Caterpillar is bringing to AI deployment what it learned from automating mining

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

View this email online in your browser  August 30, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Caterpillar is bringing to AI deployment what it learned from automating mining: Caterpillar has spent decades putting autonomous machines to work at remote mining sites. It's now bringing that experience to AI deployment. Read More Nvidia’s AI advantage is moving beyond the GPU: The new generation of data center systems is increasing efficiency with smarter traffic control instead of just more processor cycles. Read More "We're not doing 30 bets a year": Vijay Pande on betting small after running $4 billion at a16z: Vijay Pande — who left a16z's roughly $4 billion biotech practice last year to start the much smaller, AI-native VZVC — talks about why biology is finally shifting from a "discovery" science to an "engineering" one, why clinical trials are still brutally expensive, and why he thinks open, shared datasets (not walled-off ones) are what will actually let AI transform medicine. Read More A message from Alumni Ventures Invest in High-Potential Startups Like These Alumni Ventures is giving readers early access to high-potential startup opportunities across today’s most active sectors, co-invested alongside name-brand VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Bessemer, & Y Combinator. You Get: Curated deal flow of high-potential startups, Investing alongside name-brand vc firms, No cost to see deals, No obligation to invest. See Current Deals Sunday Must-Reads An Anthropic researcher just gave us a peek at self-improving AI: Given 10 benchmarks for specific misaligned behaviors, the automated systems were able to improve performance on every single one without degrading overall performance. Read More How Sweden built one of Europe’s hottest startup ecosystems : Sophia Bendz, general partner at Cherry Ventures, stopped by Equity to break down the latest in the Swedish tech ecosystem. Read More Chinese automakers are following Tesla’s bet that robots are the next big profit machine: Technical progress has encouraged a new batch of companies to jump in on the promise of profits from humanoid robots. And they're all Chinese automakers. Read More Hollywood celebs are getting into microdrama apps: Several Hollywood celebs are ditching the massive eight-figure checks and exotic movie sets for a rising format: microdramas. Read More Sony Music, Warner sue Anthropic, alleging a "brazen campaign" of intellectual property theft: This latest lawsuit is particularly broad and homes in on accusations of illegal piracy. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Free webinar: The Hardware Decision Your Competitors Probably Haven't Made Yet Most startups don't think strategically about hardware architecture. They just buy what's available. But the founders who understand NPU efficiency, on-device AI economics, and platform standardization? They're building companies that scale cheaper and faster. That architectural knowledge is the competitive edge most founders haven't thought about yet. Join us Thursday September 10th at 10am PT/ 1PM ET to learn what it actually means, and why it matters for your bottom line. Register Now 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! Last but Not Least Brave's browser one-ups Chrome with its new support for email aliases: The feature, announced this week, allows Brave's users to sign up for websites and other online services without having to share their personal email addresses. 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

Open-weight AI companies are the Valley's hottest acquisition targets

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 28, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Open-weight AI companies are the Valley's hottest acquisition targets: There's a lot of capital pouring into the business of giving models away. Read More An Anthropic researcher just gave us a peek at self-improving AI: Given 10 benchmarks for specific misaligned behaviors, the automated systems were able to improve performance on every single one without degrading overall performance. Read More Brave's browser one-ups Chrome with its new support for email aliases: The feature, announced this week, allows Brave's users to sign up for websites and other online services without having to share their personal email addresses. Read More Afternoon Must-Reads Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk label: A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, handing the AI company a victory as its second Pentagon lawsuit continues in Washington. Read More Apple TV is raising its subscription prices again: Now, Apple TV subscriptions will cost $14.99 per month, up from its previous price of $12.99 per month. Read More Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India: Sandhya Devanathan will oversee some OpenAI operations across Southeast Asia and Australia in her new role. Read More Rivian's CFO is leaving the company: Claire McDonough is stepping down on October 30 to pursue a new opportunity, the company said in a filing on Thursday. Read More Friend-focused photo-sharing app Retro snags $21M: Retro, a friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram employees, has raised more than $21 million in Series A funding. Read More A message from ThoughtSpot Why Traditional Analytics Are Failing Modern Teams Your customers want answers inside your product, not another dashboard. Join ThoughtSpot on August 27 to see how top teams build AI-native analytics that tell users what to do next. Register Now Last but Not Least As electric two-wheelers gain a foothold, Belgian startup Any bets on cargo space: Launched by Belgian startup Any, LUV1 is a modular electric motorcycle with 120 liters of cargo space that can be used to carry bags, work equipment, or even pets. 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