Disrupt 2026 panel to explore how AI agents are reshaping startup hiring
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, leaders from Gusto, Insight Partners, and Leland will discuss how AI agents are taking on tasks once given to early hires, and which responsibilities founders should keep for people. The event runs October 13-15 in San Francisco.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a Builders Stage session titled "Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder," bringing together Gusto CEO and co-founder Josh Reeves, Insight Partners senior vice president Michelle Johnson, and Leland CEO and co-founder John Koelliker.
The discussion centers on how early-stage companies are rethinking their first hires now that engineering work, customer support, research, and operational tasks can increasingly be handled by AI agents rather than new employees. The panelists plan to address how founders can decide what to delegate to AI without losing speed, accountability, or company culture.
Three perspectives on one question
Reeves brings insight from Gusto's work supporting more than 500,000 companies with payroll, benefits, and HR services. Johnson draws on her experience at Insight Partners advising growth-stage companies, as well as her earlier role helping scale Flock Safety from under $1 million to $90 million in annual recurring revenue. Koelliker offers a talent-market view, having worked in product and growth roles at LinkedIn, Curated, and Uber before co-founding Leland.
The session will also examine which responsibilities — decision-making, accountability for failures, understanding customers, and shaping team culture — should remain with people even as AI agents take on more capable roles.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, expecting more than 10,000 founders, investors, and industry professionals.
