From first users to billions: Google’s Robby Stein joins TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Getting people to try your first product is one challenge. Changing a product that billions of people already rely on is another. The ambition is still to move fast, test ideas, and build something better. But when every update carries consequences at a global scale, the instincts that helped you get started may need an update of their own.

That tension is at the center of the Builders Stage session “ From MVP to Billions of Users: How Product Decisions Must Change at Scale ,” a fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 . Led by Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search, this session explores how product teams balance speed with trust, and innovation with reliability, when their decisions affect billions of users.

Disrupt returns to Moscone West in San Francisco, October 13-15, bringing together 10,000+ startups, investors, and tech decision-makers. Hear how product decision-making evolves as the stakes get higher — register for your ticket now to save up to $200 before prices increase on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT . Save up to 30% more if you grab group passes for four or more.

When your product outgrows your original playbook

How do you keep experimenting when users expect your product to work every time? How do you introduce something new without undermining what people already value? And which early-stage instincts should you hold on to as your company grows?

Robby Stein ’s session tackles the shift from building a first minimum viable product to making decisions inside one of the world’s largest product organizations. The conversation focuses on what changes when moving, while maintaining trust and delivering a reliable experience.

For founders, the value isn’t in copying Google’s processes. It’s in examining the decisions behind them: where speed creates an advantage, where greater care becomes essential, and how to recognize when the way you build needs to evolve alongside the product.

Learn these valuable insights from Stein, and 250+ other speakers across 200+ sessions , by registering for your pass. Register now to save up to $200 before prices increase on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

A product leader who has built on both sides of the scale divide

Stein’s experience isn’t limited to working inside a technology giant. He co-founded and led Stamped, a social recommendations startup acquired by Yahoo, and later spent five years leading consumer products at Instagram. There, he helped build and scale the products and teams behind Stories, Feed, Direct Messaging, and Reels. Before returning to Google in 2024, he was head of product at Artifact, an AI-powered newsfeed.

That career brings both the founder’s perspective and the experience of developing widely used consumer products to the conversation. For anyone working through the transition from an early product to a growing platform, it’s an opportunity to hear from someone whose work has spanned both environments.

Register now to save up to $200 on your pass before prices rise on September 25 and lean in on this session at Disrupt in October.

AI makes the challenge even more immediate

Today, Stein works on generative AI products and experiences within Google Search. That places him at the intersection of introducing new technology and evolving how people find information.

The scale is substantial. In May, Google reported that AI Mode had surpassed 1 billion monthly users, a year after its debut. Earlier this year, Stein also outlined updates that let people move from an AI Overview into a follow-up conversation in AI Mode, describing a search experience designed to accommodate both quick answers and deeper exploration.

That work provides a timely backdrop to the session’s central question: How do you keep pushing a product forward without losing the qualities that make people depend on it? For founders introducing AI into their own products, it’s a useful way to think beyond what the technology can do and consider how people will actually experience it.

Register now to hear from one of the leaders making waves in the tech market, whose company has more than 1 billion users. Save up to $200 on your pass before September 25.

Learn how to build for the users you haven’t reached yet, only at Disrupt 2026

You don’t need a billion users for these questions to matter. Whether you’re refining your first product, expanding a growing platform, or rethinking an established experience, the next stage of growth is a reason to examine the decisions that got you this far.

Join the conversation at Disrupt , then keep it going with founders, investors, and operators across six industry stages, roundtables, breakouts , the Expo Hall, Startup Battlefield, and countless networking opportunities.

Your product is evolving. Make sure your approach to building it evolves, too. Secure your pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 before September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT to save up to $200. Save 30% more for groups of four or more.

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Last day to book an exhibit table is September 18. Don’t miss out on high-impact leads, investor access, and a brand spotlight in Disrupt’s Expo Hall.

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