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.
- Speakers confirmed for the main stage 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 compared to the standard price, and that window closes in a few weeks.
- Sessions will cover AI in the workplace, public-safety cameras, crypto payments, brain-computer interfaces and whether AI hardware can keep up with demand.
The conference is one of the technology industry's longest-running annual gatherings, and the 2026 edition, first outlined by TechCrunch AI, is betting heavily on artificial intelligence as the thread running through every conversation.
Who is actually speaking, and about what?
The confirmed main-stage lineup covers a wide range of industries, all touched by AI in different ways. Here is what is 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 |
The topics range from comfortable to genuinely contested. Tether, the company behind the world's most widely used stablecoin (a type of 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, which sells AI-powered cameras to police departments and neighbourhoods, sits at the centre of a live debate about surveillance and civil liberties.
What is actually on offer beyond the main stage?
Four additional stages run across the three days. The AI Stage looks at security gaps AI is opening up for software businesses. The Smart Money Stage covers digital payments and financial trust. The Smart Systems Stage takes on the energy demands AI is placing on electricity grids. The Builders Stage is focused on practical advice for founders on raising money, hiring and growing a company. A fifth stage has not yet been announced.
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?
That depends on what you do for a living. If you run a business, work in finance, write software or manage a team whose job AI might change, the speaker list is genuinely relevant rather than decorative. The sessions on AI in the workplace and AI hardware constraints are the kind of thing that affects hiring and budgeting decisions at real companies right now.
The honest caveat: a conference is a curated highlight reel. Speakers rarely say anything controversial on stage. The real value tends to come from the conversations in between sessions, which is harder to promise in a ticket price.
Early-bird pricing saves up to $300. The window closes in a few weeks.
One doable takeaway: Look at the session list against your actual job. If two or more topics directly affect your work or income, the ticket is probably worth considering before the price goes up.
