April 17, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Bluesky confirms DDoS attack is cause of continued app outages: Bluesky has been experiencing ongoing service disruptions since just before 3 a.m. ET. on April 15. Read More

With US spy laws set to expire, lawmakers are split over protecting Americans from warrantless surveillance: Some lawmakers are calling for widespread reforms following years of surveillance scandals and abuses across successive U.S. administrations. But even if the spy law known as Section 702 expires in April, the government's spy powers will not automatically lapse. Read More

Google's AI Mode can now help you find products in stock nearby: Although you can already track hotel prices at the city level, the new update lets you do so for a specific hotel that you're interested in. Read More

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.

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Limited tickets left: StrictlyVC San Francisco

StrictlyVC kicks off the series in SF on April 30. Be in the room for unfiltered fireside chats on fundraising and AI accuracy with industry leaders like Forum AI founder Campbell Brown, Replit co-founder Amjad Masad, and more. Make high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited.

Morning Must-Reads

Physical Intelligence, a hot robotics startup, says its new robot brain can figure out tasks it was never taught: The new model, called π0.7, represents what the company describes as an early but meaningful step toward the long-sought goal of a general-purpose robot brain. Read More

Slash, a Ramp competitor founded by teenagers, raises $100M at $1.4B valuation: Five years later the founders, now 24 years old, say their startup has achieved $300 million in annualized revenue. Read More

Netflix plans to add a vertical video feed, use AI for recommendations: Netflix is going to launch a TikTok-like vertical video feed within its apps this month, and plans to use AI broadly for content creation and recommendations. Read More

OpenAI takes aim at Anthropic with beefed-up Codex that gives it more power over your desktop: OpenAI's agentic coding tool has gotten a major makeover, with a variety of new powers and abilities. Read More

Loop raises $95M to build supply chain AI that predicts disruptions: The San Francisco startup closed a Series C funding round led by Antonio Gracias' firm Valor, which is a major backer of xAI. Read More

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Last but Not Least

SaySo is a new short-form video app that aims to restore users' trust in news: Users are fed up with misinformation and AI slop cluttering their feeds. SaySo is a new short-form video app that delivers news from vetted creators and journalists. Read More

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