TECHNOLOGYGeothermal startup Fervo catapults itself over the ‘valley of death’Fervo landed a large new loan with terms that strongly suggest the company's most turbulent days are behind it.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYA rogue AI led to a serious security incident at MetaFor almost two hours last week, Meta employees had unauthorized access to company and user data thanks to an AI agent that gave an employee inaccurate technical advice, as previously reported by The Information. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in a statement to The Verge that "no user data was The Verge·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYGoogle Shakes Up Its Browser Agent Team Amid OpenClaw CrazeAs Silicon Valley obsesses over a new wave of AI coding agents, Google and other AI labs are shifting their bets.Wired·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYMeta rolls out new AI content enforcement systems while reducing reliance on third-party vendorsMeta believes these AI systems can detect more violations with greater accuracy, better prevent scams, respond more quickly to real-world events, and reduce over-enforcement.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYGoogle introduces a new way for users to sideload Android apps that still protects against scamsGoogle is making Android sideloading easier with a new advanced setting that lets users disable app verification after a multistep security process.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYDoorDash launches a new ‘Tasks’ app that pays couriers to submit videos to train AIDelivery couriers will be able to earn money by completing activities like filming everyday tasks or recording themselves speaking in another language.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYChatGPT’s ‘Adult Mode’ Could Spark a New Era of Intimate SurveillanceOpenAI plans to allow sexting with ChatGPT. A human-AI interaction expert warns of a privacy nightmare.Wired·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYThe Long Farewell to Mark Zuckerberg’s MetaverseMeta announced changes that effectively leave Mr. Zuckerberg’s vision of an immersive digital world based in virtual reality only on life support.NY Times·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYFBI seizes pro-Iranian hacking group’s websites after destructive Stryker hackThe FBI and the Justice Department took down two websites linked to the pro-Iranian hacktivist group Handala, which last week hacked medical tech giant Stryker.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYCISA urges companies to secure Microsoft Intune systems after hackers mass-wipe Stryker devicesThe U.S. cybersecurity agency urged companies to prevent access to systems used for remotely managing their fleets of employee devices after hackers broke into a major U.S. medical tech giant and remotely wiped thousands of phones and computers.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYTechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 nominations are still openNominate your startup, or one you know, for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 before May 27. Chance to win $100,000 equity-free funding and VC access.TechCrunch·March 19, 2026
TECHNOLOGYSignal’s Creator Is Helping Encrypt Meta AIMoxie Marlinspike says the technology powering his encrypted AI chatbot, Confer, will be integrated into Meta AI. The move could help protect the AI conversations of millions of people.Wired·March 19, 2026
