TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 reveals Smart Systems Stage agenda
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- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will run the Smart Systems Stage October 13-15 at San Francisco's Moscone Center, framing AI's power demand as "a critical bottleneck" for the next decade of innovation.
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems CSO Brandon Sorbom and Helion CEO David Kirtley headline a "Bringing Fusion to the Grid" panel on breakthroughs and the path to scaling fusion power commercially.
- Jeff Lawson, founder of Twilio and CEO of fusion startup Inertia, will discuss how scaling Twilio shaped his approach to talent, timelines, and the engineering questions facing his new fusion venture.
- Heron Power founder/CEO Drew Baglino and WeaveGrid CEO Apoorv Bhargava are confirmed for a "Rewiring the Grid for the Electric Age" panel on modernizing aging infrastructure, with additional speakers to be announced.
- Bloom Energy SVP Bill Thayer and Ambrosia Energy President Sara Spangelo will join the "AI's Power Problem" panel on data center operators and energy companies racing to secure electricity before compute demand overwhelms supply.
Why it matters: The conference's own framing — that AI's power demand is now outstripping the grid built to support it — signals that energy infrastructure has become a top-tier concern for founders and investors, not a utilities-only issue. Twilio's founder now running a fusion startup underscores how seriously capital is treating the power constraint.
