TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Lineup: Amazon, Replit, Tether and More Will Take the Stage in October
The three-day San Francisco conference runs October 13 to 15 and brings together some of the biggest names in AI, crypto and hardware. Tickets are up to $300 cheaper if you move before the pricing window closes.
Key points
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13 to 15 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, with more than 10,000 attendees expected.
- Confirmed main-stage speakers include Amazon's Panos Panay, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and all five Benchmark partners.
- Early-bird tickets save buyers up to $300, and that window closes in a few weeks.
- Sessions cover AI in the workplace, public-safety cameras, crypto payments and brain-computer interfaces.
Disrupt 2026 is betting heavily on artificial intelligence as the thread running through every conversation at Moscone Center this October.
Who is actually speaking, and about what?
The confirmed main-stage lineup touches industries that AI is reshaping at different speeds. Here is what's currently scheduled.
| Speaker | Company | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Panos Panay | Amazon (Devices & Services) | What comes after the smartphone |
| All five partners | Benchmark (venture capital firm) | Where the next wave of startups is coming from |
| Amjad Masad | Replit (coding platform) | What happens when anyone can build software |
| Paolo Ardoino | Tether (stablecoin issuer) | Crypto payments and regulation |
| Garrett Langley | Flock Safety (AI camera network) | Privacy trade-offs in public safety |
| Winston Weinberg | Harvey AI (legal AI tool) | AI doing knowledge work in law firms and large companies |
| Andrew Feldman | Cerebras (AI chip maker) | Whether AI hardware can keep scaling |
| RJ Scaringe | Rivian (electric vehicle maker) | Building a company that spans AI, software and manufacturing |
| Max Hodak | Science Corp | Brain-computer interfaces and new ways to interact with machines |
Some topics are comfortable. Others aren't. Tether, the company behind the world's most widely used stablecoin (a digital currency pegged to the dollar), processes hundreds of billions of dollars in transactions but remains one of the most scrutinised companies in finance. Flock Safety sells AI-powered cameras to police departments and neighbourhoods; our 30 July story found that critics say those cameras may also be creating physical hazards for drivers, so Garrett Langley's session carries real baggage into the room.
What's on offer beyond the main stage?
Four additional stages run across the three days. The AI Stage digs into security gaps AI is opening for software businesses. Smart Money covers digital payments and financial trust. Smart Systems takes on the energy demands AI places on electricity grids. The Builders Stage gives founders practical guidance on raising capital and hiring. A fifth stage hasn't been announced yet.
Ticket holders also get access to Startup Battlefield, the conference's pitch competition, and the exhibition floor.
Should you go, and is it worth the cost?
It depends on what you do for a living. Run a business, work in software or oversee a team whose job AI might change, and the speaker list is genuinely relevant rather than decorative. The sessions on workplace AI and hardware constraints are the kind of thing that shapes hiring and budgeting decisions right now.
Honest caveat: a conference is a curated highlight reel. Speakers rarely say anything controversial on stage, and the real value tends to come from corridor conversations that no ticket price can guarantee.
Early-bird pricing saves up to $300, and the window closes in a few weeks.
One doable takeaway: Check the session list against your actual job. If two or more topics directly affect your work or income, it's probably worth buying before the price goes up.
