September 22, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Meta deal will help plastics recycling startup MacroCycle build its first factory: Meta is giving plastic recycling a boost in a new deal with startup MacroCycle, which is building its first commercial plant. Read More

Meta's Muse is outpacing ChatGPT’s early mobile launch: Meta’s new AI agent Muse has racked up more downloads and daily active users in the U.S. and Canada than ChatGPT did over the same period after its mobile debut, according to new estimates from Appfigures. Read More

Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy bets these 21 startups will shape energy’s future: To the investors at Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy, the coming wave of electrification will make data center energy demands look quaint by comparison. Here's how they're preparing. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Events

4 days left to save up to $200 at Disrupt

Four days until Disrupt savings end. Get access to 250+ speakers, 200+ sessions across six industry stages, roundtables, and breakouts, plus make connections with AI-powered matchmaking and ad hoc meetings to help move your startup forward. Register by September 25.

Morning Must-Reads

OpenAI forms math advisory group as its AI resolves more than 100 open problems: The group won't be given leeway to slow down or redirect OpenAI's ongoing mathematical research. Read More

The man who built Apple's stores doesn't buy Silicon Valley's bet on AI shopping: Apple Store architect Ron Johnson says Apple's secret sauce has always been its people. Read More

TikTok's US arm joins Lantern, a cross-platform child safety initiative: Eight months after establishing a U.S. based joint venture, TikTok is getting on board fellow platforms to support industry-wide child safety work. Read More

Nscale’s IPO will test Wall Street's appetite for concentrated AI bets once again: The British AI data center developer depends on tech giants Microsoft and Anthropic for most of its revenue. Read More

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Aaron Edsinger brings Hello Robot’s Stretch 4 to life onstage: Hello Robot CEO and co-founder Aaron Edsinger will bring Stretch 4 for a live demo on the Real World AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200, plus get a second pass at 50% off. Read More

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Extended: Get your Disrupt exhibit table by Sept 30

Missed the original deadline? 10 more tables have been added to the Expo Hall. You have more time to get your company in front of 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt 2026. Demo your product, meet potential customers and partners, connect with VCs and build your pipeline from the center of the event. Secure your table by Sept. 30, while inventory lasts.

Book now

Last but Not Least

Kairos Power gets up to $100M from Samsung group to build nuclear reactor for Google: Future Google supplier Kairos Power inked a deal with Samsung C&T to help build its first 50-megawatt nuclear power plant. Read More

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September 21, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Meta's Muse is outpacing ChatGPT’s early mobile launch

X will now tell users when governments have forced it to limit their posts: X is expanding its “Under the Hood” transparency tool to show when posts have been downranked or withheld in response to local laws and government demands, including which country made the request. Read More

OpenAI forms math advisory group as its AI resolves more than 100 open problems: The group won't be given leeway to slow down or redirect OpenAI's ongoing mathematical research. Read More

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From Asking to Knowing

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Afternoon Must-Reads

With Tabby, a former accountant is using AI to make accountants obsolete: Tabby is designed to be a real-time bookkeeping interface, handling clients’ paperwork as it gives them up-to-the-minute data on their business’s profit and loss. Read More

Meta's AI agent has been blocked from using Amazon.com: Amazon has its own cohort of foundation models, along with one of the most popular inference platforms on the internet. As long as they're under no legal obligation to open the doors to Muse, why would they? Read More

Oura's $2.2B IPO is mostly a payday for existing shareholders: Forerunner Ventures plans to sell its entire stake in Oura for as much as $1.26 billion, according to Oura's latest IPO filing. Read More

Google's $899 Googlebook is a bet that you'll buy a new laptop for Gemini: Google’s AI-native Googlebook ties Gemini to the cursor, dictation, widgets, and other parts of the desktop experience. Read More

Meet the next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Meet the next wave of VCs judging the Startup Battlefield 200 contenders on the main stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register by September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT, to save up to $200 and to get a front-row seat to one of the most intense startup pitch competitions. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Events

5 days left to save up to $200 at Disrupt

The countdown is on. Save up to $200 and join 10,000+ founders, investors, operators and innovators in San Francisco on October 13-15 for impactful connections, insights, and deal flow. Register by September 25 before savings disappear.