Open-weight AI companies are the Valley's hottest acquisition targets

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 28, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Open-weight AI companies are the Valley's hottest acquisition targets: There's a lot of capital pouring into the business of giving models away. Read More An Anthropic researcher just gave us a peek at self-improving AI: Given 10 benchmarks for specific misaligned behaviors, the automated systems were able to improve performance on every single one without degrading overall performance. Read More Brave's browser one-ups Chrome with its new support for email aliases: The feature, announced this week, allows Brave's users to sign up for websites and other online services without having to share their personal email addresses. Read More Afternoon Must-Reads Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk label: A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, handing the AI company a victory as its second Pentagon lawsuit continues in Washington. Read More Apple TV is raising its subscription prices again: Now, Apple TV subscriptions will cost $14.99 per month, up from its previous price of $12.99 per month. Read More Rivian's CFO is leaving the company: Claire McDonough is stepping down on October 30 to pursue a new opportunity, the company said in a filing on Thursday. Read More Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India: Sandhya Devanathan will oversee some OpenAI operations across Southeast Asia and Australia in her new role. Read More Friend-focused photo-sharing app Retro snags $21M: Retro, a friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram employees, has raised more than $21 million in Series A funding. Read More A message from ThoughtSpot Why Traditional Analytics Are Failing Modern Teams Your customers want answers inside your product, not another dashboard. Join ThoughtSpot on August 27 to see how top teams build AI-native analytics that tell users what to do next. Register Now Last but Not Least More Americans oppose police license plate cameras than support them: survey: The backlash against license plate readers comes amid a wave of police abuses of surveillance cameras. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Buried in Meta's $18B settlement is a legal pass on kids' data

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  August 28, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Buried in Meta's $18B settlement is a legal pass on kids' data: Meta’s settlement with 29 states allows it to retain certain data from children under 13 to train and test age-detection models, highlighting a privacy trade-off built into the deal. Read More Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply chain risk label: A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk, handing the AI company a victory as its second Pentagon lawsuit continues in Washington. Read More Apple TV is raising its subscription prices again: Now, Apple TV subscriptions will cost $14.99 per month, up from its previous price of $12.99 per month. Read More The Best Disrupt 2026 Discount Ends Soon AI has made it faster than ever to bring an idea from concept to launch.   But it hasn't made it easier to build something durable.     Disrupt 2026's programming is built around that challenge, delivering practical sessions on what actually holds up and how to build it. Ticket prices increase at midnight PT Friday, so grab yours before then!  Register Now Morning Must-Reads Google’s new Fitbit Air brings Pokémon Sleep to your wrist: Google teamed up with the Pokémon Company to introduce a special-edition Fitbit Air that works with the Pokémon Sleep app. Read More Rivian's CFO is leaving the company: Claire McDonough is stepping down on October 30 to pursue a new opportunity, the company said in a filing on Thursday. Read More Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India: Sandhya Devanathan will oversee some OpenAI operations across Southeast Asia and Australia in her new role. Read More OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and 100 other companies call for action to defend against rogue AI: Some of the world's largest tech companies and AI startups have come together to decry the current state of cybersecurity and to advertise a new solution that they say can ward off a new generation of cyber threats. Read More As electric two-wheelers gain a foothold, Belgian startup Any bets on cargo space: Launched by Belgian startup Any, LUV1 is a modular electric motorcycle with 120 liters of cargo space that can be used to carry bags, work equipment, or even pets. Read More Get Your Startup in Front of the Disrupt Crowds Not everyone needs a keynote slot to make noise at Disrupt 2026. Sometimes the best way to meet investors, customers, and partners is by exhibiting directly in the Expo Hall. And by exhibiting, you get 10 passes to Disrupt to share with your team! Learn More Last but Not Least a16z creates a $1.1B 'Machine Age' fund to 'accelerate the physical buildout of AI': The firm, known for its focus on software, is going to start throwing more money at the hardware behind AI. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107