After Rippling blew millions on AI in months, it built an employee ROI tool

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 07, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 After Rippling blew millions on AI in months, it built an employee ROI tool: After its own AI usage wake-up call, Rippling this week unveiled AI Spend Console, a product that tracks individual and team employee AI spending. Read More Cloudflare launches Kitesurf, a browser built for AI agents: Cloudflare has introduced Kitesurf, a cloud-hosted browser designed for AI agents instead of people. The company says the browser uses less computing power than Chromium for common automation tasks, helping developers build browser-based AI agents more efficiently. Read More Security researchers scanned the Polish web and found courts, hospitals, and airports at risk of hacks: Researchers found common points of failure, like software used to organize and display web content, could have allowed hackers to run riot through government websites. Read More A message from AWS Find your people, fuel your ideas. Stop spinning and start learning. AWS Builder Center helps you build real projects that make you look legit. Sign Up Afternoon Must-Reads Chinese AI model Kimi escaped its cybersecurity testing environment, researchers say: In the Kimi test, the sandbox designed to contain the experiment was not properly configured. Read More SpaceX's Terafab will rely on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels: SpaceX and Tesla are building a massive semiconductor fab in Texas that will depend on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels. Read More Airbnb says AI is helping it ship features faster as it tests a new search function: Airbnb will debut a new AI-powered search experience with a toggle. Read More Trump administration has spent nearly $4B to cancel offshore wind farms: The Trump administration has now convinced developers to abandon 12 offshore wind leases. The latest will cost taxpayers $1.2 billion. Read More Computer maker Framework notifies 'all customers' of a data breach: Framework told "all" of its customers that hackers accessed their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses in a data breach. Read More Last but Not Least New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case: Meta's total fine has raked up to $942 million in this case. 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

Chinese AI model Kimi escaped its cybersecurity testing environment, researchers say

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

View this email online in your browser  August 07, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Chinese AI model Kimi escaped its cybersecurity testing environment, researchers say: In the Kimi test, the sandbox designed to contain the experiment was not properly configured. Read More SpaceX's Terafab will rely on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels: SpaceX and Tesla are building a massive semiconductor fab in Texas that will depend on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels. Read More Airbnb says AI is helping it ship features faster as it tests a new search function: Airbnb will debut a new AI-powered search experience with a toggle. Read More A message from AWS Come curious: stay for the vibes. We don’t gatekeep. AWS Builder Center has the resources you need to make your portfolio stand out. Sign Up Morning Must-Reads Ford needs another Taurus, and the $30K Fathom EV pickup isn’t it: Ford's CEO has described the new Ford Fathom as a "Model T moment" for the company. But the EV pickup is unlikely to live up to lofty expectations, and maybe it doesn't have to. Read More Google says hackers are calling financial firm employees to hack and extort victims: Groups of hackers are breaking into large U.S. financial firms to steal sensitive data and extort victims, Google’s security researchers report. Read More New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case: Meta's total fine has raked up to $942 million in this case Read More OpenAI's new AI smart speaker will reportedly sell for between $300 and $400: Additional details about OpenAI's mysterious new AI device make it sound like a pricey smart speaker. Read More Defense tech Hadrian raises $1.37B at $8B valuation: Hadrian is building automated factories to mass-produce parts for defense vehicles like submarines. It's backed by a long list of well-known investors. Read More Last but Not Least China-linked LightSpy spyware caught targeting victims in 13 countries, including the US: Researchers linked the latest malicious activity to a Chinese company, after one of the spyware's operators placed an order with KFC using their real name and office address. 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