TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 brings founders, technology leaders and investors to Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13 to 15. Its Disrupt Stage is set to host conversations on AI, hardware, public safety, social media and the future of technology businesses, alongside the live Startup Battlefield competition.
Leaders take on AI, hardware and public safety
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is scheduled to discuss the work of turning an ambitious idea into a company that designs, manufactures and scales complex physical products. Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman will address whether AI can continue scaling as models require more compute, energy and capital, and what might disrupt that trajectory.
Other sessions examine technology’s relationship with people and public life. Science Corporation founder Max Hodak will look at technology interacting directly with the human body. Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley will join a discussion about AI, surveillance and the future of public safety.
Ricursive Intelligence co-founders Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini will explore AI systems that could design the hardware they run on. The subject points to a potential convergence of software and silicon, a theme that connects AI capabilities to the physical infrastructure behind them.
Investors and product builders look ahead
All five partners of Benchmark are due to appear together: Jack Altman, Peter Fenton, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle and Eric Vishria. The session will offer the venture firm’s view of what may come next in Silicon Valley.
Amazon’s Panos Panay will ask what follows the smartphone, and the source says he will bring new technology with him. Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang are set to consider whether social media can start over. Replit CEO Amjad Masad will discuss how AI could change software creation and the work of the people who build software.
Mark Wahlberg, described as a Hollywood star, entrepreneur and investor, will appear with Keebeck’s Bruce K. Lee. Their conversation will focus on Wahlberg’s move toward becoming a serious investor, drawing on decades of influence, relationships and business-building.
Startup Battlefield puts founders in the spotlight
Across Disrupt, founders will compete live in areas including space and physical AI, energy and manufacturing, health tech and life sciences, and enterprise and security. They will face questions from leading investors as they compete for a place in the Startup Battlefield final.
Before the 2026 finalists take the stage, Cellino co-founder and CEO Nabiha Saklayen will return. She won Startup Battlefield in 2021 and is set to unveil a new product while asking, “Can you bank your biology?”
Three other alumni will discuss what comes after presenting a pitch: Molecule.one’s Piotr Byrski, Nephrogen’s Demetri Maxim and Glīd’s Kevin Damoa. The planned conversation covers successful bets, changed plans and lessons they wish they had known when they were in the finalists’ position.
The 2026 finalists will then compete on the Disrupt Stage. One company will become the next Startup Battlefield winner and receive $100,000 in equity-free funding along with the Disrupt cup.
A broad program around the main stage
The event is presented as a place to hear from leaders of established companies and meet people building new ones. TechCrunch says Disrupt 2026 will bring together 10,000+ founders, VCs, operators and tech enthusiasts from around the globe.
The program includes 200+ sessions led by 250+ tech leaders across six industry stages, as well as roundtables and breakouts. Organizers also describe 300+ exhibiting startups, with attendees able to see and try their latest products.
Together, the main-stage discussions and the founder competition frame the event around both the forces shaping technology and the companies hoping to influence what comes next. The lineup ranges from AI’s computing demands to social platforms, biological technology and investment, while Startup Battlefield gives early-stage founders a live forum to present their work.