Tuesday, October 31, 2025, 10:32 AM Pacific Time. While the upper floors of the Moscone Center in San Francisco debated the intricacies of product-market fit and the future of agentic AI, a far bolder and more personal act of technological integration was unfolding on the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 expo floor. Four leading TechCrunch journalists—Maggie Ng, Becca Szkutak, Theresa LoCicero, and Karin Levey—opted for a permanent merger with the digital age, getting fresh tattoos right in the middle of the startup battle chaos.
A Tattoo Parlor at Startup Battlefield: When Ink Meets Code
The event, worthy of attention from the entire tattoo community, was made possible by the startup Tattd. This platform, which uses artificial intelligence to optimize the process of finding a tattoo artist, set up its booth in the heart of Battlefield 200. This is where hundreds of young companies showcase their innovations—from robot chefs and spacecraft insurance systems to plastic recycling technologies. And amidst this futuristic diversity, Tattd offered visitors something unique: not just a presentation, but an opportunity to get a “flash” (a pre-designed sketch) with a distinctly technological flair.
The symbolism of the chosen designs was impeccable. Senior producer Maggie Ng and her colleague Becca Szkutak adorned their forearms with the classic pixelated cursor—an eternal symbol of human-machine interaction. Theresa LoCicero chose a smiling moon, and TechCrunch Deputy Editor-in-Chief Karin Levey got an “Escape Key” on her upper arm, perhaps a metaphorical commentary on the intense pace of Silicon Valley life.
Tattd: AI as a Navigator, Not an Artist
The Tattd platform addresses one of the main problems in the modern tattoo market: how to find an artist whose style perfectly matches the desired design. The company’s founder, Laura Schaack, emphasizes that their AI does not aim to replace human talent but serves as a powerful matching tool.
Tattd’s workflow looks like this:
- Mockup Generation: The client uses generative AI to create a “draft” image reflecting their idea, mood, and style (e.g., “a butterfly in traditional Japanese style with thick lines”).
- Reverse Search: This synthetic design is not applied to the skin. Instead, Tattd runs the mockup through an image reverse search system to find artists in its network whose portfolios demonstrate a similar level of execution, technique, and style.
- Collaboration: After matching, the client and the chosen artist work together to create an original, unique design, as is typically done in a professional studio.
Laura Schaack explained why this approach is critical: “If you ask ChatGPT to create a complex request like, ‘I want to see a butterfly in traditional Japanese style with heavier lines,’ it won’t understand the nuances that a professional would. Our AI is a bridge, not the final executor.”