At 19, founder raises $11M for Ghost, maker of a $3,499 computer for personal AI

Plus the rest of this week's biggest stories

View this email online in your browser  October 10, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 At 19, founder raises $11M for Ghost, maker of a $3,499 computer for personal AI: Ghost's first product is Core, a personal computer designed specifically for AI agents that can take actions on a person's behalf. Read More US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers: The other firms being suspended from the program include Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro. Read More Anthropic is giving startups a free year of Claude Team and $1,000 in credits: "We created this program because we believe the benefits of AI will reach most people through the companies that build on top of models, rather than through the models alone." Read More A message from TechCrunch Events 4 days until Disrupt 2026 launches Moscone West doors open at 8 a.m. PT on October 13. Explore 200+ sessions across six stages, roundtables, and breakouts led by 250+ speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, Rivian, Amazon, Science Corp, and more, plus Mark Wahlberg. See 300+ startups and connect with 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators. Save up to $100 and get 50% off a second pass. Register Now Our biggest event of the year is coming next week, and now's the time to lock in your ticket to learning how to build successfully in the AI era. You'll get expert insights from leaders from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and hundreds of other sessions across three days.  Save 50% on a second ticket, or if you've been laid off recently, get an Expo+ Pass for just $75. Register Now This Week's Must-Reads The maker of non-text AI model Jev valued at $7.5B just weeks after launch: What has users and large corporations so excited about Jev is TypeSafe’s claim that it works significantly faster and uses far fewer tokens than LLMs. Read More Cal AI's 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup: Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse, and Bee. Read More Remember Orkut? Its founder wants to bring it back: Orkut's founder is now taking aim at algorithms and AI-generated content. Read More Researchers are tracking a Chinese AI 'agent fleet': Independent researchers discovered an agent swarm that seems to be running on Tencent's infrastructure and targeting Alibaba's map service, Amap. Read More Elon Musk intensifies attack on Ambani over Starlink India launch delay: Elon Musk has accused Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani of blocking competition. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Founder Summit on Nov. 4 in Boston Join 1,000 founders and VCs in Boston for a full day of insights on scaling, building, and today’s tech ecosystem, led by leaders from Bessemer, TDK Ventures, 7AI, and more. Spark meaningful connections through curated 1:1 and small-group networking. Find your next co-founder, investor, idea, or scaling solution at this founder bootcamp. Register Now Last but Not Least Hot Girl Hotline is like 'Dear Abby' for the AI era: Founded by two sisters, Hot Girl Hotline uses AI to give young women personalized dating and relationship advice, with an emphasis on safety and avoiding emotional dependency. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility 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