattress isn't keeping up. The Pod by Eight Sleep fits on any mattress and adjusts temperature all night with Autopilot, with each side adjusting independently for couples. Users see up to 32% better sleep quality — and there's no wearable to charge. Use code TECHCRUNCH for up to $350 off. Individual results may vary.

'Tokenmaxxing' is making developers less productive than they think: There's a lot more code — but it's a lot more expensive and requires a lot more rewriting. Read More

Uber will now pick up your returns from your doorstep: The new returns feature is the company's latest effort to become an everything app. There are limitations to the new service, and there is, of course, a courier fee. Read More

Kevin Weil and Bill Peebles exit OpenAI as company continues to shed 'side quests': Kevin Weil and Bill Peebles are leaving OpenAI as the company shuts down Sora and folds its science team, signaling a sharp pivot away from consumer moonshots toward enterprise AI. Read More

Bluesky confirms DDoS attack is cause of continued app outages: Bluesky has been experiencing ongoing service disruptions since just before 3 a.m. ET on April 15. Read More

SaySo is a new short-form video app that aims to restore users' trust in news: Users are fed up with misinformation and AI slop cluttering their feeds. SaySo is a new short-form video app that delivers news from vetted creators and journalists. Read More

StrictlyVC kicks off the series in SF on April 30. Be in the room for unfiltered fireside chats on fundraising and AI accuracy with industry leaders like Forum AI founder Campbell Brown, Replit co-founder Amjad Masad, and more. Make high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited.

Chef Robotics escaped the robot cooking graveyard and says it's thriving -- here's why: The company, which deploys AI-guided robot arms for food production, says it is looking to expand its services to provide for a broader array of customers. Read More

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April 17, 2026

Bluesky confirms DDoS attack is cause of continued app outages: Bluesky has been experiencing ongoing service disruptions since just before 3 a.m. ET. on April 15. Read More

With US spy laws set to expire, lawmakers are split over protecting Americans from warrantless surveillance: Some lawmakers are calling for widespread reforms following years of surveillance scandals and abuses across successive U.S. administrations. But even if the spy law known as Section 702 expires in April, the government's spy powers will not automatically lapse. Read More

Google's AI Mode can now help you find products in stock nearby: Although you can already track hotel prices at the city level, the new update lets you do so for a specific hotel that you're interested in. Read More

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.

StrictlyVC kicks off the series in SF on April 30. Be in the room for unfiltered fireside chats on fundraising and AI accuracy with industry leaders like Forum AI founder Campbell Brown, Replit co-founder Amjad Masad, and more. Make high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited.

Physical Intelligence, a hot robotics startup, says its new robot brain can figure out tasks it was never taught: The new model, called π0.7, represents what the company describes as an early but meaningful step toward the long-sought goal of a general-purpose robot brain. Read More

Luma launches AI-powered production studio with faith-focused Wonder Project: The studio's first project will be about Moses and star Academy Award-winner Ben Kingsley, to be released this spring on Prime Video. Read More

OpenAI takes aim at Anthropic with beefed-up Codex that gives it more power over your desktop: OpenAI's agentic coding tool has gotten a major makeover, with a variety of new powers and abilities. Read More

From the Startup Battlefield stage to the International Space Station: geCKo Materials built a sticky product: This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen speaks with Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials. Read More

Slash, a Ramp competitor founded by teenagers, raises $100M at $1.4B valuation: Five years later the founders, now 24 years old, say their startup has achieved $300 million in annualized revenue. Read More

REM sleep is when your brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and restores itself. Pod members see up to 60% more REM sleep by maintaining the precise temperatures your body needs at each sleep stage. Better sleep architecture, better you. Use code TECHCRUNCH for up to $350 off. Individual results may vary.

SaySo is a new short-form video app that aims to restore users' trust in news: Users are fed up with misinformation and AI slop cluttering their feeds. SaySo is a new short-form video app that delivers news from vetted creators and journalists. Read More

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