This digest compiles the latest from Tech Crunch.
Today’s Tech Crunch Roundup
A teenage Minecraft YouTuber raised $1,234,567 for a meme prediction market called Giggles. It broke me.
7 Apr 2026, 2:02 pm by Amanda Silberling
Justin Jin’s company Giggles – which he describes as “putting a trading app and TikTok together” – started as a joke.
4 days left to save close to $500 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 passes
7 Apr 2026, 2:00 pm by TechCrunch Events
4 days left to save up to $482 on your TechCrunch disrupt 2026 ticket. These low rates will disappear on April 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register here.
Trump administration plans to cut cybersecurity agency’s budget by $700 million
7 Apr 2026, 1:50 pm by Zack Whittaker
The budget proposal would force CISA to operate with a significantly lower budget than previous years, citing the government’s claims that the election misinformation programs were used to “target the President.”
Why a former AirPods engineer is now building heat pumps
7 Apr 2026, 1:00 pm by Tim De Chant
Merino Energy has simplified the heat pump dramatically in a quest to make them cheaper and easier to install.
Waymo opens robotaxi service in Nashville, partners with Lyft
7 Apr 2026, 1:00 pm by Kirsten Korosec
Waymo now operates commercial robotaxi services in 11 cities, with various methods to hail.
Adobe launches Acrobat Spaces, a free AI-powered study tool for students
7 Apr 2026, 1:00 pm by Ivan Mehta
Adobe Acrobat Spaces is a free tool for students to use AI and create different kind of study material from documents
The AI gold rush is pulling private wealth into riskier, earlier bets
7 Apr 2026, 1:00 pm by Rebecca Bellan
On a recent episode of Equity, we talked to Arena Private Wealth to explore a growing trend: family offices bypassing VCs to gain direct exposure to AI startups, turning them from passive investors into active participants.
Hermeus raises $350M to build autonomous hypersonic fighters
7 Apr 2026, 12:30 pm by Sean O’Kane
The defense aviation startup is coming off two successful flight demonstrations, and with the next one, it’s aiming to go supersonic.
Spotify’s prompted playlist feature will now work for podcasts, too
7 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm by Ivan Mehta
Spotify will now allow users to input natural language prompts to create podcast playlist.
AI startup Rocket offers vibe McKinsey-style reports at a fraction of the cost
7 Apr 2026, 5:30 am by Jagmeet Singh
Rocket’s new AI platform combines strategy, product building, and competitive intelligence, aiming to move beyond code generation.
Picsart now lets creators make money from their designs
7 Apr 2026, 4:01 am by Aisha Malik
The program invites creators to create original content with Picsart tools for a specific campaign, share it on their social channels, and earn revenue based on how their audience engages.
End of today’s Tech Crunch roundup.
