Disrupt All The Disruption

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There’s a sign at the back entrance to the TechCrunch San Francisco office that reads, “I’m not delusional, I’m an entrepreneur.” That sign has kept me (relatively) sane for almost three years now, as TechCrunch expanded and contracted and expanded and took me along with it.

The cartoon on the sign was drawn by artist Hugh MacLeod, who’s been illustrating the TechCrunch summer party poster for more than half a decade.

The “delusional” sign was the poster of 2010. I remember hanging 2009’s summer poster, “TechCrunch Dream Big 2009,” very prominently in my cubicle as the Web Editor at the SF Weekly. My big dream was to work for TechCrunch. We all know how that worked out.

Despite the cloying sincerity of some of these cartoons, the cheesiness that the startup ecosystem sometimes spews and that godawful theme song (TECH. CRUNCH. DISRUPT. TECH. CRUNCH. DISRUPT. TECH. CRUNCH. DISRUPT. goes its monstrous heartbeat), I love the Disrupt conference, over the three years and all six of the times I’ve attended. Next week’s Disrupt NYC will be my 7th time attending, my third as co-editor. You have three days left to buy tickets.

Last year, Gaping Void did all of the illustrations for Disrupt San Francisco, and he rose to the occasion. And made a (warning: very) promotional video about it, below.

Call me corny, but what about “The minute you learn how to give is the minute you become successful” doesn’t ring true to you? Thank you Hugh, and of course, Heather and Mike.