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March 19, 2026, 6:05 PM
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| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Bluesky raised a $100M Series B led by Bain Capital Crypto in April 2025, following a $15M Series A in 2024 and an $8M seed in 2023; it now has over 43M users — Social network Bluesky is gearing up for big changes with today's news that the company raised $100 million in Series B funding.
More: Bluesky, The Next Web, and Knight Foundation
Bluesky: @tante.cc, @whateverhewants, @artifex, and @bsky.app
| Agnee Ghosh / Bloomberg: |
OpenAI agrees to acquire Astral, which makes Python tools for developers, to integrate its team into Codex, and says Codex has 2M+ users, up 3x since January — OpenAI plans to acquire Astral, a startup that makes Python tools for developers, marking the ChatGPT maker's latest investment …
More: OpenAI, Astral, Ars Technica, The Register, MacStories, SiliconANGLE, CNBC, iTnews, Fortune, Simon Willison's Weblog, Proactive, The Economic Times, DevOps.com, Implicator.ai, and iPhone in Canada
X: @openainewsroom, @jsuarez, @rohanpaul_ai, @gdb, @trekedge, @hsvsphere, @svpino, @theahmadosman, @ivanfioravanti, @chrisalbon, @hanchunglee, @banteg, @charliermarsh, @alxfazio, @reach_vb, @fujikanaeda, @charliermarsh, @julien_c, @boristane, @sherwinwu, @jxnlco, and @himanshustwts
LinkedIn: Jason Lantz, Charlie Marsh, and Nick Sologoub
Bluesky: @reillywood.com, @timonsku.zip, @seldo.com, @ramon-astudillo, and @cameron.stream. Mastodon: @webology@mastodon.social
Forums: Hacker News, r/rust, and r/BetterOffline
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Sources: Google has started consumer beta testing of a dedicated Gemini AI app for the Mac, as it seeks to compete with Mac apps for ChatGPT and Claude — Google is ramping up development of a dedicated Gemini AI app for Apple Inc.'s Mac computer lineup, looking to step up competition with OpenAI and Anthropic PBC.
More: Engadget, AppleInsider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Digital Trends, iClarified, and The Mac Observer
| New York Times: |
Mark Zuckerberg's original metaverse vision is effectively over, after renaming Facebook to Meta and spending ~$80B on the endeavor, as his focus shifts to AI — Five years ago, Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed that the future of Facebook would be the metaverse.
More: 404 Media, Implicator.ai, Barron's Online, Not the Bee, PCMag, The Daily Dot, and Sandra Rose
X: @arian_ghashghai, @kevinroose, @paultassi, @matvelloso, @canteverdie, @kyliebytes, @anisha_moonka, @matthew_d_green, @xuwu, @wdavidmarx, @wallstmemes, @joeperticone, @vasuman, @willsolfiac, @malonebarry, @jmdagdelen, @matthew_d_green, and @abhijitwt
Bluesky: @shadowmanos, @edzitron.com, @tommysalty, @tabletopminions, @deanwampler.com, @maeve, @daniloc.xyz, and @ethanz. Threads: @boztank
| Janko Roettgers / Lowpass: |
More: TechCrunch, Gizmodo, The Verge, CNBC, UploadVR, Ars Technica, Lifehacker, Engadget, Wired, 9to5Mac, Android Headlines, 80 Level, and The Independent
X: @heaney555. LinkedIn: Stefan Galloro. Bluesky: @reckless and @scottstein. Threads: @boztank. Mastodon: @jank0@sfba.social
Forums: r/StockMarket and r/news
| Dominic Preston / The Verge: |
Google announces a new “advanced flow” for Android sideloading that requires a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period to install apps from unverified developers — The one-time ‘advanced flow’ includes 24 hours of cooling off time. … Google has revealed the “advanced flow” …
More: Ars Technica, Android Authority, Android Developers Blog, PCMag, 9to5Google, Android Police, Thurrott, Engadget, How-To Geek, The Register, BleepingComputer, Phandroid, and TechCrunch
Bluesky: @dompreston.com and @tcarmody
Mastodon: @slightlyoff@toot.cafe and @Aryan@dragonscave.space
Forums: r/degoogle, r/androiddev, r/EmulationOnAndroid, and r/fossdroid
| Rustin Banks / The Keyword: |
Google updates Stitch to let users turn natural language prompts into UI designs, introducing an “AI-native” software design canvas and a reasoning design agent — Stitch is evolving into an AI-native software design canvas that allows anyone to create, iterate and collaborate on high-fidelity UI from natural language.
