Actor Thomas Middleditch, known for his role as Richard Hendricks in HBO’s blockbuster series “Silicon Valley,” made an unannounced guest appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. He held the room perfectly rapt with his poignant observations and cutting wit. This year’s event was held in San Francisco. For Middleditch, it was a homecoming of sorts—he had showcased Disrupt heavily in his series way back in 2014.
During the event, Middleditch took to the stage to carry out an unplanned takeover of the presentation on behalf of Australian startup Othelia. This small company largely competes with the likes of Battlefield 200. It wants to be an extremely ambitious platform for remarkable storytellers, taking its cues from the wildly successful Cursor app. With visible excitement, Middleditch delivered a thoroughly engaging pitch for Othelia’s purpose, focusing on their ability to change how we create narratives and tell stories.
The Expo hall was filled with excitement as Middleditch engaged with fans and fellow con-goers. Photographers quickly captured moments of him engaging with the crowd, as he was mildly swarmed by admirers eager to hear his thoughts on the conference and other topics. Observing the convergence of entertainment and technology, his presence brought a level of celebrity cachet to Atlanta’s vibrant tech scene, underscoring the merging worlds of entertainment and innovation.
Beyond looking to Othelia, Middleditch offered his views on artificial intelligence during candid conversations on the event’s sidelines. He further detailed how he brings these AI platforms into his YouTube channel, “Improv With Robots.” This channel is a testament to his astounding improvisational skills. It brings them together with cutting-edge AI technologies to produce a truly special fusion of comedy and tech.
Middleditch’s conversations about AI foreshadowed one of the biggest thrills for attendees. Others were just as anxious to hear about his experiences and insights. In his keynote, he made the case for how AI can supercharge creative workflows. He understood the difficulty of embedding it into the work of art. His honest talks were a welcome counterpoint to the sometimes-arcane talks about AI at other tech conferences.