May 31, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

I put Google's 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it's actually pretty useful: Gemini Spark helps automate everyday tasks, from inbox summaries to local event planning, but it’s unclear why Google made it a separate product. Read More

Coders are refusing to work without AI — and that could come back to bite them : While AI is helping coders produce code faster, it may not be producing better code, researchers warn. And that could cause problems down the road for them. Read More

Microsoft under fire for threatening security researcher with criminal investigation: A public spat between Microsoft and an independent security researcher reopens a long-running debate over who is responsible for securing software. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Events

StrictlyVC hits Los Angeles on June 18

Top space tech founders and VCs take the stage in sunny Los Angeles on June 18. Get in the room, make the connections that matter, and hear from leaders like Ethan Thornton (Mach Industries) and Delian Asparouhov (Founders Fund and Varda Space Industries) on where the industry is headed. Grab your ticket early before seats sell out.

Sunday Must-Reads

'What a joke': Github Copilot's new token-based billing spurs consternation among devs: The golden age of Microsoft's Github Copilot appears to be at an end. Read More

Founders seize on Indian court ruling to revive criticism of Google's ad business: The ruling drew support from founders, while lawyers said it could force platforms to revisit how they handle trademarked keywords. Read More

This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers: The YouTube-to-prestige-horror pipeline is looking very strong. Read More

As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2026: We’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today aiming to challenge Chrome and Safari. Read More

TikTok's road to becoming a super app: TikTok may be working to become the app that people use for most of their digital activities. Read More

A message from Ai4

See How the Fortune 500 Is Scaling AI at Ai4 2026

Ai4 is America’s largest AI conference, bringing 12,000+ executives and leaders to Las Vegas this August 4-6. Cut through the noise and learn the AI use cases driving real business impact across the Fortune 500. Explore AI agents, MLOps, industry solutions, and more from 1,000+ speakers and 400+ vendors. Register now to save $1,200+ before May 28.

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Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite

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.