Automattic's interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg's brief ouster

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  September 16, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Automattic's interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg's brief ouster: CFO Mark Davies and legal chief Andy Missan signed each other’s severance agreements while Matt Mullenweg was on leave, providing a year of salary and additional equity vesting if their departures qualify for the benefits. Read More Former Waymo CFO jumps to self-driving startup Wayve: Elisa de Martel, who left her position as chief financial officer at Alphabet's autonomous vehicle company Waymo in January, will be based out of Silicon Valley. Read More After accusations of selling 'perv glasses,' Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera: Can Meta dodge the "pervert glasses" accusations with a new camera-free product? Read More A message from R1 The AI layer healthcare has been missing The value of AI in healthcare isn’t the model alone. R1 combines enterprise-grade AI with revenue cycle expertise through Phare OS, a new architecture that helps prevent issues upstream and accelerate financial outcomes. Discover Phare OS Afternoon Must-Reads Google says some Pixel phone owners were hacked in zero-day attacks: The Pixel phone maker said there are indications that a bug in the phone's modem "may be under limited, targeted exploitation." Read More Former Infosys chief's AI startup nabs another $53M: The Palo Alto startup says it has landed multiple seven-figure enterprise contracts within months of launch. Read More Clean tech startup Fluxnium found a way to tap 50,000 years' worth of nuclear fuel: Fluxnium's fibers can extract uranium directly from seawater, which has enough of the nuclear fuel to power thousands of generations. Read More Anthropic merges Claude chat and Cowork in one interface: Anthropic is initially releasing these features to Pro and Max plan subscribers. Read More Threads' new features let podcasters promote shows and reach listeners: Threads is rolling out new tools for podcasters, including profile cards, episode links, transcripts, guest tags, posting reminders, and audience insights, as Meta looks to make the X rival a bigger hub for podcast promotion and discussion. Read More A message from ThoughtSpot Embedded Analytics Cost Calculator Uncover the true price of building and maintaining embedded analytics in-house. See the tradeoff in dollars and engineering years. Run my numbers Last but Not Least Amazon gives its workers a raise of $1 per hour: Amazon's investment in these raises comes out to over $1.5 billion, or about 0.06% of its $2.68 trillion market cap. 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 says some Pixel phone owners were hacked in zero-day attacks

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

View this email online in your browser  September 16, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Google says some Pixel phone owners were hacked in zero-day attacks: The Pixel phone maker said there are indications that a bug in the phone's modem "may be under limited, targeted exploitation." Read More Former Infosys chief's AI startup nabs another $53M: The Palo Alto startup says it has landed multiple seven-figure enterprise contracts within months of launch. Read More Threads' new features let podcasters promote shows and reach listeners: Threads is rolling out new tools for podcasters, including profile cards, episode links, transcripts, guest tags, posting reminders, and audience insights, as Meta looks to make the X rival a bigger hub for podcast promotion and discussion. Read More A message from Virginia Tech Minutes From the Capitol. Scholarships Available. Virginia Tech's Master of Engineering programs sit three blocks from the Metro and minutes from the Capitol, inside an 11-story graduate building with an Immersive Visualization Lab and a drone testing cage. DC and Maryland residents can also access a regional tuition rate that makes this the smart local option. Check Your Eligibility Morning Must-Reads Clean tech startup Fluxnium found a way to tap 50,000 years' worth of nuclear fuel: Fluxnium's fibers can extract uranium directly from seawater, which has enough of the nuclear fuel to power thousands of generations. Read More Amazon gives its workers a raise of $1 per hour: Amazon's investment in these raises comes out to over $1.5 billion, or about 0.06% of its $2.68 trillion market cap. Read More SK Hynix reportedly in talks with Intel to build memory chips in US: SK Hynix told TechCrunch the company hasn't finalized any plans or arrangements yet. Read More The AI graveyard: a running list of projects and startups that didn't make it: From Apple's repeatedly delayed Siri AI to OpenAI's messy "super app" launch, here's a look at the AI projects that shut down or missed expectations. Read More We don't need AI regulation — leave safety to us, Nvidia's Jensen Huang says: AI isn't some new form of "alien mind," according to Jensen Huang. It's just hardware and software, so safety can be engineered by each AI product maker. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events 3 days left to book your exhibit table at Disrupt Only 3 days left to secure your Disrupt 2026 exhibit table. Put your company in the heart of the Expo Hall, where you’ll be in front of 10,000+ tech leaders. Demo your product to VCs, connect with potential clients and partners, and generate high-impact leads. Tables are limited and can sell out before September 18. Book now Last but Not Least Next wave of VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 revealed: Meet the next five top-tier investors judging the Startup Battlefield 200 contenders live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200 and don't miss a moment of the ultimate startup pitch competition. 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