US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  October 08, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers: The other firms being suspended from the program include Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro. Read More Cal AI's 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup: Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse, and Bee. Read More Elon Musk questions Ambani’s influence as Starlink India launch stalls: “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Elon Musk asked as he questioned why Starlink has yet to launch its satellite internet service in the country. Read More A message from Virginia Tech Work With Real Industry Partners Virginia Tech M.Eng students join project teams solving a live problem sourced from a real industry partner. Recent teams have worked with real partner organizations on drone detection systems, AI language tools, and defense analytics platforms. Real deadlines, real portfolio. Learn About the M.Eng Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.  Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75. Register Now Afternoon Must-Reads Ben Affleck is an AI nerd, and the internet is impressed: Ben Affleck is going viral for his deep knowledge of AI, from neural networks and transformers to open weights. The actor, who sold his AI filmmaking startup to Netflix earlier this year, is proving he's more than just a Hollywood star. Read More Pretend you're sitting at Elizabeth Holmes' desk on this weirdly detailed website: With over a thousand emails, slides, texts, and documents from the United States v. Elizabeth Holmes trial, Extend engineer Bo Lau created a website that simulates what it might have been like to rifle through the Theranos founder's desk. Read More OpenAI's revenue is reportedly $20 billion less than previously projected: It had previously been reported that the AI lab's annualized revenue was some $70 billion, but a new report claims it's a whole lot less than that. Read More Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor: Google’s new AI Edge Foresight app takes on Granola with an offline meeting note-taker that can transcribe conversations, generate notes, and answer questions using on-device AI. Read More Spotify is getting more serious about selling enterprise software: The company launched technology.spotify.com, a new site that will make its internal tech available to outsiders. Read More A message from RoMADE A full back office for creatives, in one subscription Going independent turns artists into accountants, lawyers and marketers overnight. Stay Creative, a Romanian venture, bundles accounting, legal, IP, PR and marketing by partner Brand Agency Media into one subscription: AI agents do the volume, specialists sign off anything risky. The creative stays the CEO. Raising a $1.5M pre-seed at Disrupt. Meet Stay Creative Last but Not Least Natura’s $99 smart ring puts AI agents on your finger: Natura’s $99 Interface smart ring lets you summon AI agents with the press of a finger to complete tasks, capture thoughts, and control devices — while doubling as a health tracker. 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

Spotify is getting more serious about selling enterprise software

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View this email online in your browser  October 08, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Spotify is getting more serious about selling enterprise software: The company launched technology.spotify.com, a new site that will make its internal tech available to outsiders. Read More Last call to volunteer at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: TechCrunch Founder Summit is gearing up to return to Boston on November 4! We're doing a last call for exceptional volunteers to join us in bringing this event to life. If you've ever wondered about the inner workings of tech events, now's your chance to get involved. Volunteer spots are limited, so don't miss out! Apply before the October 19 deadline to be considered. As a volunteer, you'll gain exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes action, witnessing firsthand how these events are crafted. Plus, you'll receive a complimentary ticket to enjoy Founder Summit 2026 before or after your shift, along with a free pass to our flagship Disrupt event in San Francisco in 2027. Whether your ambitions lie in launching a startup, mastering marketing strategies, or coordinating remarkable events, this opportunity offers a unique insight into the world of startup events. And even after your volunteer duties, you'll have full access to the event's expert-led workshops, covering essential topics like user growth, fundraising, and brand development. With an anticipated attendance of approximately 1,100 people at Founder Summit, volunteers will play a crucial role in ensuring a seamless and rewarding experience for all attendees. Your tasks may include assisting with registration, coordinating speakers, guiding guests, scanning tickets, or aiding in event setup. Join us in making this event a success while gaining invaluable event management experience. And fear not, there will be ample time to soak in all the enriching startup insights that Founder Summit has to offer. Apply now and secure Read More Cal AI's 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup: Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse and Bee. Read More A message from R1 Healthcare's Revenue Black Box, Decoded The biggest opportunity for AI in healthcare isn't automation, it's observability. R1’s Payer Atlas analyzes payer behavior across millions of interactions to uncover hidden patterns and detect reimbursement risk, helping health systems move from reactive recovery to predictive action.  Discover Payer Atlas  Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.  Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75. Register Now Morning Must-Reads Google releases a new local-first Granola competitor: Google’s new AI Edge Foresight app takes on Granola with an offline meeting note-taker that can transcribe conversations, generate notes, and answer questions using on-device AI. Read More Elon Musk questions Ambani’s influence as Starlink India launch stalls: “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Elon Musk asked as he questioned why Starlink has yet to launch its satellite internet service in the country. Read More Amazon unveils new Alexa tablets with Alexa+ and Google Play Store access: The lineup includes three models: Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon Alexa Tablet 11, and Amazon Alexa Tablet 8. Read More Microsoft releases new Nvidia-chip AI PCs with revamped Windows 11: Microsoft revealed the specs and price for its Surface Laptop Ultra, AI PCs that run on Nvidia chips that are designed to run AI models and agents. Read More Waymo locks in $5B loan from Blackstone, PIMCO to fuel robotaxi expansion: This is the first time the Alphabet-owned company has turned to debt financing. Read More A message from RoMADE FreeStep takes the surgeon's foot pedal off the floor Every operating room has a foot pedal surgeons must find while looking away from the patient. FreeStep, from Romania's MobilService, replaces it with a patented clip-on shoe sensor that tells a walking step from a deliberate command, wirelessly. Used in surgery by its co-inventor for years, it's raising $2.5M for FDA and CE approval. See FreeStep work Last but Not Least China's Manus raises over $500M in first funding round since split with Meta: Boyu Capital and IDG Capital led the funding round, and existing shareholders Tencent, HSG (formerly known as Sequoia China), ZhenFund, and others also participated. 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