After sale of its shoe business, Allbirds pivots to AI

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

View this email online in your browser  April 15, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 After sale of its shoe business, Allbirds pivots to AI: Allbirds is ditching wool sneakers for AI servers, rebranding as NewBird AI after locking in a $50M convertible financing facility. Read More Snap is cutting 1,000 jobs, 16% of its workforce: The company cites advancements in AI for the cuts. Read More Sweden blames Russian hackers for attempting 'destructive' cyberattack on thermal plant: Sweden's minister for civil defense said Russian hackers are "now attempting destructive cyber attacks against organizations in Europe." 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. Register Now! A message from SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 The Startup Pitch With a Path to TechCrunch Disrupt TechCrunch is heading to SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 — Asia's largest global innovation conference. 750 startups, 49 city leaders, and top VCs converge at Tokyo Big Sight April 27–29. The SusHi Tech Challenge winner earns automatic entry into the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield Top 200. Learn More Morning Must-Reads Adobe's new Firefly AI assistant can use Creative Cloud apps to complete tasks: Adobe says the assistant can work across apps like Firefly, Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Express, Illustrator and its other apps to do tasks for you. Read More Anthropic's rise is giving some OpenAI investors second thoughts: One investor who has backed both companies told the FT that justifying OpenAI's recent round required assuming an IPO valuation of $1.2 trillion or more — making Anthropic's current $380 billion valuation look like the relative bargain. Read More Amazon unveils a slimmer Fire TV Stick HD, opens Ember Artline TVs for preorder: On Wednesday, Amazon announced the launch of its new Fire TV Stick HD and Ember Artline televisions, both now available for preorder.  Following the initial release of the first-generation Fire TV Stick HD two years ago, Amazon has created a new model that is its thinnest streaming device to date, the company says. Launched in 2024, the Fire TV Stick HD served as an entry-level device, effectively replacing both the previous Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV Stick Lite. This approach aimed to simplify Amazon's range of Fire TV streaming devices by consolidating two entry-level options into one. The new model is around 30% slimmer than the previous one, which could appeal to customers looking for portability without compromising on performance. Additionally, the Fire TV Stick HD is said to operate around 30% faster, which will help apps load more quickly. It also comes equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 for enhanced connectivity. A key feature of the Fire TV Stick HD is Alexa+, Amazon's AI assistant. Users in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. can request information about actors, find new shows, and manage smart home devices using voice commands thanks to the AI. Amazon is also introducing a new “Adaptive Display” setting for the HD model, designed to enhance accessibility by making text, menus, and content more visible and easier to navigate. The feature will increase the size of smaller elements like text and menus while scaling up the artwork so everything feels more balanced. Customers Read More Spotify launches the ability to purchase physical books in the US and UK: Spotify users in the US and UK can officially purchase physical books through the Android app. iOS users will get the feature next week. Read More This energy startup’s bet on 100-year-old grid tech is paying off: Ayr Energy is using a shortage of power conversion equipment to break open a decades-old market. Read More A message from Eight Sleep Wake up naturally with the Pod. Forget jarring alarms. The Pod by Eight Sleep’s alarm technology gradually warms your bed and uses vibrations to bring you out of sleep at the optimal moment in your cycle. Members report feeling more refreshed and alert making mornings actually feel good. Use code TECHCRUNCH for up to $350 off. Shop the Pod Last but Not Least This startup is betting tokenmaxxing will create the next compute giant: Parasail raised $32 million in a Series A, signaling a fractured future of models and compute. 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

Google adds AI Skills to Chrome to help you save favorite workflows

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  April 14, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Google adds AI Skills to Chrome to help you save favorite workflows: Google is adding “Skills” to Chrome, letting users save and reuse AI prompts across websites. The feature builds on Gemini’s browser integration. Read More How the rewards app Freecash scammed its way to the top of the app stores: Freecash was removed from Apple's App Store after TechCrunch reached out for comment. Read More Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plug-ins used in thousands of websites: Dozens of WordPress plug-ins were allegedly hijacked to push malware after they were sold to a new corporate owner. 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. Register Now! A message from Eight Sleep Fall asleep faster, starting tonight The Pod by Eight Sleep’s active cooling drops your bed temperature to as low as 55°F, triggering your body's natural sleep response and helping you get to sleep faster. Just the right temperature at the right time. Use code TECHCRUNCH for up to $350 off the Pod. Shop the Pod Afternoon Must-Reads How vibe-coding app Anything is rebuilding after getting booted from the App Store twice: Anything is planning to launch a desktop companion app to aid mobile app development after its App Store removal. Read More Lucid Motors names new CEO, lands more money from Uber and Saudis: The search for a new CEO, which lasted over a year following the sudden resignation of Peter Rawlinson, is finally over. Read More Amazon to buy Globalstar for $11.57B in bid to flesh out its satellite biz: Amazon on Tuesday agreed to buy satellite company Globalstar, known for powering Apple's "Emergency SOS" feature, for $11.57 billion in cash. Read More Max Hodak’s Science Corp. is preparing to place its first sensor in a human brain: The device could help address multiple neurological conditions if it proves successful. One early use could be delivering gentle electrical stimulation to damaged brain or spinal cord cells to encourage healing. Read More Tesla adds 'streaks,' other stats to track how often drivers use Full Self-Driving software: Tesla has also made it easy to subscribe to the advanced driver assistance system. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events 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. Register Now Last but Not Least Anthropic co-founder confirms the company briefed the Trump administration on Mythos: In an interview at the Semafor World Economy summit this week, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark explained why the company was still engaged with the U.S. government while simultaneously suing them. 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