We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s San Francisco gathering a success — and to the 10,000 attendees who filled the venue, forged new relationships, and left with more than they arrived with. Couldn’t attend? The photos below give you a peek at what you missed.
See you next year.
Vinod Khosla told the audience he rejects the idea that AI will undermine climate progress. He believes geothermal energy is almost ready for prime time, while fusion is still further away. He also discussed his support for President Donald Trump’s deregulation stance and his opposition on immigration: “The only thing I’ll say is this administration won’t be around forever,” he said with a smile.
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
That’s Roelof Botha on stage, with a packed audience eager for his insights. The Sequoia partner explained how the firm identifies promising startups, discussed the implications of government stakes in new companies, and cautioned founders not to try to time the market, advising them to fundraise now if they’ll need capital in six months. Bubbles don’t last forever.
Kevin Damoa from Glīd Technologies, this year’s Battlefield champion, stands with Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannessen. She and TC’s Michael Schick spend months working with dozens of startups to get them ready for this moment. That hug is well deserved..
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
Roy Lee, founder of Cluely — the app famous for its “cheat at everything” motto — energized the crowd with his colorful, no-holds-barred advice on marketing. “People are getting wilder every day, so to stand out, you need to go even further.” (On the left: Maxwell Zeff, holding his own.)
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
Former Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson doesn’t seem to miss the NBA. He’s now building his own business empire and raising tough questions about the league. When asked if players could exploit Basketball Fun — a web3 platform that turns NBA players into tradable tokens — he replied, “It’s the same thing we ask about referees. Aren’t they gaming the system?” When moderator Rebecca Bellan asked if he meant NBA referees take bribes, Thompson simply shrugged. “It’s just something to consider,” he said.
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
Our own Sean O’Kane shares a laugh with Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve. Kendall’s U.K.-based autonomous driving startup — which develops “brains for cars” — is reportedly in talks to secure $2 billion in new funding from SoftBank and Microsoft, valuing the company at $8 billion.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of the AI-driven shopping assistant Phia, wowed the Disrupt crowd with their passion for making quality secondhand fashion more accessible. Gates, daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates, joked when moderator Amanda Silberling asked what her famous parents have learned from her: “Hopefully style! I don’t even think I’m that fashionable; I just love building for consumers, but now my family randomly emails me, ‘Should I wear this to this?’”
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana joined TechCrunch’s Kirsten Korosec to discuss autonomous vehicles, including whether the public will accept fatalities caused by self-driving cars. “I believe society will,” Mawakana said. “The real challenge is ensuring the safety standards are high enough that companies are held accountable.”
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Kevin Rose discussed Digg’s relaunch and the future of venture capital (he’s also a general partner at True Ventures). I’m smiling because that’s what you do when someone dodges questions about a buzzworthy wearable startup still in stealth. (Stay tuned for more on Sandbar.)
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf takes a break between questions about advancing AI, including LeRobot — Hugging Face’s initiative to make robotics more accessible through affordable hardware, open-source tools, and shared datasets.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
Finals judges Marlon Nichols of MaC VC and Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures during the intense last round of Startup Battlefield. Somewhere off-camera, a founder is nervously presenting their pitch deck.
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Box’s Aaron Levie in conversation with TC’s Russell Brandom. Levie has been a regular on the Disrupt stage throughout TC’s two decades at the heart of the startup world, and he never disappoints.
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone spoke about the platform’s evolution from simple binge-watching to interactive content, like voting on live shows and mobile gaming: “It hasn’t changed the way we tell stories,” she assured the captivated audience.
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
TC’s Dominic-Madori Davis discussed community building with Tade Oyerinde of Campus, who’s reimagining community college, and Teddy Solomon of Fizz, the anonymous social app gaining traction — and sometimes bans — on college campuses, which some see as a mark of success.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
A whiteboard full of requests: developers wanted, contacts shared, deals in the works. We love seeing founders embrace tried-and-true methods. (Some classics never go out of style!)
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
David George, who leads growth investing at Andreessen Horowitz, joined Julie Bort to discuss what startups should consider as they approach the public markets. It also happened to be his birthday, and the crowd paused to celebrate with him.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
Here’s San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie sharing details of his conversation with President Trump about why he opposed sending the National Guard to the city — an idea suggested by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. “What I told him is what I tell everyone: This city is on the rise,” Lurie said. “Three days of Disrupt here should prove that.” When asked if he made any deals with Trump, he was clear: “No, absolutely not. No ask.”
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
People from all over the globe came to learn how to build their startups. Our Builders Stage was packed from morning to night, every day.
Post-event joy from TC’s Jessica Barrera, who managed ticketing for 10,000 participants. She’s always saving the day for us.
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography
To see even more photos from the event, check out our Flickr gallery.
You can also watch our complete video recaps: here are Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.
