TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, set for October 13–15 in San Francisco, will feature a session titled “The Open vs. Closed AI Debate Is Just Getting Started” on the Builders Stage. The session will be led by Nader Khalil, Director of Developer Tech at Nvidia, and Sydney Sykes, Global Head of VC Partnerships at Nvidia. They will explore the trade-offs between using open-source AI models, which are freely available for anyone to use and modify, and proprietary models, which are developed and owned by specific companies. The discussion will examine whether either approach offers a long-term competitive advantage in the fast-evolving AI landscape. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, has previously argued that the future of AI is not about choosing between open and closed models, but rather about leveraging both. This view underscores the complexity of making strategic decisions about AI models in business. The session will address key questions, such as whether cost savings or greater control over data is more critical, and how tightly a product should be tied to a specific model when the best options can change rapidly. Nader Khalil brings an infrastructure perspective to the discussion, drawing from his background as a co-founder of Brev.dev, an AI infrastructure startup acquired by Nvidia in July 2024. Brev.dev specialized in making GPU computing resources more accessible across various environments. Sydney Sykes contributes a venture capital viewpoint, reflecting Nvidia’s growing influence in the startup ecosystem through its partnerships and investments. Nvidia has been actively expanding its open-source ecosystem, including the recent launch of Nemotron 3 Super, a large open-source AI model with 120 billion parameters designed for complex, autonomous tasks. Many companies are already blending open and proprietary models, suggesting a trend toward hybrid strategies rather than choosing one model type over the other. The session will be of particular interest to startup founders, investors, business leaders, and developers, as the choice of AI models can significantly impact financial margins, fundraising opportunities, product development, and infrastructure planning. TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place in San Francisco, with early registration discounts available until September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.