United Airlines is enhancing its iOS and Android mobile applications with a variety of new functionalities, such as projected security wait times to assist travelers in determining their arrival times at the airport. This initiative arises amid a partial government shutdown that has resulted in understaffed TSA checkpoints.

In the “Travel” section of the United app, passengers can now view security wait times for the airline’s U.S. hub airports located in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Users will find estimated wait times for specific lanes, including standard security and TSA PreCheck, across terminals catering to United customers.

“We value the work and dedication of our TSA agents, and while many started receiving back pay earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shutdown persists, and travelers wish to stay updated on expected security wait times at our airports,” stated Jason Birnbaum, United’s chief information officer, in a press statement. “Our customers depend on our mobile app for all their travel requirements, and this latest feature helps them understand what to anticipate and plan their journey more effectively.”

The app is also introducing features intended for passengers with connecting flights. Travelers will now get personalized, turn-by-turn directions to their next gate, along with estimated walking durations, real-time status updates, and suggestions for longer layovers. It will also alert travelers if United can pause a plane for those with tight connections.

Additionally, the app will include automatic rebooking support. Rather than waiting in line to consult an agent or manually exploring alternatives, United’s self-service options will promptly offer travelers rebooking choices, complete with baggage-tracking information and meal and hotel vouchers if they qualify, in the event that a flight is delayed or canceled.

The app has also incorporated Apple’s “Share Item Location” feature for AirTag, enabling travelers who utilize an AirTag or other Find My network accessory to communicate their item’s location with United’s customer service team if their baggage is misplaced.

Users will also receive text alerts with real-time radar maps to inform them how severe weather in one part of the country can impact flights in another area.

Tesla promoted for over a year that “more affordable” vehicles were forthcoming, and they finally launched last October, with basic versions of the Model Y and Model 3 starting at $39,990 and $36,990, respectively. However, initial sales data reveals these new models have not significantly influenced Tesla’s overall sales performance.

On Thursday, Tesla reported it delivered 358,023 electric vehicles worldwide during the first quarter, falling short of the analyst predictions of approximately 368,000. The production was significantly higher than sales, with total output reaching 408,386 units.

This indicates Tesla delivered roughly 6% more vehicles in this year’s first quarter compared to Q1 2025, which marked the company’s weakest quarter in years. The Q1 2025 statistics were also impacted by production lines being halted for several weeks to update equipment, suggesting that Q1 2026 numbers may not represent real progress.

These sales statistics are notable for a company that had previously assured a 50% annual growth in EV sales. The disappointing first quarter positions Tesla at risk of experiencing overall sales declines for the third consecutive year, coinciding with falling profits.

Tesla is not alone in facing challenges to boost EV sales, especially within the U.S. Established automakers have retreated from — and in some cases, completely abandoned — ambitious plans for new EV launches. New entrants have faced difficulties as well. Rivian revealed Thursday morning that it delivered just over 10,000 vehicles in the first quarter, roughly the same figure it appears to report every quarter.

Rivian does have a new model on the horizon, as it is poised to begin shipping its more affordable R2 SUV, which is expected to enhance sales. The company is counting on the R2’s success right from the start, even though the least expensive variant won’t be available until late 2027.

Tesla doesn’t have a new mass-market vehicle on the brink of release. The company had been developing a lower-priced EV anticipated to be around $25,000. However, CEO Elon Musk scrapped that project to focus entirely on the “CyberCab.” Instead of the $25,000 model, Musk directed Tesla to create the pared-back Model Y and Model 3.

The only genuinely new model Tesla has introduced in the past few years is the Cybertruck. While it outsells most other all-electric trucks, it has fallen short of Tesla’s — and Musk’s — expectations for the armored EV. In the first quarter of this year, Tesla managed to sell only 16,130 “other models,” which includes the Cybertruck and the discontinued Model S and Model X.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced on Thursday that it will supply high-temperature superconducting magnets to Realta Fusion, marking the second in a series of agreements indicating that the company plans to heavily rely on its magnet technology in the upcoming years to generate essential revenue.

“This is the largest transaction of its kind to date for CFS,” Rick Needham, the chief commercial officer of the company, informed reporters during a call. 

Commonwealth Fusion Systems, abbreviated as CFS, has previously provided magnets for the WHAM experiment at the University of Wisconsin, where fusion startup Realta has a close collaboration. The underlying physics of WHAM supports Realta’s method for fusion energy, recognized as a magnetic mirror reactor. 

