Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

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March 18, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

FBI is buying location data to track US citizens, director confirms

FBI is buying location data to track US citizens, director confirms: FBI director Kash Patel told lawmakers that the agency is actively purchasing commercially available location data, which can track Americans without needing a warrant. Read More

The Gemini-powered features in Google Workspace that are worth using: From summarizing emails, drafting content, organizing data, and tracking meetings, here are all the best Gemini features in Google Workspace. Read More

Nvidia is quietly building a multibillion-dollar behemoth to rival its chips business: Nvidia's networking business raked in $11 billion last quarter despite getting significantly less fanfare than chips and gaming. 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.

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A message from UK Office for Investment

UK Quantum – Enhancing trading data

Quantum computing has the potential to reshape financial services, from risk management to data analysis. HSBC and IBM have demonstrated this through a hybrid-quantum approach to European corporate bond trading. This revealed complex patterns in noisy financial data, and a 34% improvement in predicting winning customer trade inquiries.

Learn More

Afternoon Must-Reads

This startup wants to make enterprise software look more like a prompt

This startup wants to make enterprise software look more like a prompt: The company has raised $12 million in seed funding to build an AI operating system for enterprise. Read More

Nothing CEO Carl Pei says smartphone apps will disappear as AI agents take their place: Nothing CEO Carl Pei says AI agents will eventually replace apps, shifting smartphones toward systems that understand intent and act on a user's behalf. Read More

DOD says Anthropic’s ‘red lines’ make it an ‘unacceptable risk to national security’: The Defense Department said concerns that Anthropic might "attempt to disable its technology" during "warfighting operations" validate its decision to label the AI firm a supply-chain risk. Read More

Facebook launches a new monetization program to attract popular creators from TikTok, YouTube: Facebook says it paid creators nearly $3 billion through its monetization programs in 2025, a 35% increase from the previous year and its highest annual total to date. Read More

Russians caught stealing personal data from Ukrainians with new advanced iPhone hacking tools: A suspected group of Russian government hackers was caught targeting Ukrainians with new iPhone hacking tools designed for espionage and potentially to steal crypto. 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. 

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You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

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Last but Not Least

Mave Health aims to improve attention and mood with its brain-stimulating headset

Mave Health aims to improve attention and mood with its brain-stimulating headset: Mave Health is listing the headset at $495 for preorders. It aims to ship devices to users in the U.S. and India in April 2026. Read More

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