TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is back at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29, bringing together 10,000+ startup and VC leaders to dig into what’s next in tech. And when it comes to artificial intelligence, the conversations aren’t just technical — they’re creative, cinematic, and boundary-pushing. That’s why Nikola Todorovic is headed to the AI Stage.

A visual effects veteran turned AI entrepreneur, Todorovic is the co-founder of Wonder Dynamics, now an Autodesk company. Alongside actor and producer Tye Sheridan, he helped launch Autodesk Flow Studio (formerly Wonder Studio), a groundbreaking AI platform that allows creators to seamlessly integrate 3D characters into live-action scenes. The platform uses cloud-based tools to automate complex processes like lighting, animation, and composition, giving filmmakers a radically faster and more accessible path to high-end visual effects.

Where film meets AI

Todorovic’s journey to this moment wasn’t traditional, but that’s exactly the point. As an award-winning filmmaker and VFX supervisor, he spent years working at the intersection of storytelling and technology. That experience led to Wonder Dynamics, where the mission has always been to empower artists, not replace them. The company’s acquisition by Autodesk in 2024 marked a major validation of that vision, and now Todorovic is helping shape the future of creative AI inside one of the industry’s biggest ecosystems.

At Disrupt, he’ll join other AI industry leaders for a wide-ranging panel on what’s coming next — from generative tools to ethical design to the future of creator workflows. Stay tuned to the fast-growing Disrupt agenda page for the latest updates. Expect a conversation in Todorovic’s session that spans beyond buzzwords and dives into the real-world impact of AI in media and beyond.

Join 10,000 other tech and VC leaders on the AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 to hear from Nikola Todorovic and other top voices driving the future of artificial intelligence. It’s all happening October 27-29 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Lock in your spot today and save up to $675 before prices go up.

In late May, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appeared to kick open the door on a sensitive topic, warning that half of entry-level jobs could vanish within five years because of AI and push U.S. unemployment up to 20%. But Amodei is far from alone in sharing aloud that he foresees a workforce bloodbath. A new WSJ story highlights how other CEOs are also issuing dire predictions about AI’s job impact, turning employment doom into something of a competitive sport.

Several of these predictions came before Amodei’s comments. For example, at JPMorgan’s annual investor day earlier in May, its consumer banking chief Marianne Lake projected AI would “enable” a 10% workforce reduction. But they’ve been coming fast, and growing more stark, ever since. In a note last month, Amazon’s Andy Jassy warned employees to expect a smaller workforce due to the “once-in-a-lifetime” technological shift that’s afoot. ThredUp’s CEO said at a conference last month that AI will destroy “way more jobs than the average person thinks.” Not to be outdone, Ford’s Jim Farley delivered perhaps the most sweeping claim yet, saying last week that AI will “literally replace half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.”

It’s a dramatic shift from executives’ previous cautious public statements about job displacement, notes the Journal. Indeed, the outlet notes that while some tech leaders — including from powerful AI companies — have proposed that fears are overblown, the growing string of warnings suggests massive restructurings are coming, whether people are ready for them or not.

A former SpaceX security manager, who was privy to top secret information on U.S. government programs, is suing the company and one of its senior employees for alleged discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. 

Jenna Shumway, who was promoted to Senior Contractor Program Security Officer after being hired in 2022, also alleges the senior employee — Daniel Collins, a former Defense Department official hired to run security compliance for the company’s government work — violated top secret protocols and then concealed this information from the government. 

Lawyers for Shumway, Collins, and SpaceX did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. 

Collins made the news in December 2024 when The New York Times reported SpaceX was under federal review for sloppy security protocols. Collins discouraged reporting security clearance violations and allowed executives without proper clearances into classified meetings, according to the NYT. This and other allegations triggered at least three federal reviews of the company’s security procedures, the NYT found. 

According to Shumway’s complaint, she was passed over for the director position that Collins ultimately was hired to without being given the opportunity to apply for it. Her “work environment entirely changed” when Collins was hired as her superior in spring 2024, according to the complaint. Shumway claims Collins effectively waged a campaign of harassment against her, which included stripping her of her responsibilities over a period of months and ultimately leading to her termination in October 2024.

Collins’ harassment extended to other female employees too, the complaint alleges. The discrimination included preventing female staff from doing required security work, allegedly setting them up for non-compliance, staring at one employee’s chest during a meeting, and asking a subordinate female employee if she wanted to “get shitty together” over after-work drinks. 

Shumway and other female employees repeatedly reported Collins to SpaceX Human Resources, the lawsuit states. The company ignored these complaints, the suit alleges, and didn’t take any action beyond suggesting the employees avoid being alone with Collins. Shumway is seeking unspecified damages.

This is not the first time SpaceX has been sued over claims that it enables sexual discrimination. Previous lawsuits have alleged similar stories of bias against female employees and a hostile work environment that enabled gender-based harassment. The company is also battling investigations from the California Civil Rights Department and the National Labor Relations Board over similar claims. 

The lawsuit was filed in late May in the Los Angeles County Superior Court; it was later moved to federal court on June 30 at SpaceX’s request. It is filed in the federal Central District of California court under case number 2:22-cv-05959.