An AI agent carried out the technical execution of a real-world ransomware attack for the first known time, but new details show a human still chose the victim, set up the infrastructure, and supplied stolen credentials — meaning it wasn’t quite the fully autonomous cybercrime debut that last week’s headlines suggested…
These may be the last days of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk…
The humanoid robotics market is awash in money right now. Last week, AI2 Robotics, a Shenzhen-based startup that makes wheeled humanoid robots, raised roughly $735 million at a nearly $3 billion valuation. Earlier this year, Apptronik, an Austin-based maker of humanoid robots for manufacturing and logistics, closed a $935 million funding round valuing the company…
With AI igniting an investor frenzy, more startups are achieving unicorn status every month. Using data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the VC-backed startups that became unicorns in 2026. While most are AI-related, a surprising number are focused on other industries like healthcare and even a few crypto companies. This list will be updated throughout the…
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images 5:00 PM PDT · July 2, 2026 Every startup has a moment that changes everything. For some, it’s landing their first customer. For others, it’s closing their first funding round. For a select few, it starts with one pitch. If you’re going to apply for Startup Battlefield Australia, now…
Image Credits:Copper Sky Capital 2:57 PM PDT · July 2, 2026 Nvidia competitor Etched announced this week that TSMC had manufactured its first chip earlier this year. While the four-year-old startup valued at $5 billion is getting ready to ship systems powered by that chip to customers later this summer, scaling production may prove challenging.…
The company delivered more than 480,000 EVs globally, seemingly thanks to geographic expansion and cheaper versions of the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck…
Microsoft follows Amazon, OpenAI, and Anthropic with its new AI deployment group…
Image Credits:Wayve 7:04 PM PDT · June 30, 2026 Wayve, a U.K.-based self-driving tech startup, is allowing its employees to sell a portion of their vested equity. The $85 million tender offer — essentially a structured opportunity for employees to sell shares back to investors — is being led by the company’s existing and new…
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images 4:00 PM PDT · June 30, 2026 What if one pitch changed everything? The last time TechCrunch brought Startup Battlefield to Sydney, two little-known startups stepped onto the stage. What happened next led to more than $85 million raised. If you want your shot, applications close in just a…





