TechCrunch Daily: September 18, 2025
Welcome back to TechCrunch Daily! Meta unveiled new smart glasses with a display and wristband last night at Meta Connect, and it seems that Mark Zuckerberg is on a mission to kill the smartphone. Is that because the Facebook phone was a flop?
Also today: Google is bringing Gemini to Chrome for users in the U.S., and sales tax compliance startup Numeral lands a whopping $35 million.
Check out our other TechCrunch newsletters here.
Mark Zuckerberg has begun his quest to kill the smartphone
"The promise of glasses is to preserve this sense of presence that you have with other people," Mark Zuckerberg said. Read more
Google brings Gemini in Chrome to US users, unveils agentic browsing capabilities, and more
Google says the AI assistant will be able to complete tedious tasks for users, like booking a haircut or ordering weekly groceries. Read more
Numeral raises $35M to automate sales tax with AI
The two-year-old sales tax startup Numeral is now valued at $350 million. Read more
Designer Smart Glasses (Shades) would work with the female gender. Meta. I dread Mark Zuckerberg having Super AI. That will be threat to mankind.
Developing Innovative, Sustainable and Climate Resilient Prefabricated Housing Solutions. Founder of the Future of Housing initiative & events.
2dYea right ... Zuckerberg is going to kill off smartphones like we'll all going to live in the Metaverse.
Product Design - Creative Director at Westpac Group
2dThe race to ‘kill the smartphone’ raises a deeper question: what replaces it, and on whose terms? Glasses could free our hands, but they also risk moving the digital hijack from our pockets to our faces. If the next platform is built on constant capture without visibility or sovereignty, we’re not killing the smartphone — we’re just evolving surveillance. The real breakthrough will be designing for trust, transparency, and focus, not just display.
🚀 SEO Strategist for Authority Brands | Founder @ SEO26MASTER | Editor @ Illumination (Medium) | High-DA Guest Posts & Backlinks | Build SEO Visibility with Trusted Content ✍️📈
2dZuckerberg’s bet on presence through glasses is interesting. Smartphones pulled us into screens, but glasses could bring tech back into the background while keeping us connected.
TRY IoT-EFR TODAY ON YOUR CLOUD. 20% energy/60% bandwidth savings? SIGN HERE! CEO DataMolecular, Technology to change the world.
2dI will kill the smartphone. Conscious interfacing. #DataMolecular