The Zoom hack that says, ‘Don’t record me’

In Brief Posted: 2:20 PM PDT · July 17, 2026 Image Credits:Ysr Dora (opens in a new window) / Getty Images Connie Loizos The Zoom hack that says, ‘Don’t record me’ VC Jeremy Levine has a wry solution to something that routinely annoys him, according to a new Wall Street Journal article on the rise of AI transcription apps. On Zoom, he is no longer “Jeremy Levine” but instead “Jeremy Levine I do not consent to transcribing or recording.” It may sound petty or brilliant, depending on your point of view, but what’s clear is that always-on recording is becoming ubiquitous, thanks to a growing crop of AI note-taking apps and devices, many of which we’ve covered here at TechCrunch (we’ve even ranked some).

VC Eric Bahn tells the outlet he now automatically assumes his meetings with founders will be recorded, even before he sees a phone slide across a conference table. One founder tells the WSJ she records most of her first dates with the Granola app, then feeds the transcript to Claude afterward to see if she could be more “engaging or empathetic,” while also assessing who did most of the talking. Levine calls the whole trend “socially unacceptable behavior” that can completely kill spontaneous conversations.

Others in the piece note it’s a legal minefield. But there’s another wrinkle: if every meeting, watercooler conversation, and romantic outing gets transcribed and summarized, who’s actually reading any of it? At what point does this audio landfill of every conversation stop being useful and just become another recording no one has time to play back?

Topics AI, Security, TC, zoom November 4 Boston Last chance to save up to $190 on TechCrunch Founder Summit. Join 1,000+ founders and VCs at all stages for real-world scaling insights and connections that move the needle.Savings end June 26, 11:59 p.

m. PT. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.

TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.

No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. Related Robotics Agility Robotics plants its flag in Tesla’s backyard Tim Fernholz 1 hour ago Hardware AI-driven memory crunch jolts India’s smartphone market Jagmeet Singh 1 hour ago Apps Apple and Google ordered to purge ‘nudify’ apps from App Stores Lucas Ropek 2 hours ago Latest in AI In Brief The Zoom hack that says, ‘Don’t record me’ Connie Loizos 9 minutes ago Robotics Agility Robotics plants its flag in Tesla’s backyard Tim Fernholz 1 hour ago Hardware AI-driven memory crunch jolts India’s smartphone market Jagmeet Singh 1 hour ago In Brief Posted: 2:20 PM PDT · July 17, 2026 Posted: 2:20 PM PDT · July 17, 2026 VC Jeremy Levine has a wry solution to something that routinely annoys him, according to a new Wall Street Journal article on the rise of AI transcription apps.

On Zoom, he is no longer “Jeremy Levine” but instead “Jeremy Levine I do not consent to transcribing or recording.” It may sound petty or brilliant, depending on your point of view, but what’s clear is that always-on recording is becoming ubiquitous, thanks to a growing crop of AI note-taking apps and devices, many of which we’ve covered here at TechCrunch (we’ve even ranked some). VC Eric Bahn tells the outlet he now automatically assumes his meetings with founders will be recorded, even before he sees a phone slide across a conference table.

One founder tells the WSJ she records most of her first dates with the Granola app, then feeds the transcript to Claude afterward to see if she could be more “engaging or empathetic,” while also assessing who did most of the talking. Levine calls the whole trend “socially unacceptable behavior” that can completely kill spontaneous conversations. Others in the piece note it’s a legal minefield.

But there’s another wrinkle: if every meeting, watercooler conversation, and romantic outing gets transcribed and summarized, who’s actually reading any of it? At what point does this audio landfill of every conversation stop being useful and just become another recording no one has time to play back? November 4 Boston Last chance to save up to $190 on TechCrunch Founder Summit.

Join 1,000+ founders and VCs at all stages for real-world scaling insights and connections that move the needle.Savings end June 26, 11:59 p.m.

PT. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.

Robotics Agility Robotics plants its flag in Tesla’s backyard Tim Fernholz 1 hour ago Hardware AI-driven memory crunch jolts India’s smartphone market Jagmeet Sin