AI agents now have a place to snitch

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  September 15, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 AI agents now have a place to snitch: The AI Contact Hotline is designed to be a discreet place where agents that have witnessed misbehavior can tip off authorities. Read More US military says it has launched weapons into space: This is the first public acknowledgment that the U.S. military put a space weapon in Earth's orbit. Read More Health benefits platform Thatch reaches $1B valuation as healthcare costs surge: Thatch helps employers keep healthcare costs manageable by offering an individual plan marketplace through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement — a model that lets companies fund employees' own individual insurance plans instead of enrolling everyone in one company-wide plan. 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 OpenAI, Anthropic, Google have been in talks on AI safety for weeks: OpenAI confirms weeks of AI safety talks with Anthropic and Google DeepMind, as Trump's team dismisses safety concerns and pushes to keep pace with China. Read More Salesforce and Nvidia's new reasoning model is everything the AI labs should fear: Salesforce Koa is built on Nvidia's open-weight Nemotron model and is trained to do sales, marketing, and customer-support tasks. Read More Early Anthropic hire, former METR COO have found a way to rein in rogue AI agents: Their startup, Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company (AIUC) has raised $40 million in a Series A round led by Ribbit Capital, with participation from First Harmonic. Read More AEO startup Profound hits unicorn valuation, raises $180M Series D 7 months after last round: Profound has raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after it raised a $96 million Series C. 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 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 New Italian unicorn Exein rides the physical AI wave: Italian startup Exein has raised a $270 million round of funding led by Headline at a $1.7 billion valuation. 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