More: Stitch, CNBC, The Information, Business Insider, XDA Developers, Fast Company, The Rundown AI, TechRadar, The Decoder, The Indian Express, and The Decoder
| John Wang / @j0hnwang: |
More: Benzinga and Blockonomi
X: @hewarsaber, @lexsokolin, @timhaldorsson, @scottastevenson, @dorizzdt, @hadley, @melkeydev, and @aakashgupta
Bluesky: @seanhodgdon.com and @seanhodgdon.com
| Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: |
Cursor launches Composer 2, an AI agent trained solely on coding-related data to perform autonomous, lengthy coding tasks, to compete with Anthropic and OpenAI — Cursor, a leading artificial intelligence startup for coding, is set to release a more efficient AI model for software development … | Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Meta plans to reduce its reliance on third-party vendors for content moderation, in favor of AI tools that it says are better at spotting scams and other tasks — Meta Platforms Inc. will soon cut back on its use of third-party vendors to help with content moderation, relying instead …
More: Meta Newsroom, PYMNTS.com, Engadget, RTÉ, The Information, TechCrunch, MediaPost, The Post Millennial, and CNBC
LinkedIn: Brian Dalessandro. Threads: @joelkaplan, @joelkaplan, @joelkaplan, @joelkaplan, and @naomigleit
| Margi Murphy / Bloomberg: |
CISA warns US companies to follow Microsoft's recommendations for fortifying Intune, a tool that manages staff access, after a cyberattack on Stryker last week — The US government is warning businesses to secure their corporate accounts within a popular Microsoft Corp. management tool … | Wall Street Journal: |
MLB makes Polymarket its official prediction markets platform, giving it exclusive data access; Polymarket will restrict contracts that pose “integrity risk” — On the cusp of opening day and under the cloud of a recent betting scandal, MLB reaches a licensing agreement with event-prediction platform
More: MLB.com, CFTC, TechCrunch, Sportico, PYMNTS.com, Decrypt, Front Office Sports, ESPN, Cointelegraph, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Blockonomi, Benzinga, Fortune, CoinDesk, The Crypto Times, CNBC, Bitcoin News, Fast Company, and Sports Business Journal
X: @polymarket, @joshbtucker, @mikemayer22, @tipping_pitches, @foolishbb, @joonlee, @matthewmodabber, @ntmoney, @super70ssports, @chairmanselig, @nickdevor_, @cftc, @thamosdeaf, @robtornoe, @bymattweyrich, @benhorney, @wallachlegal, @biasedslightly, @tmathsports, @sportradar, @benhorney, and @jaketodonnell. LinkedIn: Michael Selig
Bluesky: @rjcurren, @caseynewton, @timweston.com, and @josephgruber.com
| Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge: |
Uber plans to invest $1.25B in Rivian through 2031, contingent on meeting autonomy milestones, starting with $300M at signing, to deploy 50K Level 4 robotaxis — The companies say they plan on deploying 10,000 autonomous Rivian R2 vehicles by 2031. … Uber and Rivian are joining forces …
More: Axios, San Francisco Chronicle, Uber, Austin American-Statesman, Fortune, TechCrunch, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, Motley Fool, Deseret News, UPI, Digital Trends, South Florida Business Journal, New York Times, Silicon Valley Business …, Automotive World, Gizmodo, Electrek, TechEBlog, Wall Street Journal, Blockchain.News, Financial Times, Associated Press, InsideEVs, The Information, Forbes, Barron's Online, Bloomberg, The Drive, Jalopnik, Reuters, TheTruthAboutCars, EV, The Next Web, CNBC, Dow Jones Newswires, Proactive, electrive.com, Quartz, Blockonomi, CBT News, iPhone in Canada, Carscoops, The Independent, Business Insider, and Benzinga
X: @theaustinlyons, @joshkale, @andrewgordonmac, @pitdesi, @rjscaringe, @zacksjerryrig, @aakashgupta, @rivian, and @uber. LinkedIn: Dara Khosrowshahi. Forums: r/Rivian
| Brian Danga / The Block: |
Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek says the company cut ~12% of its workforce, or ~180 roles, saying the layoffs target roles that “do not adapt” as it integrates AI — Quick Take — Crypto.com cut about 12% of its workforce, or roughly 180 roles based on a previously disclosed headcount of over 1,500 employees.
More: The Information, Bloomberg, Barron's Online, CoinDesk, Cryip, Decrypt, Blockonomi, Bitcoin Insider, CNBC, Crypto Briefing, Cointelegraph, Bloomberg, Bitcoin News, and Quartz
| Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: Jeff Bezos is in talks to raise $100B for a fund that would buy companies in industrial sectors such as chipmaking and defense and revamp them with AI — Amazon.com founder has traveled to Middle East, Singapore in fundraising effort linked to Project Prometheus AI startup
More: Reuters, The Information, Forbes, Business Insider, Bloomberg, and Transport Topics
| Maxwell Zeff / Wired: |
Google moved some staffers working on Project Mariner, its AI agent that can navigate Chrome and complete tasks on a user's behalf, to higher-priority projects — As Silicon Valley obsesses over a new wave of AI coding agents, Google and other AI labs are shifting their bets.
