Mesh, Automattic's CRM for everyone, comes to Android

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  August 13, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Mesh, Automattic's CRM for everyone, comes to Android: Mesh, an AI-powered contacts app and relationship manager from Automattic, is now an Android app. Read More In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks: The new order sweeps away decades of existing U.S. cybersecurity policy prohibiting private companies from conducting 'hack back' attacks or offensive cyber operations. Read More Some Claude users are mad that Anthropic's new watermarks will catch them using it at their jobs, classes: Is Anthropic's new watermarking system a travesty? Some have taken to social media to complain that it is. Read More A message from Alumni Ventures Invest in High-Potential Startups Like These Alumni Ventures is giving readers early access to high-potential startup opportunities across today’s most active sectors, co-invested alongside name-brand VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Bessemer, & Y Combinator. You Get: Curated deal flow of high-potential startups, Investing alongside name-brand vc firms, No cost to see deals, No obligation to invest. See Current Deals Morning Must-Reads AI coding startup Cognition reportedly already in talks to raise at $40B valuation: Cognition may be looking to raise another mega round just a few months after raising $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation. Read More Apple in talks to pay publishers to provide Siri with current news: report: The tech giant has considered a nine-figure budget for the payments, according to the WSJ. Read More Can social media start over? Bluesky's CEO and COO deliver their case at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 : Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider is joined by COO Rose Wang for a Disrupt Stage session on whether social media can start over and where Bluesky fits into that potential reboot.  Read More OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise: Thrive Holdings has raised $2 billion in new funding at a $12 billion valuation from investors like SoftBank, D1 Capital Partners, and Altimeter Capital.  Read More Uber Freight reportedly investigating after hacking group claims data breach: An extortion gang known for targeting transportation companies and private equity firms has taken credit for a breach at Uber Freight. Read More Last but Not Least Tesla wants to build a $10B solar factory in Texas: Tesla wants to build a massive solar factory in Texas, but first it wants the state to chip in to defray the costs. 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