In a magnetic mirror, plasma is confined in a configuration that resembles two 2-liter soda bottles joined at the base. At each end, strong magnets push the plasma back toward the center. Milder magnets encircle the central part of the bottle shape. 

To enhance reactor power, Khosla-backed Realta would only need to enlarge the central section, and since those magnets are less potent, they are more economical. Costs per kilowatt-hour are expected to decrease as Realta’s reactors grow in scale.

CFS is also working on another type of magnetic confinement fusion known as a tokamak. In a tokamak, D-shaped magnets generate strong fields to maintain plasma in a doughnut-like configuration. Over the years, the firm has improved its magnets in the quest to generate electricity from Arc, its forthcoming commercial-scale reactor planned for Virginia.

The existence of both CFS and Realta is rooted in the magnets themselves. CFS was established in 2018 when MIT scientists discovered that a new category of commercially available high-temperature superconductors could form the basis for a feasible tokamak design. Realta was launched a few years later when physicists at the University of Wisconsin “recognized that there was a new technology, a game changer that would allow us to return to the [magnetic] mirror and take advantage of the engineering benefits that the concept offers,” said co-founder and CEO Kieran Furlong.

Along with the Realta and WHAM agreements, CFS has also granted a license for its high-temperature superconducting magnet technology to Type One Fusion, which is developing a third reactor design type referred to as a stellarator. Although this agreement does not entail CFS constructing actual magnets for the company, it could potentially lead to that in the future, Christine Dunn, CFS’ head of external communications, informed TechCrunch.

These agreements will aid CFS in recouping its investment in magnet manufacturing. The startup dedicated seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars to establish a factory capable of producing high-temperature superconducting magnets tailored to fusion-power specifications. Thus far, this investment has been directed toward building Sparc, the company’s demonstration reactor, which is not expected to activate until later this year.

“With Sparc now 70% finished, it was the perfect time to begin supporting Realta with our magnet production,” Needham stated.

Given that Realta and Type One are pursuing distinct reactor designs, CFS does not currently view them as direct competitors. In the marketplace, Realta and CFS are even further apart, with the former initially concentrating on industrial applications requiring substantial amounts of heat.

To date, CFS has secured nearly $3 billion — a significant portion of all venture capital raised by fusion startups. This positions the company advantageously, granting it the resources to construct essential facilities such as its magnet factory ahead of its rivals. The startup promotes these deals as a service to the broader fusion sector, providing access to technologies that would cost millions to recreate. This is certainly valid, but it also enables access to even more venture funding, albeit indirectly.

Update 1:45 pm ET: CFS’s manufacturing facility produces HTS magnets, not tape, and it will remain operational, creating additional magnets for Sparc. The article also inaccurately identified Rick Needham’s position as COO; he is CCO.

Startups frequently proclaim their commitment to diversity but tend to be sluggish in establishing hiring practices that embody this value. For a growth-stage company, it is often easier to recruit from established Silicon Valley networks, yet if a founder aims for a varied team, that principle must be enacted from the very first hire. 

Leah Solivan, who founded Taskrabbit and is the founder and managing director of Precedent.VC, engaged in a conversation with Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode about their approach to hiring while at the helm of Taskrabbit. As the company transitioned from being self-funded through Solivan’s personal credit to one of the leading platforms of the gig economy, the leadership team consciously pursued diverse talent for every position.

Diversity is not a mere coincidence. Solivan and their team embedded it into all facets of their recruitment and hiring practices. “If you initiate this from the outset, it simplifies the process because the culture developed, the team assembled, and the network established as a corporation are inherently more diverse, creating a self-sustaining system. Waiting until you’ve scaled and reached the end stage is too late,” stated Solivan.

Every startup has a talent network with the founder at its nucleus, which logically means the network will mirror the founder’s community. Thus, a more diversified tech sector largely starts with who invests in these founders. As an early-stage investor, Solivan has witnessed the financial dynamics from both ends of the spectrum. 

“Tracing the money through the ecosystem reveals it originates from limited partners, who determine the recipients of funding—venture capitalists. Subsequently, the venture capitalists select the founders they choose to invest in,“ explained Solivan. “While the funds are available, they are managed by individuals with varying biases.”

Nonetheless, neither a founder nor their venture capital backers need to be underrepresented to deliberately hire from a diverse talent pool. Solivan advocates for aiming to review two female candidates’ résumés for every male résumé, broadening the range of networks tapped into, and promoting individuals from diverse backgrounds into leadership positions.

