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19 February 2026 Vol 19

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Personalized AI companion app Dot is shutting down

Personalized AI companion app Dot is shutting down

Dot, an AI companion app that aimed to be a friend and confidante, is shutting down, the company announced on…
Google Gemini dubbed ‘high risk’ for kids and teens in new safety assessment

Google Gemini dubbed ‘high risk’ for kids and teens in new safety assessment

Common Sense Media, a kids-safety-focused nonprofit offering ratings and reviews of media and technology, released its risk assessment of Google’s…
Pulley, 645 Ventures, and Epigram Legal join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

Pulley, 645 Ventures, and Epigram Legal join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

For the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, Disrupt 2025 (taking place October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco) gets real…
Roblox announces short-form video feed for gameplay clips, new AI tools for creators, and more

Roblox announces short-form video feed for gameplay clips, new AI tools for creators, and more

Online gaming platform Roblox is launching a TikTok-like short-form video feed for sharing gameplay moments, the company unveiled on Friday…
Tesla’s ad spend on X has shrunk to almost nothing

Tesla’s ad spend on X has shrunk to almost nothing

Tesla spent $400,000 advertising on Elon Musk’s social media platform X in 2024, according to a new regulatory filing. But…
Natron’s liquidation shows why the US isn’t ready to make its own batteries

Natron’s liquidation shows why the US isn’t ready to make its own batteries

Sodium-ion battery startup Natron ceased operations this week, ending the company’s 12-year quest to commercialize its technology in the U.S.…
X is now offering me end-to-end encrypted chat. You probably shouldn’t trust it yet.

X is now offering me end-to-end encrypted chat. You probably shouldn’t trust it yet.

X, formerly Twitter, has started rolling out its new encrypted messaging feature called “Chat” or “XChat.”  The company claims the…
The Doomers Who Insist AI Will Kill Us All

The Doomers Who Insist AI Will Kill Us All

The subtitle of the doom bible to be published by AI extinction prophets Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares later this…
Scale AI’s former CTO launches AI agent that could solve big data’s biggest problem

Scale AI’s former CTO launches AI agent that could solve big data’s biggest problem

Isotopes came out of stealth on Thursday with a healthy $20 million seed round. It offers an AI agent to…
Learn to create communities and companies that last at Disrupt 2025

Learn to create communities and companies that last at Disrupt 2025

When you design for people instead of institutions, you don’t just build a product. You build a movement. That’s the…