The Disrupt Stage has hosted major figures like Zuckerberg, Benioff, Musk, Kalanick, Mayer, and Dorsey over the last decade. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 continues this tradition by focusing on the practicalities of building, funding, and scaling in the age of AI.
From October 13 to 15 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, founders, investors, and technologists will hear directly from leaders in software, infrastructure, finance, security, and computing.
Speakers include Panos Panay from Amazon, Amjad Masad from Replit, Paolo Ardoino from Tether, Garrett Langley from Flock Safety, the Benchmark partnership, and others. The conversations aim to address current questions without prediction. The focus is on solutions.
Discounted ticket prices are ending soon. You can save up to $300 on several ticket types before the window closes in a few weeks.
Current Disrupt Stage lineup
What Comes After the Smartphone?
The smartphone has defined digital life for nearly two decades. AI is changing how people interact with technology, suggesting the next generation of products will look and behave differently.
With Panos Panay, SVP, Devices and Services, Amazon.
What We Believe Now
All five Benchmark partners will debate together for the first time on the Disrupt Stage in San Francisco. The discussion covers where the next generation of startups will come from, what founders are getting wrong, and opportunities still visible but ignored.
With Benchmark partners.
Everyone Can Build Software Now. What Happens Next?
AI allows millions of people to create software for the first time. Replit sits at the center of this shift. The conversation explores the future of programming, entrepreneurship, and the outcome when anyone can turn an idea into a product.
With Amjad Masad, Founder and CEO, Replit.
The Company Behind the World’s Most Controversial Currency
Tether processes hundreds of billions of dollars in transactions and remains one of the most debated companies in finance. The session covers stablecoins, regulation, global payments, and whether crypto is finally going mainstream.
With Paolo Ardoino, CEO, Tether.
AI, Surveillance, and the Future of Public Safety
As AI moves from the cloud into the real world, Flock Safety sits at the center of the debate. The conversation addresses privacy, security, and the trade-offs that emerge when AI becomes part of everyday infrastructure.
With Garrett Langley, Founder and CEO, Flock Safety.
Building the AI Workforce
AI is changing how knowledge work gets done in law firms and Fortune 500 companies. Harvey has emerged as one of the breakout enterprise AI companies of the last two years. The discussion covers what enterprises actually want from AI and what happens when software starts doing work once reserved for highly trained experts.
With Winston Weinberg, Co-founder and CEO, Harvey AI.
Can AI Keep Scaling?
The AI boom has created unprecedented demand for compute, energy, and infrastructure. Cerebras challenges conventional assumptions about how AI systems should be built and what happens if today’s hardware hits its limits.
With Andrew Feldman, Founder and CEO, Cerebras.
Beyond Screens
Humans have adapted to computers for decades. Max Hodak believes the next era of technology will adapt to us, from brain-computer interfaces to entirely new ways of interacting with machines.
With Max Hodak, Founder and CEO, Science Corp.
Building the Impossible
RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian, joins the stage to discuss what it takes to build an enduring company at the intersection of AI, software, robotics, manufacturing, and transportation.
With RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian.
This list covers only the Disrupt Stage. Over the full three days, access includes other stages:
- AI Stage: Explores security gaps and business model shifts AI is forcing on every SaaS company.
- Smart Money Stage: Covers stablecoins, instant payments, and AI’s role in financial trust.
- Smart Systems Stage: Addresses fusion breakthroughs and grid strain powering AI’s next decade.
- Builders Stage: Where founders and investors discuss raising, hiring, and scaling.
- One more stage yet to be revealed.
Your pass also unlocks access to the Startup Battlefield, networking with movers and shakers, and the exhibition floor alongside more than 10,000 startup, tech, and VC leaders.
It is a three-day event in the heart of the startup community designed to prepare attendees for the next year of innovation.
