Reeves, Johnson, Koelliker to Probe AI Startup Hiring at Disrupt 2026 Before $200 Discount Ends
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 17
Reeves, Johnson, Koelliker to Probe AI Startup Hiring at Disrupt 2026 Before $200 Discount Ends
2 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 17
Summary
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a Builders Stage session, “Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder,” with Josh Reeves, Michelle Johnson and John Koelliker on how startups should divide work between people and AI agents.
AI agents are increasingly taking on engineering, customer support, research and operations work, pushing founders to ask not just whom to hire next, but whether a person is needed at all.
The discussion will focus on trade-offs around speed, accountability and culture, including who owns decisions, who checks AI output and which responsibilities are too important to delegate.
The panel brings three angles to that shift: Gusto’s view across 500,000 companies, Insight Partners’ startup scaling experience, and Leland’s focus on talent in an AI-shaped labor market.
The session is part of Disrupt 2026 at Moscone West in San Francisco on October 13–15, where 10,000-plus attendees are expected; passes are discounted by up to $200 through September 25.