TechCrunch Top 3

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation: Five-year old European military drone startup Helsing is close to raising another monster round. Read More

Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator: Digg returns (again) as another place to read AI news. Read More

Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app: As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it is launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream in the Peacock app. 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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Afternoon Must-Reads

Discord launches Nitro Rewards, giving subscribers access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass for no extra cost: Discord's Nitro Rewards program will give Nitro subscribers access to Xbox Game Pass and discounts from Logitech, SteelSeries, and other gaming brands. Read More

There aren't enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them: The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There's a key problem: There aren't enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they're too expensive. Read More

Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future: How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers? Read More

TechCrunch Mobility: Lime's IPO gamble: Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part. Read More

Anthropic says ‘evil’ portrayals of AI were responsible for Claude’s blackmail attempts: Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic. Read More

Last but Not Least

Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry: The company has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry — as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform — but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important. Read More