Alphabet-owned robotics software company Intrinsic joins Google

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  February 25, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Alphabet-owned robotics software company Intrinsic joins Google: Nearly five years after graduating into an independent Alphabet company, Intrinsic is moving under Google's domain. Read More An accountant won a big jackpot on Kalshi by betting against DOGE: A tax accountant saw Elon Musk fans bidding up a Kalshi prediction market and saw a sure bet to make easy money. Read More Snapchat announces 'The Snappys,' its first-ever creator awards show: Snapchat is the latest social media platform to launch awards for creators, joining TikTok and Instagram. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Fidelity Stop Guessing What Fundraising Requires Cap table. Pitch deck. Investor updates. Diligence. The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips you with the core materials founders can use to raise with confidence. Download the Kit  Afternoon Must-Reads Amazon's AI-powered Alexa+ gets new personality options: Users will be able to choose from Alexa styles like Brief, Chill, or Sweet, Amazon says. Read More The White House wants AI companies to cover rate hikes. Most have already said they would.: Many hyperscalers have already made public commitments to cover electricity cost increases. Read More Gemini can now automate some multi-step tasks on Android: Gemini on Android will be able to automate tasks involving rideshare requests, or grocery or food delivery, says Google. Read More Inside the story of the US defense contractor who leaked hacking tools to Russia: The former boss of a U.S. hacking tools maker was jailed for selling highly sensitive software exploits to a Russian broker. This is how we first learned of his arrest, reported the story, and some of the unanswered questions we still have. Read More Jira's latest update allows AI agents and humans to work side by side: Atlassian is unveiling "agents in Jira," which gives users the ability to assign and manage work given to AI agents the same as humans. Read More A message from Stripe Complimentary pass to Sessions with code s26techcrunch100 Join Stripe at Sessions 2026—the internet economy conference—happening April 29–30 in San Francisco. Join fellow business leaders, founders, and developers to explore the latest in financial technology, global commerce, and strategies for growth. Register with code s26techcrunch100 for a complimentary pass. Register Now You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least OpenClaw creator's advice to AI builders is to be more playful and allow yourself time to improve: Peter Steinberger talks about the creation of his viral AI agent OpenClaw and how being more "playful" makes for a better way to learn AI coding. 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