August 13, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

OpenAI hires new CRO as executive shake-up continues: Dali Rajic will take over as OpenAI's top salesperson. Read More

Anthropic set AI agents loose on the same task. They started a turf war.: Anthropic researchers found AI agents can clash, collude, and coordinate in unexpected ways, raising new questions about whether today’s safety tests capture the risks of multi-agent systems. Read More

Ford on track to complete $2B factory overhaul for Fathom EV truck: Ford expects to begin prototype builds of the Fathom EV in the first quarter of 2027. Read More

Afternoon Must-Reads

In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks: The new order sweeps away decades of existing U.S. cybersecurity policy prohibiting private companies from conducting 'hack back' attacks or offensive cyber operations. Read More

Instagram introduces a redesigned wordmark: The social media giant says it was time for a sharper and more modern look after a decade. Read More

If Apple sends you a push notification alerting you to a spyware attack, take it seriously: Apple now sends out push notifications to iPhone lock screens when the company identifies government spyware targeting someone's devices. Read More

OpenAI introduces 'Ultrafast,' a new mode that makes GPT-5.6 Sol work at 14x the speed: OpenAI is launching a preview of a sped up version of its latest, most powerful model, in an effort to court enterprise users. Read More

Microsoft kills off unsuccessful AI features while merging its separate Copilot apps: Microsoft is simplifying Copilot by combining its consumer and business apps, and dropping AI-generated podcasts, Group Chats, Deep Research, and its Mico character. Read More

Last but Not Least

Nvidia's new $500B plan is risky but brilliant, especially for aging GPUs: Nvidia has a plan to make sure its GPUs won't lose value. It wants to convince a new crop of financiers to keep lending for AI buildouts. Read More