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The founder’s guide to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Everything you need to know

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  TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is built around one question: How do you build an enduring company in the AI era? Our programming and speaker lineup reflect that, based on the feedback we’ve gotten from the community and the reality on the ground. Last year at Disrupt, we spoke with founders about their experiences and discovered the results of their attendance firsthand. One founder saw a 3x oversubscription rate after their confirmation for Startup Battlefield and more than 100 investor inbounds helping fuel conversations about a future fundraising round. Another founder had nearly 30 back-to-back conversations with investors who flocked to them after a pitch onstage and followed them to their booth . That’s not the exception at Disrupt — that’s the point. And those opportunities aren’t just available for Battlefield finalists. Every conversation in the Expo Hall or in a Side Event can create an opportunity for your startup. For years, whether it’s been held in New York, San Franci...
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The AI race won’t wait, and neither will this TechCrunch Disrupt 25% discount

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  Every founder building in AI right now is asking the same question: Are we moving fast enough, and effectively enough? TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 puts you in the same room as the people wrestling with that existential question at the highest levels.  From October 13-15 in San Francisco, leaders from OpenAI, Nvidia, Anthropic, Microsoft, and more will share their insights as thousands of startup community members network. For a limited time, get 25% off your pass with code DISRUPT25 at checkout . Prices go up as the event gets closer, so this is the moment to lock in your registration.  Why TechCrunch Disrupt is essential for AI innovators  The AI race isn’t slowing down, but the founders often winning it aren’t the loudest — they’re the ones building something that holds up past the initial ideas and demos. Disrupt is where you find those breakthroughs before everyone else does, and where you figure out what building sustainably actually looks like when the underlyin...
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One year later, Tesla and Musk still don’t have a good definition of ‘abundance’

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  On September 1, 2025, Elon Musk laid out his fourth “ Master Plan ” for Tesla, which was immediately criticized by some of his most ardent fans for being generic . Musk agreed and promised to add more specifics. They never came. But that hasn’t stopped Musk and other Tesla executives from spending much of the past year promising that the company’s many futuristic efforts — robotaxis, robots, AI — are all part of a grander machine that will create an era of “amazing abundance.” What that means, more than a year later, is still tricky to pin down. The topline promises of the plan have remained big and bawdy even as its tagline has changed from sustainable abundance — a clearer connection to the company’s former mission — to the “amazing abundance” slogan, which Musk chose because it was “more joyful.” Musk has talked about a far-flung future where robots and AI do surgery and increase access to medical care. He has said the proliferation of AI and robotics means that “everyone can...
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Robotaxi operators will face fines for blocking first responders

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  Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox will have to provide first responders with local, on-the-ground support when their robotaxis cause problems under a new California law. The companies could also face penalties if a robotaxi blocks police or firefighters for more than 30 minutes. Senate Bill 1246, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, sets a series of new rules for AVs designed to improve safety and response times when they become disabled or interfere with emergency responders. The law also creates ways to hold these companies accountable if they don’t. The law follows a string of high-profile incidents in California in which robotaxis broke down and disrupted traffic, drove into crime scenes, or impeded first responders. The bulk of those incidents involved Waymo, the largest robotaxi operator in the U.S. , which has about 4,000 autonomous vehicles in its commercial fleet across the country. About 1,200 of those are in the San Fr...
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