Bumble agrees to a $1.3B acquisition deal as online dating faces a reset

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

View this email online in your browser  October 13, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Bumble agrees to a $1.3B acquisition deal as online dating faces a reset: After years of declining subscriber numbers and falling revenue, Bumble just agreed to a $1.3 billion acquisition. Read More Just 5 years in, interactive chatbot platform Character.AI files for bankruptcy: The startup will sell some of its assets to Disney for $20 million. Read More Apple makes another push into the smart home market with HomeView: Apple is taking a big swing at the smart home market with its latest product that competes with Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. Read More Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.  Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75. Register Now Morning Must-Reads Apple's new smart home lineup includes a smart lock, thermostat, and video doorbells: The new devices work with HomeView, the company's new smart home hub which can be used to control accessories and interact with apps. Read More Meta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder: Where Muse Spark aimed to be a lightweight model that could perform at low latency, the Wonder models are larger and said to be more capable, with higher benchmark scores and better results on complex tasks like coding. Read More Apple launches a new Apple TV 4K with Siri AI and remote-free voice commands: The new Apple TV 4K costs $299, comes with Siri AI, and will be available on November 13. Read More SpaceXSI bundles X Premium, Grok, and Cursor into one subscription: The new X Subscription combines X's paid features with AI tools like Grok and Cursor, offering plans ranging from $8 to $200 per month. Read More Amex introduces a framework to prevent AI agents from making unauthorized purchases: American Express is introducing a new framework designed to ensure AI agents only make purchases their users have authorized, potentially preventing costly mistakes and disputes as AI-powered shopping grows. Read More A message from Macao International Trade & Investment Fair Macao's 31st MIF to Kick Off in October The 31st Macao International Trade & Investment Fair (31st MIF), organised by the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) of the Macao Special Administrative Region, will be held from 21 to 24 October 2026 at the Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao. For the latest updates on MIF, please visit the official website at www.mif.com.mo. Visit the website Last but Not Least Spotify users on iOS 27 can now ask Siri to play music without having to say 'on Spotify': Siri can now learn users' preferred music app, allowing Spotify listeners to request songs, podcasts, and playlists without specifying which app to use. 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

Meta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  October 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Meta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder: Where Muse Spark aimed to be a lightweight model that could perform at low latency, the Wonder models are larger and said to be more capable, with higher benchmark scores and better results on complex tasks like coding. Read More WindBorne wins a hefty US Air Force contract for its balloon data: A Silicon Valley startup that uses weather balloons and AI to predict the weather won a U.S. military contract worth almost $50 million. Read More Microsoft president says UK is best placed to drive AI regulation: Microsoft president Brad Smith calls for urgent AI regulation, saying milk and washing machines have more oversight than AI companies. Read More A message from 188 West Saint James Move-in ready condos starting at $375k in downtown San Jose Discover the best of modern living, where Silicon Valley meets downtown San Jose. Enjoy refined amenities such as our business lounge, 75-foot lap pool, and expansive amenity deck, panoramic views, and light-filled residences designed for ease and sophistication, with dining, entertainment, and the energy of San Pedro Square just steps away. Schedule a Tour Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.  Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75. Register Now Afternoon Must-Reads This AI startup says it can generate permit-ready blueprints in minutes: Blueprints AI, a bootstrapped startup based in Santa Monica, developed software that produces code-compliant construction blueprints from a photo, PDF, or sketch. Read More Fitbit Edge is Google’s middle ground between Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch: Google’s newest wearable costs $179.99 and has a sleek feel like the Fitbit Air but with an OLED display. Read More Former Plaud exec raises $26M for AI app that listens to you in the background: One of the core promises of AI is that the more it knows about a person, the better it will be able to assist them with tasks and make appropriate suggestions, which, if you'll believe the tech companies, requires apps and devices to listen, watch, or record users' activity all the time and gather all possible context. Read More Honeyjar offers AI tools to improve PR and comms at every company: Journalists, entrepreneurs, and even some public relations professionals will tell you that the PR process is broken. But could AI actually make things better? Read More Will the HomeView be Apple’s first smart home success?: Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen multiple reports that Apple was working on a new smart home product, but now it seems the product has a name and a launch date. Read More Last but Not Least 48 hours to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — hear directly from the people building what’s next: Less than 48 hours, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Save up to $100 on your pass before prices increase at the door, plus get 50% on a second pass. Or score other deals. 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