“You’re inviting someone to leap off a cliff — let’s create a safety net for them to land in,” remarked Solivan.

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We seek early-stage companies with an MVP. Nominate a founder (or yourself). Be sure to mention you learned about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast. Apply here.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Join us again for TechCrunch Disrupt from October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, featuring the Startup Battlefield 200. If you want to support them or connect with thousands of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, be sure to get your tickets.  

New episodes of Build Mode are released every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams. 

Newsletter service Beehiiv has announced the launch of its native podcast hosting feature, as reported exclusively by TechCrunch. This development allows creators to host, distribute, and monetize their podcasts directly within the Beehiiv platform. Users will have the ability to publish episodes, share them with their audience, and monitor their analytics all in one place.

“Entering the podcasting space was a natural progression,” commented Tyler Denk, co-founder and CEO of Beehiiv, in an email to TechCrunch. “At a fundamental level, newsletters and podcasts have significant overlap. Both formats generally consist of episodic, long-form content delivered to a dedicated audience and monetized through sponsorship. Our future direction is greatly influenced by our users. They’ve expressed a strong desire to centralize their tools within Beehiiv, with podcasting being asked for repeatedly by users of all types.”

Denk indicates that Beehiiv currently has numerous users who host their podcasts on other platforms, making it logical to bring the service in-house. This initiative further illustrates Beehiiv’s commitment to transforming its platform into a comprehensive hub for creators, competing directly with Patreon and Substack, both of which have endorsed podcasts for a long time. The expansion into podcasting builds on the company’s recent rollout of a toolkit focused on creators, encompassing website creation, analytics, and more.

By stepping into the podcasting arena, Beehiiv seeks to draw creators to its platform, especially as its competitors adopt similar approaches. Substack has actively engaged with video and podcast creators, while Patreon has sought to attract newsletter authors with much-anticipated feature enhancements.

Semafor previously reported on Beehiiv’s efforts to enter the podcasting domain.

One strategy Beehiiv is utilizing to encourage creators to transition from competitors like Substack and Patreon is by not taking a cut from their earnings. Denk states that creators retain 100% of their income, with the company not claiming any share. In contrast, Substack takes a 10% cut from revenue generated by paid podcast subscriptions, while Patreon takes 8%. 

Creators have the ability to bundle their podcasts with existing subscriptions and offer a private feed to paying subscribers. They can provide a premium experience featuring exclusive episodes, early access, and additional benefits. Denk points out that many existing Beehiiv users charge for a paid newsletter and can now include a podcast in that subscription. Creators also have the option to offer their podcasts for free.

Beehiiv intends to broaden its advertising network beyond newsletters to also dynamically serve advertisements within podcasts. The company is in the process of hiring a head of Podcasts to oversee this initiative, according to Denk’s statements to TechCrunch.

Among the podcasts launching on Beehiiv are Genshe with Avni Barman, 505 podcast featuring Brayden Figueroa and Kostas Garcia, The Rebooting Show with Brian Morrissey, Sweat Equity by Alex Garcia and Brian Blum, The Most Important Question from Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Lunch with Jamie by Jamie Patricof, and several others. 

Denk anticipates significant adoption from current users in the upcoming weeks and months, highlighting that several additional notable podcasts have pledged to debut on the platform shortly.

In addition to catering to individuals on Beehiiv who already possess newsletters and podcasts, Denk states that the new feature could also attract podcasters looking to start a newsletter.

“We are convinced that a newsletter should serve as a fundamental piece of infrastructure for any podcast,” Denk said. “It’s essential for audience ownership, expanding distribution, and generating more opportunities for advertisers. Podcasters aiming to initiate a newsletter will discover a natural fit here. Growth remains one of the largest hurdles in podcasting. Newsletters bolster podcast downloads, while podcasts enhance newsletter subscriptions. The two processes support one another, and at present, creators are managing that across disparate tools. We’re addressing that.”

Creators can directly upload their podcasts to Beehiiv, and the platform will subsequently distribute them to major podcast channels such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, and more. The platform accepts MP3, M4A, and WAV files and features automatic audio normalization to ensure consistent audio quality. Each episode comes with a complete transcript, enhancing search and LLM discoverability. 

Each episode of the podcast receives its own SEO-optimized web page, noted Denk. Instead of directing listeners to Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, Beehiiv allows them to remain on the platform where they can opt to listen directly or select their preferred player. 

