March 31, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Whoop's valuation just tripled to $10 billion: The fitness tracking startup just closed a $575 million Series G with Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James among its investors. The obvious question looming over a round of this size at this valuation: Is an IPO coming? Read More

Social gaming platform Rec Room, once valued at $3.5B, is shutting down: Rec Room, the social platform for user-generated games and virtual experiences, will shutter on June 1. Read More

Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai: Uber and WeRide have launched robotaxi operations without a human safety operator in Dubai as part of a broader expansion in the Middle East. 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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Join Stripe at Sessions 2026—the internet economy conference—happening April 29–30 in San Francisco. Join fellow business leaders, founders, and developers to explore the latest in financial technology, global commerce, and strategies for growth. Register with code s26techcrunch100 for a complimentary pass.

Afternoon Must-Reads

Google is now letting users in the US change their Gmail address: Users will be able to change their username only once every 12 months. Plus, they won't be able to delete their new email address for that period of time. Read More

North Korean hackers blamed for hijacking popular Axios open source project to spread malware: A hacker inserted malware in Axios, an open source web tool downloaded tens of millions of times weekly, in a widespread hack. Read More

Meta launches two new Ray-Ban glasses designed for prescription wearers: Meta says these glasses are the most comfortable ones it has ever designed, as they're made for all-day comfort. Read More

OpenAI, not yet public, raises $3B from retail investors in monster $122B fund raise: OpenAI's latest funding round, led by Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank, values the AI lab at $852 billion as it nears an IPO. Read More

Yupp shuts down after raising $33M from a16z crypto's Chris Dixon: Less than a year after launching, with checks from some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, crowdsourced AI model feedback startup Yupp is closing its business, the company said Tuesday. Read More

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Complimentary pass to Sessions with code s26techcrunch100

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.

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Last but Not Least

Rivian spinoff Also will build autonomous delivery vehicles for DoorDash: DoorDash joins Greenoaks Capital in another $200 million funding round for Also, bringing its total funding to more than $500 million. Read More

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