Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01965-1 De Belly et al. show Rac induces membrane-tension-mediated mTORC2 activation to stimulate long-range Rho activation. Meanwhile, Rho-mediated contractility and blebbing at the opposite side of the cell may lead to PI3K-dependent Rac activation.