Beehiiv’s podcast analytics adhere to IAB standards and provide comprehensive breakdowns by country, listening application, device, and operating system. Creators also receive insights into downloads at the episode level and access real-time data. 

Founded in 2021, Beehiiv last secured $33 million in a Series B round in April 2024, with Lightspeed Venture Partners and NEA among the investors. Denk recently mentioned that Q1 2026 marked Beehiiv’s most successful quarter to date, as the company added $4.5 million in ARR, sent over 10 billion emails, and surpassed 50,000 active users.

Updated to reflect previous reporting on Beehiiv’s podcasting initiatives.

Cash App, the peer-to-peer financial technology application owned by Jack Dorsey’s Block, has introduced a new “pay-over-time” deferred payment option enabling qualifying users to spread their everyday transfers over an extended timeframe.

More companies are increasingly providing deferred payment options for standard and routine purchases. Approximately a year ago, DoorDash collaborated with Klarna—enabling users to “micro-finance” their meal orders (the collaboration notably led to a wave of online humor about “burrito debt” and late capitalism). Cash App’s latest feature clearly capitalizes on this trend—broadening convenient financing into the P2P payment sector.

To benefit from this new feature, users incur a 7.5% fee—indicating that if you borrow $100 from Cash App, your repayment to the company will total $107.50. The company states transfers of $25 or more qualify, with repayments possible in weekly installments over up to six weeks or as a lump sum on the due date.

There are also loan thresholds in the new system, which are variable—implying they will differ among various users. “The precise amount eligible for conversion depends on the initial transaction amount and customer assessment,” a representative stated. “We assess each transaction for eligibility according to our responsible lending standards rather than establishing conventional credit thresholds,” they further noted.

In a discussion, Block’s Executive Officer and Head of Business, Owen Jennings, positioned the new feature as a method to enhance value for Cash App users through “cash flow management.” Jennings pointed out that numerous Americans today have different types of jobs—many of which pay with less regularity than those available in earlier decades. The aim of Cash App’s new feature is to provide financial adaptability to these circumstances, Jennings explained.

“We’re observing a growing number of individuals—especially younger ones—who are solo-preneurs, entrepreneurs… [and] gig workers. They engage in side hustles, juggling multiple positions, [and] thus possess fluctuating income sources,” Jennings stated. “This significantly contrasts with the situation 40 or 50 years ago—where the average income earner in the U.S. was typically receiving a regular W2 income biweekly.”

“Buy now, pay later” solutions have surged in popularity in recent years while also provoking major criticism and concern. Some critics argue that such services are constructed to ensnare consumers in continual debt cycles, whereas others imply that Americans’ need to finance basic household goods signifies a broader economic crisis. Firms offering these services have similarly encountered legal issues. Just this week, Klarna faced a class-action lawsuit alleging it engaged in “predatory” practices, according to Bloomberg.

Jennings mentioned that Cash App’s new feature includes robust built-in safeguards designed to keep users from falling into financial difficulties, such as being caught in what he termed “debt spirals.” “All of our lending products are designed to be non-revolving,” he remarked. “If you fail to repay a loan, you will not be able to obtain another loan.”

The service also leverages existing financial flexibility features that Cash App already provides, Jennings noted. In previous years, the app launched Borrow, which similarly to a conventional bank, enables users to secure a small loan from the app and repay it over a period of four to six weeks.

Another offering is Afterpay for Cash App Card (its debit program), which permits users to postpone payments for transactions made using the card.

The decentralized finance firm Drift has announced the suspension of both withdrawals and deposits following the confirmation of a security breach. 

In a statement on X, the cryptocurrency platform indicated that it was “undergoing an active attack” and was taking steps to “mitigate the situation.”

According to security analysts and public blockchain data, the potential losses may be considerable. Blockchain security company CertiK stated on X that attackers might have pilfered approximately $136 million, whereas crypto analytics firm Arkham estimated the stolen amount to be around $285 million.

If verified, this incident would mark the Drift breach as the most substantial cryptocurrency theft of the year, based on the Rekt leaderboard, which monitors crypto thefts by magnitude.

The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown, and a representative from Drift has not yet replied to a request for comment.

Security experts report that North Korea was responsible for the highest number of cryptocurrency thefts last year, amassing at least $2 billion in stolen cryptocurrency, funds that the regime is thought to utilize to fund its nuclear weapons program and evade international sanctions that limit its access to the global financial system.

