October 12, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Meta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder: Where Muse Spark aimed to be a lightweight model that could perform at low latency, the Wonder models are larger and said to be more capable, with higher benchmark scores and better results on complex tasks like coding. Read More

WindBorne wins a hefty US Air Force contract for its balloon data: A Silicon Valley startup that uses weather balloons and AI to predict the weather won a U.S. military contract worth almost $50 million. Read More

Microsoft president says UK is best placed to drive AI regulation: Microsoft president Brad Smith calls for urgent AI regulation, saying milk and washing machines have more oversight than AI companies. Read More

A message from 188 West Saint James

Move-in ready condos starting at $375k in downtown San Jose

Discover the best of modern living, where Silicon Valley meets downtown San Jose. Enjoy refined amenities such as our business lounge, 75-foot lap pool, and expansive amenity deck, panoramic views, and light-filled residences designed for ease and sophistication, with dining, entertainment, and the energy of San Pedro Square just steps away.

Schedule a Tour

Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.

Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75.

Afternoon Must-Reads

This AI startup says it can generate permit-ready blueprints in minutes: Blueprints AI, a bootstrapped startup based in Santa Monica, developed software that produces code-compliant construction blueprints from a photo, PDF, or sketch. Read More

Fitbit Edge is Google’s middle ground between Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch: Google’s newest wearable costs $179.99 and has a sleek feel like the Fitbit Air but with an OLED display. Read More

Former Plaud exec raises $26M for AI app that listens to you in the background: One of the core promises of AI is that the more it knows about a person, the better it will be able to assist them with tasks and make appropriate suggestions, which, if you'll believe the tech companies, requires apps and devices to listen, watch, or record users' activity all the time and gather all possible context. Read More

Honeyjar offers AI tools to improve PR and comms at every company: Journalists, entrepreneurs, and even some public relations professionals will tell you that the PR process is broken. But could AI actually make things better? Read More

Will the HomeView be Apple’s first smart home success?: Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen multiple reports that Apple was working on a new smart home product, but now it seems the product has a name and a launch date. Read More

Last but Not Least

48 hours to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — hear directly from the people building what’s next: Less than 48 hours, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Save up to $100 on your pass before prices increase at the door, plus get 50% on a second pass. Or score other deals. Read More