Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

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March 29, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

Anthropic's Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing

Anthropic's Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing: Estimates for total Claude consumer users are all over the map (we've seen figures ranging from 18 million to 30 million). Anthropic hasn't disclosed this data, but a spokesperson did tell TechCrunch that Claude paid subscriptions have more than doubled this year. Read More

Mark Zuckerberg texted Elon Musk to offer help with DOGE: While the relationship was once thorny enough that Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cagefight, things seem to have warmed up by the early days of the second Trump administration. Read More

Waymo’s skyrocketing ridership in one chart: Waymo's weekly paid robotaxi trips have increased tenfold in less than two years. Read More

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Limited tickets available: StrictlyVC San Francisco

StrictlyVC kicks off the series in SF on April 30. Be in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Past speakers include Jay Graber, Max Hodak, and more. Tickets are limited.

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Sunday Must-Reads

Elon Musk’s last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI

Elon Musk’s last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI: All but two of Musk's 11 xAI co-founders departed before this week. Read More

Let’s take a look at the retro tech making a comeback: Boomboxes, instant cameras, and even landlines are making a comeback. Here are the coolest retro-inspired devices available. Read More

These iPad apps will make you wish you had more free time: We’ve compiled a list of some of the best iPad apps for creativity that are available on the App Store.  Read More

Stanford study outlines dangers of asking AI chatbots for personal advice: While there’s been plenty of debate about AI sycophancy, a new study by Stanford computer scientists attempts to measure how harmful that tendency might be. Read More

Bluesky leans into AI with Attie, an app for building custom feeds: Bluesky’s new app Attie uses AI to help people build custom feeds the open social networking protocol atproto. Read More

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Momentum and deals start at Disrupt — Save up to $400 now

At Disrupt, founders find momentum, VCs discover their next investment, and operators take their next leap. October 13–15 in San Francisco, 10,000 tech leaders converge at San Francisco’s Moscone West to connect and hear from 250+ industry-defining voices across 200+ sessions. Save up to $400 on your pass. Or save up to 30% when you bring your community.

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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.

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Last but Not Least

From Moon hotels to cattle herding: 8 startups investors chased at YC Demo Day

From Moon hotels to cattle herding: 8 startups investors chased at YC Demo Day: We polled nearly a dozen VCs to find out which W26 startups are the sought after in the batch. Read More

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