June 18, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

Amazon hopes to challenge Nvidia more directly by selling its AI chips: AWS is in talks to sell its chips to other data centers. CEO Andy Jassy has said this represents a $50 billion opportunity for the company. Read More

AI data centers just got a government-mandated fast lane to the grid: FERC told grid operators to give data centers a fast lane for interconnections, but it failed to address electricity supply shortages. Read More

The 11 standout startups from YC's Demo Day, according to VCs: TechCrunch spoke to investors to find the hottest startups in the Spring 2026 YC batch. Some of them commanded valuations of over $175 million, VCs said. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Waymo recalls nearly 4,000 robotaxis to stop them driving into highway construction zones: The company has identified at least 13 instances where its robotaxis drove into highway sections closed for construction. Read More

Spotify's reserved ticket sales to music superfans are now going live: Spotify is launching "Reserved," a new system that will hold two concert tickets for an artist's superfans before they're on sale to the public. Read More

Snap spins off AI video team into new company, Dotmo, due to costs: The Snapchat maker is spinning off yet another internal unit. Dotmo will be comprised of current Snap staff who are leaving the social media company to focus on AI video development. Read More

Pixi's new iOS app turns text messages into interactive AR experiences: Forget stickers, GIFs, and emoji reactions. Pixi is betting that the next evolution of messaging is interactive augmented reality (AR). Read More

Mivo’s new app takes a mindful approach to managing screen time: Doomscrolling on social media is a very common problem and can feel like an endless loop of constantly losing track of time. Instead of tackling this issue with strict limits, a new mindful screen time app called Mivo Scrolling is trying to shake things up. Launched last month, Mivo doesn't look super different from other screen time apps. It tracks screen time, usage patterns, and provides insights into daily habits. However, Mivo believes what sets its app apart is its no-shaming approach. The idea that users should be more intentional about their time online has also been fueling the slowtech movement, as of late, which is focused on rethinking our relationship with technology. Rather than outright blocking certain apps, users can set customizable time limits for how long they wish to scroll on specific platforms. For instance, users can schedule two daily scroll sessions, allocating one-hour windows during which they select the apps they want to focus on. When it’s time to take a break, a friendly reminder pops up, nudging them to think about why they’re scrolling right then. Is it out of boredom, looking for a distraction, or genuinely trying to relax? Notably, unlike other apps that might just try to pull you away from your phone, Mivo lets the user decide if they want to continue, encouraging users to become more aware of how and why they’re using it instead. “Most screen time tools try to restrict people after the habit is already happening,” Pranshu Raithatha, creator Read More

Last but Not Least

OpenAI is bringing on some big guns in the lead-up to its IPO : OpenAI is bulking up before its IPO, landing Transformer co-inventor Noam Shazeer from Google DeepMind and former Trump AI policy official Dean Ball in the same week. Read More