Bluesky: @caseynewton
| Yuliya Chernova / Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: Kalshi is raising ~$1B led by Coatue at a $22B valuation, up from the $11B valuation announced in December, and has a revenue run rate of ~$1.5B — Coatue Management is leading the new financing that would total about $1 billion for the prediction-market platform, according to sources
More: The Information and Bloomberg
| Wired: |
Signal's Moxie Marlinspike says his privacy-focused AI platform Confer will integrate its encryption tech into Meta AI to provide E2EE for chatbot interactions — Moxie Marlinspike says the technology powering his encrypted AI chatbot, Confer, will be integrated into Meta AI.
More: Gizmodo and Confer Blog
X: @wcathcart, @anthonyronning, @a_greenberg, @moxie, and @sampittko
Bluesky: @lhn, @couts, and @agreenberg
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
DoorDash launches Tasks, a new app that pays delivery couriers in some markets to submit video clips and complete other tasks for training AI models — DoorDash Inc. is paying delivery couriers in some markets to submit video clips and complete other digital tasks to help improve artificial intelligence …
More: Engadget, eWeek, DoorDash, The Independent, and TechCrunch
| Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: |
Adobe launches Firefly Custom Models in public beta, letting users train AI image generators on their own assets; the custom models are private by default — Firefly custom models analyze your assets to preserve character designs and emulate illustration and photography styles.
More: The Adobe Blog, TechEBlog, Moneycontrol, 9to5Mac, The AI Economy, and PetaPixel. LinkedIn: Allison Blais
| The Information: |
Amazon acquires Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup Rivr, formerly Swiss-Mile; PitchBook: the startup was valued at $110M in an August 2024 funding round — Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal that could help the commerce …
More: Engadget
| Maria Curi / Axios: |
Filing: the Pentagon says Anthropic's use of foreign workers, including from China, poses security risks and that its case is “different” from other companies' — The Pentagon is highlighting new national security concerns about Anthropic's use of foreign workers, including from China, according to a court filing.| Paresh Dave / Wired: |
Walmart plans to add its Sparky chatbot into ChatGPT and Gemini, after OpenAI's Instant Checkout conversion rates were 3x lower than those with clicking out — After OpenAI's Instant Checkout feature fell short, Walmart is instead embedding its Sparky chatbot directly into ChatGPT and Google Gemini.| Marissa Newman / Bloomberg: |
Oasis Security, which specializes in securing non-human identities, such as AI bots and automated work tools, raised $120M, bringing its total funding to $190M — Oasis Security, a cybersecurity startup that helps companies manage access to their systems from non-human accounts … | Mizy Clifton / Politico: |
Ofcom fines 4chan £520K for OSA violations, including £450K for not complying with age check requirements, and gives it until April 2 to implement age assurance — 4chan has until 2 April to implement age assurance, carry out a “suitable and sufficient” illegal harms risk assessment …
More: Ofcom, BBC, Reclaim The Net, The Independent, Dexerto, Engadget, and Help Net Security
X: @prestonjbyrne, @ofcom, @prestonjbyrne, @prestonjbyrne, and @peteryared
| Dara Kerr / The Guardian: |
Google co-founder Sergey Brin raises his total contribution to $45M for the Building a Better California Super PAC, which opposes a proposed 5% billionaire tax — Sergey Brin gives $25m on top of $20m he's already given to Super Pac trying to block state's proposed 5% wealth tax
Bluesky: @jbraden2008 and @primosecundo.eurosky.social
Forums: r/google, r/DemocraticSocialism, r/politics, r/siliconvalley, and r/California
| Thomas Brewster / Forbes: |
Privacy-focused MVNO Cape raised a $100M Series C at a $900M valuation, and says its revenue grew from $4.5M in 2024 to $37M in 2025 — Cape cofounder and CEO John Doyle is seeing rapid revenue growth for his cell network, which deletes call logs and doesn't collect social security numbers like AT&T and Verizon do.| Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge: |
Waymo says its fleet hit 170M+ miles as of December 2025, and its Waymo Driver system was involved in 92% fewer serious-injury crashes than human drivers — Waymo says its robotaxis are involved in 92 percent fewer crashes causing serious injuries or worse than human drivers.| Connie Loizos / TechCrunch: |
Alphabet's X spins out Anori, which seeks to streamline building approvals through a unified platform for developers and city regulators, with $26M in funding — For more than a decade, Alphabet's X moonshot factory has been quietly trying to fix one of the world's most stubborn industries.
LinkedIn: Rae Oakley
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Mastodon: @hectorjcorrea@mastodon.social, @shriramk@mastodon.social, @assaf@mas.to, @js@podcastindex.social, @ppatel@mstdn.social, and @gedankenstuecke@scholar …
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