Your startup’s next teammate might be an AI agent: Gusto, Insight Partners, and Leland explain what that changes at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — SkimNews
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- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a Builders Stage session titled "Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder" featuring Gusto's Josh Reeves, Insight Partners' Michelle Johnson, and Leland's John Koelliker.
- Josh Reeves leads Gusto, which supports more than 500,000 companies across payroll, benefits, compliance, onboarding, HR, and retirement.
- Michelle Johnson previously helped scale Flock Safety from less than $1 million to $90 million in ARR as an early sales and revenue operations leader before joining Insight Partners.
- John Koelliker leads Leland, a career and talent platform for the AI era, and previously held product and growth roles at LinkedIn, Curated, and Uber.
- AI agents increasingly handle engineering, customer support, research, and operational work once assigned to early hires, and the panel will tackle which responsibilities remain too high-stakes to delegate to machines.
- Moscone West in San Francisco hosts Disrupt 2026 from October 13–15, with $200 registration savings available until September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT and up to 30% group discounts.
Why it matters: For the 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech decision-makers expected at Disrupt 2026, the session reframes hiring by putting AI agents on the org chart from day one rather than treating them as add-ons. Gusto alone serves 500,000+ companies, giving Reeves a real-time view into how small businesses are making this call now.
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