Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser 

April 30, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

Elon Musk testifies that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models

Elon Musk testifies that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models: "Distillation" is a hot topic as frontier labs try to prevent smaller competitors from copying their models. Read More

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is hitting the road in millions of vehicles: The move signals Google’s push to bring more advanced, conversational AI into the driving experience. Read More

Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too: Link lets users connect cards, banks, and subscriptions, then authorize AI agents to spend securely via approval flows. 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.

Register Now!
 

A message from Oracle NetSuite

Your 30-day roadmap to AI-driven insights

AI in finance is moving from hype to hands-on. Whether you’re a CFO modernizing finance operations or an analyst looking to work faster and more accurately, this handbook delivers actionable strategies you can use right away—no technical background required. Download Nicolas Boucher’s handbook for ready-to-use prompts, NetSuite AI features, MCP guidance, security best practices, and a 30-day plan to drive measurable impact starting with one use case this week!

Get Your Handbook

Afternoon Must-Reads

Legal AI startup Legora hits $5.6B valuation and its battle with Harvey just got hotter

Legal AI startup Legora hits $5.6B valuation and its battle with Harvey just got hotter: The two wildly fast-growing rivals have raised massive sums, pushed into each other's home turf and now have dueling ad campaigns. Read More

FDA approval, fundraising, and the reality of building in healthcare according to BioticsAI founder: BioticsAI CEO Robhy Bustami joined Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode to discuss how the company has navigated a highly regulated space and kept the team motivated while cutting through all the red tape. Read More

Hackers are actively exploiting a bug in cPanel, used by millions of websites: Web hosts are scrambling to fix the bug under active attack by hackers. One company said hackers have been abusing the bug for months. Read More

Rivian downsizes DOE loan to $4.5B, while boosting capacity of Georgia factory: Rivian has reworked its loan deal with the Department of Energy and now expects to borrow $4.5 billion to build its new factory in Georgia, down from the original amount of $6.6 billion. Read More

After dissing Anthropic for limiting Mythos, OpenAI restricts access to Cyber, too: OpenAI will begin rolling out its cybersecurity testing tool, GPT-5.5 Cyber only "to critical cyber defenders" at first. 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

Instagram cracks down on content aggregators

Instagram cracks down on content aggregators: The update targets content aggregators that don't post original content and instead simply re-upload others' posts. 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

Facebook XInstagramLinkedInBluesky

Got a tip?
Get in touch securely.

Want to advertise on TechCrunch? 

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