TechCrunch

Biotics AI, Battlefield 2023, gains FDA approval for its AI-powered fetal ultrasound product 

January 19, 2026By Dominic-Madori Davis

TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 2023 winner, Biotics AI, announced on Monday that it has received FDA clearance for its AI software that helps detect fetal abnormalities in ultrasound images.

Looking ahead to 2026: What’s next for Startup Battlefield 200

January 19, 2026By Isabelle Johannessen

See what to expect for Startup Battlefield 200 in 2026, the ultimate startup pitch competition on the global stage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Join the mailing list to be the first to know when applications drop.

Sequoia to invest in Anthropic, breaking VC taboo on backing rivals: FT

January 18, 2026By Connie Loizos

Sequoia Capital is reportedly joining a blockbuster funding round for Anthropic, the AI startup behind Claude, according to the Financial Times. It’s a move sure to turn heads in Silicon Valley. Why? Because venture capital firms have historically avoided backing competing companies in the same sector, preferring to place their bets on a single winner. […]

TechCrunch Mobility: ‘Physical AI’ enters the hype machine

January 18, 2026By Kirsten Korosec

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.”

Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows

January 18, 2026By Sarah Perez

Threads’ daily mobile usage has quietly surpassed X as Meta leans on cross-promotion, creator tools and fast feature rollouts — even as X faces fresh controversies

How YC-backed Bucket Robotics survived its first CES

January 18, 2026By Sean O'Kane

Now, the startup is turning its attention to building the business, fundraising and striking commercial deals.

Moxie Marlinspike has a privacy-conscious alternative to ChatGPT

January 18, 2026By Russell Brandom

Confer is designed to look and feel like ChatGPT or Claude, but your conversations can't be used for training or advertising.

Why Silicon Valley is really talking about fleeing California (it’s not the 5%)

January 18, 2026By Connie Loizos

As highlighted Friday in the New York Post, the proposed wealth tax would hit founders on their voting shares rather than the actual equity they own.

Who gets to inherit the stars? A space ethicist on what we’re not talking about

January 17, 2026By Connie Loizos

While it's easy to romanticize space as an escape to a pristine frontier where people will float weightlessly among the stars, it’s worth remembering there are no oceans or mountains or chirpy birds in space. It's “not nice up there,” said Rubenstein. “It is not nice at all."

Trump administration’s legal setbacks are good news for offshore wind — and the grid

January 17, 2026By Tim De Chant

Three offshore wind projects under construction on the U.S. East Coast are back to building after judges rebuked the Department of the Interior's actions.

Oshen built the first ocean robot to collect data in a Category 5 hurricane 

January 17, 2026By Rebecca Szkutak

Oshen has signed contracts with multiple government agencies for its C-Star robots to collect ocean data autonomously.

Musk wants up to $134B in OpenAI lawsuit, despite $700B fortune

January 17, 2026By Connie Loizos

Musk's legal team argues he should be compensated as an early startup investor who sees returns "many orders of magnitude greater" than his initial investment.

AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M in ARR — and it started with a Reddit post  

January 16, 2026By Julie Bort

Their startup journey is a wild example of how if you build it well and the timing is lucky, they will definitely come.

California AG sends Musk’s xAI a cease-and-desist order over sexual deepfakes

January 16, 2026By Lucas Ropek

The flood of AI-generated sexual imagery has spurred concern from state and congressional officials alike.

Snowflake, Databricks challenger ClickHouse hits $15B valuation

January 16, 2026By Marina Temkin

The $400 million round was led by Dragoneer.

TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’

January 16, 2026By Aisha Malik

Think TikTok, but every single video you come across is a short episode of a fictional story.

EPA rules that xAI’s natural gas generators were illegally used

January 16, 2026By Tim De Chant

Elon Musk's AI company had installed and operated 35 natural gas turbines without permits, something the EPA now says was illegal.

From OpenAI’s offices to a deal with Eli Lilly — how Chai Discovery became one of the flashiest names in AI drug development

January 16, 2026By Lucas Ropek

The startup has partnered with Eli Lilly and enjoys the backing of some of Silicon Valley's most influential VCs.

Supreme Court hacker posted stolen government data on Instagram

January 16, 2026By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

Nicholas Moore pleaded guilty to stealing victims’ information from the Supreme Court and other federal government agencies, and then posting it on his Instagram @ihackthegovernment.

ChatGPT users are about to get hit with targeted ads

January 16, 2026By Lucas Ropek

OpenAI says that users impacted by the ads will have some control over what they see.