Spotify says its best developers haven't written a line of code since December, thanks to AI

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  February 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Spotify says its best developers haven't written a line of code since December, thanks to AI: Spotify credits Claude Code and its internal AI system Honk with speeding up development. Read More A new version of OpenAI's Codex is powered by a new dedicated chip: OpenAI calls the new coding tool the "first milestone" in its relationship with the chipmaker. Read More Aurora's driverless trucks can now travel farther distances faster than human drivers: CEO Chris Urmson called it a "superhuman" moment, adding that Aurora's trucks can now carry freight 1,000 miles in 15 hours — faster than what a human driver can legally accomplish. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from TechCrunch Events Momentum and deals start at Disrupt — Save up to $680 now At Disrupt, founders find momentum, VCs discover their next investment, and operators take their next leap. October 13–15 in San Francisco, 10,000 tech leaders converge at San Francisco's Moscone West to connect and hear from 250+ industry-defining voices across 200+ sessions. Save up to $680 on your pass. Or save up to 30% when you bring your community. Register Now Afternoon Must-Reads Hacker linked to Epstein removed from Black Hat cyber conference website: Emails published by the Justice Department revealed cybersecurity veteran Vincenzo Iozzo emailed, and arranged to meet, Jeffrey Epstein multiple times between 2014 and 2018. Read More Musk needed a new vision for SpaceX and xAI. He landed on Moonbase Alpha.: "I really want to see a mass driver on the moon that is shooting AI satellites into deep space." Read More Didero lands $30M to put manufacturing procurement on 'agentic' autopilot: Didero functions as an agentic AI layer that sits on top of a company's existing ERP, acting as a coordinator that reads incoming communications and automatically executes the necessary updates and tasks. Read More Eclipse backs all-EV marketplace Ever in $31M funding round: The San Francisco-based startup says its AI-first approach has allowed it to scale faster. Read More Apple acquires all rights to 'Severance,' will produce future seasons in-house: The show is expected to run for four seasons, with the possibility of spin-offs, a prequel, and foreign versions. Read More A message from TechCrunch Partnerships Reach Decision-Makers with TechCrunch Sponsored Content Your story deserves more than impressions—it deserves impact. From hosted articles and interactive storytelling to custom videos and gated content, TechCrunch delivers high-value formats that engage tech leaders, founders, and investors. Whether you want to educate, inspire, or convert, we'll craft the content and put it in front of the people who matter. Learn More You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least xAI lays out interplanetary ambitions in public all-hands: On Wednesday, xAI took the rare step of publishing its full 45-minute all-hands presentation to the X platform, making it widely available. 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

xAI lays out interplanetary ambitions in public all-hands

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

View this email online in your browser  February 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 xAI lays out interplanetary ambitions in public all-hands: On Wednesday, xAI took the rare step of publishing its full 45-minute all-hands presentation to the X platform, making it widely available. Read More OpenAI disbands mission alignment team: The team's leader has been given a new role as OpenAI's chief futurist, while the other team members have been reassigned throughout the company. Read More Apple acquires all rights to Severance, will produce future seasons in-house: The show is expected to run for four seasons, with the possibility of spin-offs, a prequel, and foreign versions. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Fidelity Top Venture Capital Trends Startups Should Watch Report Startup executives, the VC world is always changing, and it's important to stay updated. As your company grows, you face new challenges & opportunities. The competitive landscape is shifting & you need to stay informed and prepared. Download our guide now to master the VC landscape & set your company up for long-term success. Download Now Morning Must-Reads Elon Musk suggests spate of xAI exits have been push, not pull: At least nine engineers, including two co-founders, have announced their exits from xAI in the past week, fueling online speculation and raising questions about stability at Musk's AI company amid mounting controversy. Read More Microsoft says hackers are exploiting critical zero-day bugs to target Windows and Office users: Critical security flaws targeting Windows and Office users allow hackers to take complete control of a victim's computer by clicking a malicious link or opening a file. Patch now. Read More AI inference startup Modal Labs in talks to raise at $2.5B valuation, sources say: General Catalyst is in talks to lead the round for the four-year-old startup, according to our sources. Read More Eclipse backs all-EV marketplace Ever in $31M funding round: The San Francisco-based startup says its AI-first approach has allowed it to scale faster. Read More Uber Eats launches AI assistant to help with grocery cart creation: Uber Eats launched a new AI feature, "Cart Assistant," that can automatically add items to your cart based on text or image prompts. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 nominations open Nominate your cutting-edge, early-stage startup or one worth a shot for Startup Battlefield 200 and take the Disrupt Stage this October in San Francisco. Compete for $100K equity-free, gain global visibility, and face top investors. Thousands apply. 200 advance. Only 20 pitch live. Nominate Today Last but Not Least US FTC airs concerns over allegations that Apple News suppresses right-wing content: In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, FTC chair Andrew Ferguson cited reports from Media Research Center, a right-leaning think tank, which accused Apple of excluding right-leaning outlets from the top 20 articles in the Apple News feed. 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