June 03, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Carvana ties up with Bezos-backed Slate Auto as it plans new car sales: Carvana was granted a warrant to buy shares in Slate last year, according to documents obtained by TechCrunch. Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter is heavily invested in both companies. Read More

Alphabet's record-breaking $85B raise for Google's AI business is a helluva good signal: If Alphabet's record-breaking $85 billion stock sale signals investor appetite for AI-related offerings, we can see that investors are ready to chow. Read More

Ultrahuman says hackers accessed customers' wellness data via internal tool: The breach at wearable ring maker Ultrahuman stemmed from credentials stolen from a malware-infected employee laptop. Read More

A message from Fidelity

Your Pitch Isn’t the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.

Investors don’t just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn’t come from slides. It comes from preparation.

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Meta's AI agent for WhatsApp Business is now available globally: WhatsApp will charge businesses for using its AI agent based on token usage. Read More

Substack’s new ‘Reply Rules’ feature lets creators control how people respond: Substack's new Reply Rules feature is currently available for all English-language publications and is designed to give creators greater control over how their audiences respond. Read More

These two founders left Goldman and Meta to build voice AI for markets everyone else overlooked: The startup's own stack for Africa and Middle East is now handling more than 17,000 calls per day. Read More

Plex adds new social features ahead of a major price hike for its lifetime pass: The company said it's worked up a moderation system that uses a blend of AI and human input to moderate both visual and written content. Read More

Meta mercifully spun out VR fitness game Supernatural instead of just killing it: Meta appears to have listened to the Supernatural users who protested the app's sad fate after sweeping layoffs. Read More

A message from NVIDIA and Microsoft

Build to ship in the NVIDIA Builder’s Arcade

The NVIDIA Builder’s Arcade is open now through June 5 with daily activities and developer challenges. Enter now and explore Microsoft Build sessions, demos, and more.

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Last but Not Least

Uber to put 500 data-collection vehicles on the road this year: The modified Ioniq 5 will be loaded with sensors to capture data for Uber's new AV Labs division. Read More