For AI founders, the biggest competitive threat may no longer be another startup. It could be the platform you’re building on. The same questions arise with every major release from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. “What happens if the functionality we built last year suddenly becomes part of the platform?”
This is a question about reshaping product strategy, funding, and company valuations across the AI ecosystem. Not so long ago, founders worried about competition from other startups. Now, they are competing with foundational model companies that introduce entirely new features every few months.
This changes nearly every strategic decision, from what products to build and where to differentiate to how to raise capital and create lasting value. The conversation starts with “Can I make it?” “Can I still own it?”
This is the question at the heart of the Builders Stage session, “What happens when OpenAI ships its roadmap,” featuring TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 leaders Michel Tricot (Airbyte), Rob Toews (Radical Ventures), and Linda Tong (Webflow), to be held October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Disrupt is a leading startup event that brings together more than 10,000 founders, investors, and executives for more than 250 sessions to explore market forces that are reshaping how startups are built, funded, and scaled.
See how founders are responding to AI’s biggest competitive shift. Save up to $200 and secure your pass to Disrupt before the price increases on September 25th.
When a product becomes a feature
One of the biggest strategic risks facing AI startups today is not losing out to other founders. It’s about realizing that your competitive advantage is someone else’s product update.
That is the reality this session was designed to confront. As underlying models rapidly evolve, capabilities that once differentiated AI startups may soon become critical factors. Increasingly, founders are competing not only with other startups, but also with platforms that power the AI ecosystem itself.
Here, the founders examine why the next generation of AI winners won’t be defined by the smartest models. They are defined by unique data, deeply embedded workflows, customer relationships, domain expertise, trust, and more—all things that cannot be easily replaced by models.
The reality that founders increasingly need to be prepared for is, “Can we build something that customers will still find valuable after the next model is released?”
This session explores where the defenses still lie, how founders can respond as AI giants move into adjacent markets, and what separates companies that become a feature from those that remain a business.
Learn how founders are building the next model release and beyond. Sign up for Disrupt today and save up to $200.
All three perspectives on AI’s biggest strategic questions are placed on the builder stage
To shed light on this challenge, Builders Stage sessions bring together founders, operators, and investors to offer different perspectives on creating defensible AI companies.
How do you create lasting value as the technology underlying your products continues to change?
Michel Tricot has spent his career building data integration infrastructures that power analytics, operations, and AI. As CEO and co-founder of Airbyte, he grew the open source platform to more than 7,000 customers (including 18% of Fortune 500 companies) and provided first-hand insight into where durable businesses are built beyond the foundational model.
How will software companies maintain differentiation as AI reshapes customer expectations?
As CEO of Webflow, Linda Tong leads one of the industry’s top visual development platforms through one of the biggest technology transformations in SaaS. Her experience scaling Webflow and leading teams at Google, Cisco, and the NFL gives founders practical insight to evolve their products without losing competitive advantage.
What convinces investors that AI companies will still be relevant in three years?
At Radical Ventures, partner Rob Toews evaluates AI startups daily to identify areas where competitive advantage still exists and where the product is at risk of becoming functional.
Together, they bring unique perspectives to one defining question facing AI startups today. It’s about what the platform can build that it simply can’t ship.
Secure your Disrupt pass and hear how founders are building their companies, beyond just AI capabilities.
Learn how to build persistent AI defenses with Disrupt
The basic model will continue to be improved. That much is unavoidable. As OpenAI and Anthropic continue to expand their capabilities, the founders must decide how to continue to differentiate.
Tomorrow’s AI leaders will be defined by everything that cannot be easily replaced by models. In short, customers continue to choose us because of the workflows we enable, the data we own, the problems we solve, and the trust we earn.
That’s the strategic change this session is designed to explore. Rather than reacting every time a new model is released, founders will hear about where the defenses still exist, what buyers of enterprises and startups continue to value, and how to build companies that remain relevant as AI evolves.
If you’re building an AI company, the question isn’t whether the underlying model will continue to evolve. What matters is whether your company continues to create value as it has in the past. The biggest risk is not building a weak product. It’s about building a powerful product that ultimately becomes a feature for others. Don’t miss this interactive session on the Builders stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
Secure your pass to Disrupt to hear how founders, operators, and investors are redefining AI defensibility and save up to $200 through September 25th.
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