Anthropic inadvertently led to the removal of thousands of code repositories on GitHub while attempting to retrieve copies of the source code for its most popular product from the internet.

On Tuesday, a software developer found that Anthropic had, apparently by mistake, granted access to the source code for the leading Claude Code command line application in a recent version. AI fans examined the leaked code for insights on how Anthropic utilizes the LLM underpinning the application, disseminating it on GitHub.

Anthropic submitted a takedown request under U.S. digital copyright law, urging GitHub to remove repositories containing the problematic code. GitHub’s records indicated the notice was executed against approximately 8,100 repositories — including legitimate forks of Anthropic’s publicly available Claude Code repository, as expressed by frustrated social media users whose code was affected.

Boris Cherny, Anthropic’s head of Claude Code, stated that the action was unintentional and retracted most of the takedown requests, restricting it to a single repository and 96 forks containing the mistakenly released source code.

“The repository mentioned in the notice was part of a fork network tied to our own public Claude Code repository, so the takedown impacted more repositories than planned,” an Anthropic representative informed TechCrunch. “We have retracted the notice for all but the one repository we specified, and GitHub has reinstated access to the affected forks.”

This mismanaged clean-up reflects poorly on the company as it reportedly prepares for an IPO, a process that usually requires a focus on execution and compliance. Leaking your source code as a publicly traded company? You can bet a shareholder lawsuit is on the horizon.

This week, the situation surrounding compliance startup Delve has deteriorated significantly. New accusations from an anonymous informant known as DeepDelver include a claim that Delve supposedly utilized an open source tool and misrepresented it as their own creation without appropriate licensing attribution or financial agreement with the original creator.

According to the narrative, the Delve team proposed a no-code tool named Pathways to a potential client, who would later unveil themselves as the whistleblower DeepDelver. DeepDelver noted that Pathways resembled Sim.ai’s open source agent construction product, SimStudio, and inquired whether Pathways was based on SimStudio. The Delve representatives allegedly stated that they developed it independently, as claimed by the whistleblower.

DeepDelver subsequently provided purported evidence that this tool was, in fact, a fork — a modified version — of SimStudio, altered just enough to be claimed as Delve’s proprietary work. If validated, this would breach the Apache software license, necessitating credit to the original developer.

DeepDelver describes this as “theft of intellectual property,” which might be an overstatement, given that open source tools can be utilized freely, provided they are properly credited. Yet, the irony is significant: Delve, a company that claims to offer a compliance solution, might have infringed upon a software license.

Emir Karabeg, founder and CEO of Sim.ai, confirmed to TechCrunch that he addressed DeepDelver’s inquiries regarding the claims. He informed the whistleblower that Delve had no licensing agreement in place with Sim.ai.

“We were aware they intended to use Sim for something and later attempted unsuccessfully to sell them an agreement,” Karabeg relayed to DeepDelver. “I didn’t know they were going to market it independently as a stand-alone product.”

Compounding the awkwardness: Sim.ai was actually a customer of Delve, as Karabeg disclosed to TechCrunch. Both startups were graduates of the Y Combinator accelerator, and alumni often purchase each other’s services. Therefore, while Sim.ai compensated Delve, the reverse was not true.

Karabeg had previously shown empathy for Delve after the whistleblower made the initial explosive claim last week. DeepDelver had claimed that Delve was fabricating customer data and employing rubber-stamping auditors, allegations that Delve has refuted.

Since becoming aware of the Sim.ai allegations, Karabeg has not received further communication from Delve’s founders. “I was supporting my friends at Delve after the first article was published last week, but since I learned about this situation, we haven’t spoken,” he shared with TechCrunch.

The purported methods of Delve allegedly occurred before its Series A funding round, which was led by Insight Partners, claims the whistleblower. We have reached out to Insight Partners inquiring about this, as well as the respected VC firm’s due diligence processes.

It has come to our attention that Insight Partners’ 2025 blog entry detailing their rationale for a $32 million investment in Delve was temporarily unavailable on the firm’s website. The LinkedIn announcement regarding the investment has not yet been restored.

References to the Pathways tool on Delve’s website, along with several other pages, seem to have been removed. Delve did not reply to a request for comment, and the contact address for media inquiries listed on its website is no longer operational.

The allegations suggesting that Delve may have breached an open source license belonging to a customer and, evidently, a friend have sparked significant outrage on X, making it a trending topic complete with a critical community note.