Google’s Robby Stein Joins TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to Reveal How to Scale From First Users to Billions

TL;DR

• Google VP of Product Robby Stein will take the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to share how to scale products from first users to billions.
• Founders will get tactical takeaways on AI product building, finding product-market fit, and leading teams through hypergrowth, drawn from Stein's work on Google Search, Instagram, and Yahoo.
• TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 in San Francisco at Moscone West, with tickets up to $200 off if purchased before the September 25 deadline.

A Must-See Builders Stage Session For Founders

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 has added a major product leader to its lineup. Robby Stein, Vice President of Product at Google, will join the Builders Stage for a session focused on one of the hardest challenges in startups: scaling products from first users to billions.

The session is positioned as a must-see for founders, product managers, and early startup teams who want to go beyond launch and build products that endure. Stein will break down what it actually takes to grow, adapt, and lead when a product moves from scrappy early traction to global scale.

From First Users to Billions: What The Session Will Cover

Stein's talk will focus on the full arc of scaling. Expect key takeaways for founders on how to find early signal and turn it into product-market fit, how to make product decisions when data is scarce, and how to evolve roadmaps, infrastructure, and user trust as audiences grow from thousands to millions to billions.

A central theme will be building with AI. As AI reshapes search, social, and productivity, Stein will share how founders should think about integrating AI into core products without losing simplicity, speed, or user value.

Who Is Robby Stein? Lessons From Google, Instagram and Yahoo

Stein brings a rare resume spanning three eras of consumer tech. At Google, he serves as VP of Product for Google Search, leading product efforts around Search, AI Overviews, and AI Mode, helping reinvent one of the world's most-used products for the AI era.

Before Google, Stein was VP of Product at Instagram, where he led consumer product teams working on Feed, Stories, Messaging, and creator tools during a period of massive global growth. Earlier in his career, he held product leadership roles at Yahoo, working on core consumer and media products and learning how to operate at internet scale.

That background gives him a front-row view on scaling consumer products, managing platform shifts from mobile to AI, and leading large product organizations through rapid change.

Why Builders Should Pay Attention

The Builders Stage at Disrupt is built specifically for operators. Unlike big-picture keynotes, sessions here are tactical, focused on how to build, hire, ship, and scale.

Stein's session fits that mission perfectly. Founders can expect practical product leadership insights, including how to prioritize when everything feels important, how to balance experimentation with execution, and how to build teams that can ship fast while maintaining quality at scale.

For early-stage startups competing with incumbents and AI-native newcomers alike, his perspective on staying user-obsessed while scaling quickly could be one of the most valuable takeaways of the event.

Event Details: TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13-15 in San Francisco at Moscone West. The event brings together more than 10,000 founders, investors, operators, and tech leaders for three days of programming across multiple stages, including the Builders Stage, Disrupt Stage, and AI Stage, plus Startup Battlefield 200, networking, and hands-on workshops.

Stein joins a growing roster of speakers from leading AI labs, venture firms, and high-growth startups announced for this year's Disrupt.

How To Save Up To $200 On Tickets Before September 25

Founders and builders planning to attend can save significantly by acting early. Attendees can save up to $200 on Disrupt 2026 passes when they register before the September 25 deadline.

After that date, ticket prices increase ahead of the October event. Organizers encourage early registration to secure the discount and guarantee access to high-demand sessions like Stein's Builders Stage talk, which are expected to draw large crowds.

AndroGuider Team

Articles written by the AndroGuider team. We try to make them thorough and informational while being easy to read.