MapQuest's app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario

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

View this email online in your browser  August 31, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 MapQuest's app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario: MapQuest is getting an unexpected boost from its decision to defy President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario. Read More 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 Musk's faster path to more gas turbines comes with pollution problem: Elon Musk says a secretive new SpaceX foundry will let him cast his own turbine blades and get gas power online 18 months faster than anyone else — but it's a bet on a fuel source that's already triggering lawsuits and health studies everywhere his (and others') turbines have gone in. Read More The Best Disrupt 2026 Discount Ends Soon AI has made it faster than ever to bring an idea from concept to launch.   But it hasn't made it easier to build something durable.     Disrupt 2026's programming is built around that challenge, delivering practical sessions on what actually holds up and how to build it. Ticket prices increase at midnight PT Friday, so grab yours before then!  Register Now Morning Must-Reads Liux's Big microcar bets on sustainability to take on Chinese rivals: The Liux Big microcar is made in Spain. The startup thinks it can compete in a crowded market with its tiny electric car built around sustainability. Read More The U.S. is building barriers around drones and robots, but China has scale to get around them: The U.S. is shutting out more foreign-made drones and robots. China’s scale means the global competition may simply move elsewhere. 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 Meeting notetaker Circleback adds a free tier to attract more customers: Circleback is also introducing new pricing plans starting from $14 per month 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 Get Your Startup in Front of the Disrupt Crowds Not everyone needs a keynote slot to make noise at Disrupt 2026. Sometimes the best way to meet investors, customers, and partners is by exhibiting directly in the Expo Hall. And by exhibiting, you get 10 passes to Disrupt to share with your team! Learn More Last but Not Least Grindr wants to be the everything app for gay men; investors are still deciding whether it can pull it off: George Arison is done letting Wall Street's "Grindr discount" go unchallenged — in a wide-ranging Q&A, the CEO walks us through how AI, a controversial $350-plus EDGE tier, and a bet on healthcare and long-distance matchmaking are turning Grindr into the "gayborhood in your pocket" he's been promising since 2022. 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

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