I put Google's 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it's actually pretty useful

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

View this email online in your browser  May 31, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 I put Google's 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it's actually pretty useful: Gemini Spark helps automate everyday tasks, from inbox summaries to local event planning, but it’s unclear why Google made it a separate product. Read More 'What a joke': Github Copilot's new token-based billing spurs consternation among devs: The golden age of Microsoft's Github Copilot appears to be at an end. Read More Microsoft under fire for threatening security researcher with criminal investigation: A public spat between Microsoft and an independent security researcher reopens a long-running debate over who is responsible for securing software. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events StrictlyVC hits Los Angeles on June 18 Top space tech founders and VCs take the stage in sunny Los Angeles on June 18. Get in the room, make the connections that matter, and hear from leaders like Ethan Thornton (Mach Industries) and Delian Asparouhov (Founders Fund and Varda Space Industries) on where the industry is headed. Grab your ticket early before seats sell out. Register Now Sunday Must-Reads Cognition's Scott Wu says AI coding agents shouldn't replace humans: Cognition makes Devin, the first and arguably most successful AI coding agent. But famed coder Wu says it isn't designed to supplant human programmers. Read More Coders are refusing to work without AI — and that could come back to bite them : While AI is helping coders produce code faster, it may not be producing better code, researchers warn. And that could cause problems down the road for them.  Read More As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2026: We’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today aiming to challenge Chrome and Safari. Read More TikTok's road to becoming a super app: TikTok may be working to become the app that people use for most of their digital activities. Read More This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers: The YouTube-to-prestige-horror pipeline is looking very strong. Read More A message from Ai4 See How the Fortune 500 Is Scaling AI at Ai4 2026 Ai4 is America’s largest AI conference, bringing 12,000+ executives and leaders to Las Vegas this August 4-6. Cut through the noise and learn the AI use cases driving real business impact across the Fortune 500. Explore AI agents, MLOps, industry solutions, and more from 1,000+ speakers and 400+ vendors. Register now to save $1,200+ before May 28. Learn 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. Register Now! Last but Not Least Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant: Meta seems to be making big bets on AI-powered hardware. 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

Microsoft under fire for threatening security researcher with criminal investigation

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  May 29, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Microsoft under fire for threatening security researcher with criminal investigation: A public spat between Microsoft and an independent security researcher reopens a long-running debate over who is responsible for securing software. Read More After Nvidia's $20B not-aqui-hire, AI chip startup Groq reportedly raising $650M: Chipmaker Groq is looking to raise $650 million in internal funding as it pivots from hardware to focus more on AI inference, the process of refining the way AI models respond to prompted requests, per Axios.  Read More So you've heard these AI terms and nodded along; let's fix that: The rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter. Read More A message from NVIDIA and Microsoft New during Microsoft Build: The NVIDIA Builder’s Arcade Enter the NVIDIA Builder’s Arcade now to preview interactive challenges and NVIDIA happenings during Microsoft Build. Challenges go live June 1 and run through June 5 with daily activities focused on agentic AI. Learn more Afternoon Must-Reads Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes during testing in Florida: The explosion is likely a major setback for Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company, and its attempt to compete with SpaceX. Read More Slate Auto will announce pricing and take preorders for its EV on June 24: The Bezos-backed EV startup has yet to announce final pricing for its vehicle, which is supposed to start shipping by the end of this year. Read More Cognition's Scott Wu says AI coding agents shouldn't replace humans: Cognition makes Devin, the first and arguably most successful AI coding agent. But famed coder Wu says it isn't designed to supplant human programmers. Read More This chip startup just raised $135M on a bet that AI's biggest bottleneck isn't compute -- it's memory: South Korean chip startup XCENA is betting that AI's real bottleneck is not compute, but memory. Read More Today is the last day to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Submit your session topic before today ends for a chance to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Apply now to share your insight and help shape the conversations defining the tech industry. Read More A message from Fidelity Your Pitch Isn’t the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.   Investors don’t just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn’t come from slides. It comes from preparation.  Learn More Last but Not Least The internet is being rebuilt for machines: As AI agents move from experiments to production, AWS, Cloudflare, and others are redesigning cloud infrastructure for a future dominated by machine-generated internet traffic instead of human users. 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