An AI demo can look brilliant in five minutes. Then customers start using the product. They push it into workflows you didn’t anticipate, expect it to work reliably, and quickly find out whether it solves a big enough problem to stick – or becomes another AI experiment they tried and abandoned.
At Disrupt 2026, three speakers will dig into what happens after an AI launch: Cat de Jong, Head of Applied AI at Anthropic; Grant Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Gamma; and Kareem Amin, Co-Founder and CEO of Clay. The session focuses on where deployments succeed, where they stall, and what separates organizations extracting real value from those still running pilots 18 months later.
Cat de Jong, Head of Applied AI at Anthropic, has a front-row seat to the deployment of Claude, Anthropic’s AI. She will share her observations on what distinguishes successful AI implementations from those that remain in the pilot phase after 18 months. De Jong’s experience highlights the patterns that emerge when AI transitions from testing to critical business workflows, providing insights into why some organizations thrive while others stall.
Grant Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Gamma, offers a different perspective on developing AI products that genuinely meet customer needs. Gamma has evolved from being an alternative to traditional presentation software into a comprehensive visual communication tool. Recently, the company was approaching 100 million users as it expanded its AI capabilities beyond presentations to include marketing assets and other visual content. This growth gives Lee unique insights into what keeps users engaged and how to turn unexpected usage patterns into valuable product enhancements.
Kareem Amin, Co-Founder and CEO of Clay, adds another layer to the conversation by discussing how companies can integrate AI into their customer outreach strategies. Clay’s infrastructure enables businesses to streamline data, manage workflows, and launch go-to-market strategies effectively. In January, TechCrunch reported that Clay was one of the launch apps integrated into Claude, highlighting the close relationship between their technologies and how they enhance customer interactions.
These three perspectives will converge at Disrupt 2026, where they will tackle critical questions: What makes an AI product useful enough for customers to keep returning? How does AI fit into existing workflows? And what happens once customers start relying on these technologies? Their discussions will reflect real-world examples and measurable benefits of AI deployments.
In fact, early indications show that Clay has achieved a threefold improvement in enrichment coverage thanks to its integration with Anthropic’s tools. Meanwhile, Gamma has reported a 30% increase in user satisfaction and a 20% rise in free-to-paid conversion rates since adopting Claude. These metrics illustrate that the real value of AI now hinges on embedding it within workflows and tailoring deployments to specific tasks.
Join them at Disrupt, October 13–15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, where 10,000+ founders, investors, operators, and tech leaders gather for 200+ sessions across six industry stages, roundtables, and breakouts featuring 250+ speakers, plus 300+ exhibiting startups, matchmaking, and networking.
!TechCrunch Disrupt Expo Hall**Image Credits:**Eric Slomonson, The Photo Group
