# Strategic Tech Moves: Pixel, Mastodon, SeatGeek

**Podcast:** TechCrunch Daily Crunch
**Published:** 2026-02-19

## Transcript

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SeatGeek and Spotify are teaming up to offer concert ticket sales inside the music platform.
I'm Emron Shake, and your daily crunch for Thursday, featuring three big tech headlines starts right now.
On Wednesday, Google introduced its latest entry-level pixel smartphone.
The $499 Pixel 10A launches with new AI software capabilities and minor hardware updates.
Now, the smartphone is available for pre-order now with shipments starting March 5th.
It comes in lavender, berry, fog, and obsidian.
The Pixel 10A features a completely flat back, which means the camera bar blends with the back of the phone and lies flat when you place it down on a surface.
Thank goodness.
Google notes that the smartphone's 6.3-inch Actua display is 11% brighter than the Pixel 9A.
It also has faster charging than its predecessor, with more than 30 hours of battery life and up to 120 hours with the extreme battery saver setting turned on.
After debuting a set of AI powered camera features on the Pixel 10 series last summer, Google's now bringing them to the A Series phone.
The auto best take feature captures multiple frames and one shutter press and automatically selects the best version so everyone looks good in a group photo, while the camera coach feature gives users step-by-step guidance on lighting and composition.
Additionally, Google's bringing satellite SOS to the A series for the first time, allowing users to connect with emergency services even when they don't have Wi-Fi or cellular service.
As with recent Pixel phones, the Pixel 10A will come with seven years of software and security updates.
Google also announced that it's launching Pixel Buds 2A in two new colors, Berry and Fog, to go with the Pixel 10A.
Mastodon, a decentralized open source social media platform and alternative to larger apps like X and Threads, announced on Wednesday its plans to make its app more approachable for newcomers while also targeting creators with the launch of new features.
Now, the changes follow the expansion of Mastodon's core development team over the past 18 months to include people with experience across web and mobile and backend, as well as the hiring of a dedicated designer, according to a new blog post co-authored by Mastodon's technical director, Renault Chapoo, and product designer Imani Joy.
The post outlines the app's future direction here.
The app, which is part of the Fetiverse, a larger decentralized social web operating on the Activity Pub protocol, was thrust back into the spotlight when Elon Musk acquired Twitter, now called X, in October 2022.
Since then, it's seen occasional growth spurts, but has often struggled to retain new users due to its more complicated setup.
You see, on Mastodon, you don't simply create an account with a username and password, you also gotta pick a server to join, an additional step that often confuses those new to decentralization.
Well, today, Mastodon sees somewhere between 750,000 and 1 million monthly active users, depending on the source.
One third-party tracker puts the figure closer to 750,000, while another estimates as many as 1 million.
Mastodon's own site says the figure is around 785,000.
Also on Wednesday, SeatGeek announced a new integration with Spotify, bringing a seamless ticket buying experience for Spotify users.
Now, when Spotify users browse an artist's page or upcoming tour dates, they'll see ticket links powered by SeatGeek for concerts at these participating venues, allowing for a streamlined purchase process.
Currently, the integration is available for a select group of venues where SeatGeek serves as the primary ticket seller.
Specifically, it covers SeatGeek's 15 major U.S.
venue partners, including State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and ATT Stadium in Arlington.
So, although SeatGeek is a major player in the secondary ticketing space, this integration is exclusive to venues where it operates as the primary ticketing platform.
Now, this is a strategic win for SeatGeek.
You see, with direct placement in the Spotify app, SeatGeek is positioned to reach millions of active music fans as they discover upcoming events, increasing the chances of converting listeners into ticket buyers.
Although SeatGeek has made significant strides in the space, it continues to face competition from heavyweights, like Ticketmaster and AXS.
These rivals command a greater share of the ticketing market, bolstered by long term contracts with many top venues and event organizers.
Notably, this latest partnership follows Spotify's announcement that it has helped artists generate over one billion dollars in ticket sales by linking fans with live events through its ticketing partners.
We'll see you here tomorrow.
Same tech time, same crunch channel.
And until then, find us at TechRunch.com.
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