March 19, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Google introduces a new way for users to sideload Android apps that still protects against scams: Google is making Android sideloading easier with a new advanced setting that lets users disable app verification after a multistep security process. Read More

Bluesky announces $100M Series B after CEO transition: The additional funds have been used to scale Bluesky's team, while the company continues to develop Bluesky's app and the underlying ATProto that powers it. Read More

Meta rolls out new AI content enforcement systems while reducing reliance on third-party vendors: Meta believes these AI systems can detect more violations with greater accuracy, better prevent scams, respond more quickly to real-world events, and reduce over-enforcement. 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.

A message from UK Office for Investment

UK Quantum – Enhancing trading data

Quantum computing has the potential to reshape financial services, from risk management to data analysis. HSBC and IBM have demonstrated this through a hybrid-quantum approach to European corporate bond trading. This revealed complex patterns in noisy financial data, and a 34% improvement in predicting winning customer trade inquiries.

Learn More

Afternoon Must-Reads

Meta decides not to shut down Horizon Worlds on VR after all: Horizon Worlds was once a cornerstone of Meta's plans to build a social metaverse -- four years later, the company almost shut it down. Read More

Alphabet's X has a new spinout, and it's going after one of the world's most expensive bureaucratic nightmares: Anori aims to shrink the pre-development process by getting all parties, including the city, on a unified platform from the start so that compliance conflicts are surfaced in weeks instead of months or years. Read More

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 nominations are still open: Nominate your startup, or one you know, for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 before May 27. Chance to win $100,000 equity-free funding and VC access. Read More

Employees had to restrain a dancing humanoid robot after it went wild at a California restaurant: A dancing robot in a Haidilao hot pot restaurant boogied down a little too hard. Read More

Rivian sacrifices 2027 profit goal to push deeper into autonomy: Rivian admitted in a regulatory filing that it is delaying its goal of reaching "positive EBITDA" next year because of how much it is spending on developing self-driving technology. 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.

Download the Kit

You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

Watch on Cheddar.com

Watch on Streaming

Last but Not Least

Consumer-focused privacy company Cloaked raises $375M as it expands to enterprise: Cloaked's latest round is a mix of equity and growth funding. 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?

Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Member Center

501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107