YouTuber Hank Green says his AI usage is ‘not healthy’

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

View this email online in your browser  August 02, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 YouTuber Hank Green says his AI usage is ‘not healthy’: Green offered a remarkable apology, saying that "the level of dopamine that I've been getting from interacting with LLMs ... is not healthy for me or good for the world." Read More These App Store hidden gems prove there’s still room for great software in the AI era: Despite predictions that AI agents could make traditional apps obsolete, developers are shipping new software faster than ever. From smarter bookmarking tools and neighborhood marketplaces to digital pen pals and nature journals, here are the latest App Store finds worth adding to your Home Screen. Read More Uber is building an autonomous vehicle empire, and here's every company it's using to do it: Uber has partnered with — and in some cases made direct investments in — about 30 autonomous vehicle companies over the past two years. Here's the list and the latest on the partnerships. Read More Sunday Must-Reads Sam Altman is still making the case for parenting via ChatGPT: OpenAI's CEO seemed excited to share a "cool use case" for parents. Read More VC-backed startups commit more fraud, and researchers think they know why  : New research from the U.K.’s Imperial College and France’s Emlyon Business School mapped out how Silicon Valley founders commit fraud — and the role investors play. Read More India is starting to pay for apps, not just download them: India's app market generated a record $345 million in Q2. Read More Snapchat no longer rewards fully AI-generated Spotlight content: Snapchat has adjusted its recommendation systems to ensure that only videos created by real people are eligible for Spotlight recommendations, taking a stance against AI slop. Read More Google nixes its Earth AI feature one day after launch, amid criticism it would spread misinformation: A tool that allowed anyone to generate fake AI-generated imagery and superimpose it over real Google Earth maps quickly spurred backlash. 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. Register Now! Last but Not Least Judge denies xAI’s request to block Minnesota ban on ‘nudify’ apps: Despite a lawsuit from xAI, a Minnesota ban on apps that allow users to “nudify” images can move forward. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

VC-backed startups commit more fraud, and researchers think they know why

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  July 31, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 VC-backed startups commit more fraud, and researchers think they know why: New research from the U.K.’s Imperial College and France’s Emlyon Business School mapped out how Silicon Valley founders commit fraud — and the role investors play. Read More Google nixes its Earth AI feature one day after launch, amid criticism it would spread misinformation: A tool that allowed anyone to generate fake AI-generated imagery and superimpose it over real Google Earth maps quickly spurred backlash. Read More Snapchat no longer rewards fully AI-generated Spotlight content: Snapchat has adjusted its recommendation systems to ensure that only videos created by real people are eligible for Spotlight recommendations, taking a stance against AI slop. Read More Afternoon Must-Reads Tesla reportedly might sell its China business ahead of a SpaceX merger: Tesla had already reportedly prepped for the idea in the event that Beijing invades Taiwan. Read More SpaceX won’t remove all of xAI’s unpermitted turbines for another year: SpaceX is building a new power plant for xAI's Colossus data centers, but it won't remove existing, unpermitted turbines for many more months. Read More Anthropic says its own AI models breached three companies during security tests: After OpenAI's models broke into Hugging Face, Anthropic checked its own history and found three similar incidents. Read More Reddit is testing a new way to watch — and listen to — its viral posts: Reddit is developing a new video experience that lets users watch — or simply listen to — its most popular posts, taking inspiration from the viral TikTok videos that pair Reddit stories with gameplay or other footage. CEO Steve Huffman said the feature is already in the works and could begin testing later this year. Read More Repeat founder Ryan Williams raises $10M seed for an AI startup for private credit managers: Ellis AI announced Thursday its emergence from stealth with $10 million in seed funding. Read More A message from ThoughtSpot Who’s leading analytics and BI in 2026? Gartner evaluated every analytics platform so you don't have to. See why ThoughtSpot was named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Analytics and BI. Read full report Last but Not Least GM and Ford are talking less and less about EVs: The leading U.S. automakers are mentioning EVs on their investor calls at pre-pandemic rates, according to new data from TechCrunch and Hudson Labs. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107