Google product lead Robby Stein to headline TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

The session, titled “From MVP to Billions of Users: How Product Decisions Must Change at Scale,” focuses on the friction between rapid innovation and maintaining user trust. Stein brings a unique perspective to this challenge, having moved between the startup ecosystem—as a co-founder of Stamped and head of product at Artifact—and the high-stakes environments of Instagram and Google. His tenure at Instagram involved scaling core features like Stories and Reels, providing a blueprint for managing products that define daily digital habits.

At Google, Stein currently oversees generative AI initiatives within Search, including the AI Overviews that have already reached over 1 billion monthly users. The discussion will move beyond internal Google processes to help founders identify which early-stage instincts are worth preserving and which must be abandoned to accommodate growth. Attendees at the Moscone West event in San Francisco, scheduled for October 13-15, will gain insight into balancing experimental AI integration with the rigid stability required by a global audience.