Your startup’s next teammate might be an AI agent: Gusto, Insight Partners, and Leland explain what that changes at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

The first few hires at a startup can define the company. But increasingly, not every new capability requires a new employee.

AI agents are beginning to take on engineering, customer support, research, and operational work that would previously have been assigned to early team members. For founders, that creates a new question before they even open a job requisition: What should people own, and what should be delegated to AI?

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 , Josh Reeves, CEO and co-founder of Gusto; Michelle Johnson, senior vice president at Insight Partners; and John Koelliker, CEO and co-founder of Leland, come together on the Builders Stage for an insightful session called “Hiring When AI Is a Co-Founder.”

This session will explore how early-stage companies are building teams where humans and AI agents work alongside each other — and how founders can do that without sacrificing speed, accountability, or culture.