AI events worth watching

The AI moments I think are worth your time, with a quick note on what to actually watch for. Some you can stream from your couch, some you apply to get into. Check back when something big is happening.

Coming up September 29, 2026

OpenAI's DevDay keynote, live and free to watch

OpenAI's biggest developer event of the year, with Sam Altman on stage at 10am Pacific. The opening keynote is streamed free, so you don't need a ticket to see what ships. This is usually where the fall's biggest AI news lands.

What: OpenAI's annual keynote, where new models, tools and pricing tend to get announced.
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Opening keynote at 10am Pacific.
Where to watch: Free livestream of the keynote on OpenAI's site, with other sessions posted right after.
Why watch: You hear the news before it's filtered through headlines, then you get to decide what's actually worth your time and money.

Watch the keynote livestream → How I'd test whatever they launch

Details are as announced by OpenAI and may change, check the source for the live schedule and where to watch.

Also on my calendar

A couple more coming up, and they're different animals. One you can stream, one you apply to get into.

Builder conference

AI Engineer Code Summit

Three days of the people actually building with AI, in San Francisco. You can follow the whole thing free on the livestream, their YouTube, or X.

Nov 10-12, 2026 · Free livestream

See the summit →

Startup demo day

a16z Speedrun Demo Day

Early-stage startups pitch, and the fund backs some of them on the spot. It's invite-only, so apply if you're building something worth showing.

Oct 6, 2026 · Invite-only, apply

Apply to attend →

Watching along?

Turn it into something you can use

Events like this are the best free case study you'll find. Here's how to get more than entertainment out of it.

When they launch

Test what they ship

A new model or tool gets announced. Here's how I'd check whether it's actually better for your work, instead of trusting the launch page.

Open the guide → When a company pitches

Size it up like an investor

Watching a demo day or a live build? Run the company through my six questions: who pays, why, and what it costs to run.

Open the guide → Every time

Get the next one

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Past events

What I've pointed people to before, so you can see the kinds of things worth showing up for.

Live build

Building a company from scratch, live with Grok

A three-person team built a whole company over three days on a live stream, using Grok. A rare look at the real decisions behind a business, not just the finished pitch.

Sept 15-17, 2026 · Wrapped

See what it was →

More coming

Know an event I should cover?

Launches, live builds, demo days, big announcements. If it's worth watching, send it over and I'll add it here.

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