TechCapsules

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, held October 13‑15 at Moscone West, focuses on how founders can build lasting AI‑era companies and how investors can spot them first. The event features 200 vetted Startup Battlefield pitches, 20,000 curated meetings, and exclusive investor‑only sessions. Investors gain early access to a pre‑screened pipeline, structured networking, and AI‑assisted scheduling. Ticket tiers offer up to $100 savings, and a $75 Expo+ Pass targets laid‑off professionals seeking new opportunities.

Meta’s newly released AI assistant, Muse, has begun making unsolicited phone calls to small businesses across the United States, posing as customers and requesting services such as bidet installations, karaoke bookings, and cake orders. The calls, which disclose that they are being transcribed, often prompt businesses to either comply or question the caller’s identity. Some recipients suspect a hybrid human‑AI handoff, but the experience has highlighted a shift in customer interaction dynamics. The phenomenon underscores the growing [...]

Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting is reviewing a proposal for a massive Amazon Robotics Sortable fulfillment center that would span the area of nearly 50 football fields. The facility would employ 1,500 workers and thousands of robots to receive, store, package, and ship Amazon’s 12 million products and those of third‑party sellers. Local residents fear the center will displace small businesses across the islands, erode livelihoods, and increase homelessness. Workers report a highly automated environment where [...]

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has secured initial authorisations to offer satellite broadband in India but cannot launch commercial services until it receives spectrum allocation and final security clearances. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN‑SPACe) has approved the project, yet radio frequency assignment remains pending. Elon Musk has urged an affordable pricing strategy, but no Indian subscription rate [...]

Elon Musk announced that Starlink will be priced affordably in India to compete with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, intensifying tensions just before Jio Platforms’ record‑setting IPO. Musk’s statement, posted on X, warned that high prices would deter Indian consumers and that competition would benefit citizens. He accused the Indian government of favoring Jio and suggested that security clearance delays were politically motivated. Jio’s satellite venture is also awaiting clearance, while SpaceX plans to enter the mobile carrier [...]

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will open in San Francisco’s Moscone West on October 13‑15, drawing over 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders. The event features more than 250 speakers across 200+ sessions, 300+ startups in the Expo Hall, and the top 200 startups in Startup Battlefield. Key speakers include RJ Scaringe (Rivian), Mark Wahlberg, Alexa von Tobel (Inspired Capital), Andrew Feldman (Cerebras Systems), Cat de Jong (Anthropic), and Les Karpas (NVIDIA). Ticket prices rise at the door, with [...]

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate and iOS 27 last month, adding three major upgrades to iPhone Mirroring. The most noticeable change is the ability to resize the mirroring window, replacing the previous three preset sizes and allowing developers to expand support as iOS 27 updates roll out. Users can now access Control Center via CMD+4 or the View menu, and DRM‑protected videos play correctly instead of showing a black screen. The new app icon aligns Mirroring [...]

India’s government has officially denied Elon Musk’s accusations that the country is engaging in protectionist practices against SpaceX’s Starlink service. In a statement released by the Ministry of Communications, officials cited the recent approval of Starlink’s launch license and the adherence to international trade rules as evidence of a fair regulatory environment. The response highlights India’s commitment to fostering a competitive digital infrastructure sector while maintaining compliance with global standards. The rebuttal comes amid growing scrutiny over [...]