April 24, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute: Google plans up to $40B investment in Anthropic as AI rivals race to secure massive compute capacity, following the limited release of its powerful, cybersecurity-focused Mythos model. Read More

Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI: Apple’s sold-out Mac mini is spawning marked-up eBay listings as demand surges for the compact desktop, now favored for running local AI models and tools. Read More

ComfyUI hits $500M valuation as creators seek more control over AI-generated media: ComfyUI, whose tools give creators more control over AI image, video, and audio generation, just raised $30 million. Read More

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.

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Afternoon Must-Reads

In another wild turn for AI chips, Meta signs deal for millions of Amazon AI CPUs: Meta has commandeered a big chunk of Amazon's homegrown CPUs (not GPUs) for AI agentic workloads, signaling that a new kind of chip race has begun. Read More

Cohere acquires, merges with German-based startup to create a 'transatlantic AI powerhouse': Cohere, the Canada-based AI company that makes AI tools for businesses in regulated industries, announced Friday it would merge with Aleph Alpha, a German company that also builds AI systems for businesses and governments. Read More

Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga joins stacked StrictlyVC SF lineup for April 30 event: Surprise! StrictlyVC San Francisco, which will kick off this year’s events lineup for TechCrunch on April 30 at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center, is getting a new addition to its increasingly stacked lineup of speakers. Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga will join the rest of the lineup to discuss operating at scale in the age of AI. Read More

Another spyware maker caught distributing fake Android snooping apps: Researchers have found a new case where government authorities used a fake Android app to plant spyware on a target’s phone. The company that allegedly developed the spyware was not previously known to sell this type of software. Read More

Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an AI social network in iMessage: Series, a social networking app that's grown popular on college campuses, announced a $5.1 million pre-seed round from some big names in tech. Read More

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StrictlyVC San Francisco takes off on April 30

StrictlyVC kicks off the event series in SF in less than a week. Join unfiltered fireside chats on fundraising, what it takes to build a physical AI breakthrough, and more with industry leaders like Eclipse Ventures co-founder Lior Susan, Replit co-founder Amjad Masad, and more. Make high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited.