At TechCrunch Disrupt, our team sits front and center, furiously typing away at our laptops to publish real-time news from impressive speakers like NFL quarterback-turned-founder Colin Kaepernick, Perplexity AI founder Aravind Srinivas, and Ashton Kutcher. We are a well-oiled machine. Some writers have been covering Disrupt since the old days, before Meta was Meta, and the show “Silicon Valley” hadn’t given us the free marketing of a lifetime (thank you, HBO). And yet, this year, even the longest-tenured TechCrunch editors were a bit distracted by the stunning jewelry gracing the stage. So, for those of you who were more focused on the actual substance of these conversations with influential tech players, fret not. Behold: our shimmering roundup of the best bling at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Google, if you’re listening, I have a pitch for the next Google Lens commercial. So, imagine, a group of TechCrunch writers are watching their editor-in-chief host a thoughtful, informative conversation with Matt Mullenweg, the WordPress founder who’s been in the news for his battles with WP Engine. But almost as interesting as Mullenweg’s comments on stage is his watch, a $240,000 fashion statement. The watch’s sapphire detail alone takes over 185 hours to make, according to the website of designer Maximilian Büsser. How did we figure out exactly what bling Mullenweg was wearing? That’s right, Google. We used Circle to Search.
Why is this watch, which is inspired by the design of the KittyHawk aircraft, so expensive? The designer’s website states: “Every component and form has a technical purpose; nothing is superfluous and every line and curve is in poetic harmony. Articulated lugs ensure supreme comfort. Highly legible time is a fringe benefit.”
Yes, it’s ridiculous to buy a bracelet for the cost of a house. But hey, we all spend impulsively sometimes — for example, I spent an extra $2 at the grocery store this weekend to buy pre-sliced mangoes. This is definitely the same kind of frivolity.
What’s fascinating about Mary Barra’s bling is its utility. She’s got one diamond ring on each hand, yet beneath the sleeve of her high-end houndstooth blazer (is this the one?), we see an Apple Watch peeking out. Barra’s choice of jewelry displays the duality of the role of the modern CEO: you need to act polished and elegant on the exterior, but when no one’s watching, you still need to be efficient and reliable. And, like my own Apple Watch SE and its disappointing battery life, you can’t survive unless you recharge your batteries each night.
Slack CEO Denise Dresser gets some style points: her rings aren’t just bling for the sake of bling, like a massive wedding ring that could rival Mullenweg’s aircraft watch in price. Dresser’s bling has a bit of spunk. One ring is a large gold square, which seems like it might have a maroon-ish band, or it could be the reflection of light. We may never know. The other ring… I want to say it looks like an octopus signet, but I can’t tell.
Nest founder Tony Fadell’s interview at Disrupt was explosive — he took shots at Sam Altman, but also, we couldn’t look away from his large ruby ring. Unfortunately, Google Lens is coming up empty here, even though our source image is pretty clear. This ring could be a $8,400 designer ring — it could also be $10 costume jewelry from Amazon. The truth is probably somewhere closer to the middle.
Erin Foster was already well-known for her various pursuits with her sister Sara, including a hit podcast, clothing line, and venture firm. She and her sister were even co-heads of creative at Bumble. But now, Erin Foster has reached a new level of fame: she’s the creator of the Netflix show “Nobody Wants This,” which has remained on the top of the Netflix charts since its premiere in September.
What does Foster’s TV writing success have to do with her bling? That’s not just a ring: it’s a wedding ring. The central romance of “Nobody Wants This” — a sex podcaster and a rabbi — was inspired in part by her own experience falling in love with a Jewish man and navigating their cultural differences. If there’s a wedding on “Nobody Wants This,” we can only hope that Kristen Bell’s character’s ring is as spectacular.
Jingna Zhang isn’t just the founder of a social platform, Cara. She’s an artist. And as an artist, she knows a thing or two about style — after all, her photographs have appeared in global fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. At Disrupt, she goes for a look that highlights her jewelry: all black, head to toe, save for a big shiny jewel on her left hand.
Brandie Nonnecke may be an academic, but her bling is on point — it’s giving tenure. Her gold, crinkle-effect earrings could be from anywhere — the style is quite popular, ranging from cheap Shein dupes, to mid-range gold-plated studs, to more expensive looks from a designer that I wish I hadn’t just discovered, because now I wish I had a spare $400 to buy these earrings.
Nonnecke studies and teaches AI policy, and if you’re reading this, Brandie, I have good news: Google Lens has no idea where your ring is from, and with the exception of Mullenweg’s watch and Barra’s jacket, it has proven very unhelpful at writing this post. Maybe our robot overlords aren’t closing in on us as quickly as we imagined.
