The AI jobs debate just got messier

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  June 30, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 The AI jobs debate just got messier: A new report finds "high-intensity AI adopters” saw headcount increase 10.2%. Among those companies, entry-level headcount rose by 12%, countering the rhetoric that AI kills junior jobs.  Read More Your brand deserves its own stage — Side Events at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: From October 10-16, host a Side Event and command the room during the week of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Read More Chamath Palihapitiya raises $135M Series A for his AI coding startup, takes CEO role: VCs remain thirsty to fund AI coding startups. This one, founded by investor Chamath Palihapitiya, is no exception. Read More A message from Ai4 Ai4 2026: America’s Largest AI Conference Returns to Las Vegas Join 12000+ founders, execs, & builders at Ai4 2026, America’s largest AI conference. Discover the strategic insights and use cases driving real business impact. Hear from industry pioneers like Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, and Andrew Ng, explore 400+ exhibits, & network with peers in Las Vegas, Aug 4-6. Register now to save $900+ before July 2nd. Register Now Morning Must-Reads Watch out, Amazon: The Kobo eReader now has a Goodreads rival: Kobo users can now automatically sync their reading progress to StoryGraph, making it easier to track books, reading stats, and challenges without relying on Amazon’s Goodreads. Read More Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix: Uber said it is readying the launch of a separate autonomous vehicle partnership in the city, but did not name the partner. Read More TIDAL cracks down on AI music by cutting off monetization: In addition, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group, the company said. Read More Lumo, Proton's privacy-focused AI chatbot, gets an upgrade: Proton's Lumo 2.0 is dropping this week, giving users a broader variety of capabilities. Read More Gemini's personalized AI image generation is now free for US users: Google is expanding Gemini’s personalized AI image generation to eligible free users in the U.S., allowing the chatbot to create images based on your interests and data from connected Google apps. Read More Last but Not Least Arena, the AI leaderboard everyone uses, is now a $100M business: The startup, which runs a popular free AI leaderboard, launched its commercial service just last September. 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? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  June 29, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix: Uber said it is readying the launch of a separate autonomous vehicle partnership in the city, but did not name the partner. Read More Arena, the AI leaderboard everyone uses, is now a $100M business: The startup, which runs a popular free AI leaderboard, launched its commercial service just last September. Read More Cursor now has a mobile app for guiding your coding agent on the go: Cursor has launched a new mobile app for remote oversight over coding agents. Read More A message from Schneider Electric Where data meets drive Energy tech is foundational to motorsport. It's behind every decision, from software-defined design to precision manufacturing and race-day telemetry. That's why McLaren Racing partners with Schneider Electric for solutions that help drive a competitive advantage. Learn More Afternoon Must-Reads Pocket raises $11M in bet on rising demand for AI note-taking devices: Pocket sells a $129 credit card-shaped puck, which sticks to the back of your phone, and promises unlimited recordings, transcriptions, and to-do items. Read More Watch out, Amazon: The Kobo eReader now has a Goodreads rival: Kobo users can now automatically sync their reading progress to StoryGraph, making it easier to track books, reading stats, and challenges without relying on Amazon’s Goodreads. Read More Flipper Device's new Busy Bar is a customizable display for productivity: The company's productivity-focused gadget helps you set timers, block apps, and display custom messages and widgets on an LED display. Read More Robot hand company settles Tesla trade secret suit and announces $11M raise: The startup, Proception, is taking a unique approach to collecting training data to tackle one of the hardest problems in robotics: hands. Read More TIDAL cracks down on AI music by cutting off monetization: In addition, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group, the company said. Read More Last but Not Least Chamath Palihapitiya raises $135M Series A for his AI coding startup, takes CEO role: VCs remain thirsty to fund AI coding startups. This one, founded by investor Chamath Palihapitiya, is no exception. 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? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107