From first users to billions: Google’s Robby Stein joins TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a Builders Stage fireside chat focused on how product decision-making needs to evolve as user bases grow from early adopters to billions. The session, led by Robby Stein — who runs product for Google Search — will explore the tension between moving quickly to test ideas and the increased caution required when product updates have global reach. Stein brings experience from both startup and large-platform environments: he co-founded Stamped, worked on consumer products at Instagram including Stories and Reels, led product at Artifact, and returned to Google in 2024. The conversation will use that background to contrast the instincts that serve early-stage teams with the governance, reliability, and trust considerations that surface at massive scale. The talk is especially timely given Google Search’s recent push into generative AI experiences. Google reported in May that its AI Mode exceeded one billion monthly users a year after launch, and Stein has described product updates that let people move from an AI Overview into follow-up conversations. Those developments frame the session’s practical questions about introducing new technology without disrupting core user expectations. Disrupt returns to Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13-15 and will gather startups, investors, and tech leaders across more than 200 sessions and 250+ speakers. Attendees can register for passes now; TechCrunch notes an early-bird saving of up to $200 if purchased before prices rise on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT, with an additional group discount for teams of four or more.