Anthropic and OpenAI Headline AI's Business Impact at TechCrunch Disrupt

TechCrunch Disrupt is bringing the biggest names in AI to San Francisco this October, with Anthropic and OpenAI taking the spotlight on its AI Stage. The event, running October 13-15 at the Moscone Center, is designed for people who use or run businesses — not just programmers. This year's talks focus on a simple question: now that AI is everywhere, how does it actually change the way companies work?

You don't need a technical background to care. One session shows how AI has created an entirely new job called "GTM engineer" — a role that didn't exist two years ago and now lets some independent consultants build million-dollar businesses. Another tackles the uncomfortable truth that AI agents (software that acts on its own) were never built to be secure. As AI starts making decisions inside hospitals, banks, and government systems, old security methods simply aren't enough — and fixing that means rebuilding cybersecurity from scratch.

There's also a frank look at pricing. With so many AI tools available, companies can't just charge whatever they want. Expect real conversations about why the classic software subscription model is breaking down and what might replace it. Anthropic's head of applied AI will share which enterprise projects actually succeed after deployment — and why some stall for 18 months or more.

If you're not attending, the takeaways still matter. AI is about to affect how companies hire, how your data is protected, and how much you pay for everyday software. These three days give you a preview of what your own workplace might look like much sooner than you think.