DEF CON 34 is almost here, and whether it’s your first conference or your twentieth, a little preparation goes a long way.

We share lessons from nearly two decades of attending DEF CON—from packing smarter and planning your schedule to finding your people, avoiding common mistakes, and making the most of hacker summer camp.

About Hacker Hangouts

Hacker Hangouts brings two long-time DEF CON hackers and goons together for live conversations about security, technology, hacker culture, and everything in between—with caffeine and a little chaos. Episodes start live on YouTube, then land in this feed.

Thank you for joining us. Hack on.

In this episode of Hacker Hangouts, we sit down with Pyr0, founder of NaClCON, to talk about building a hacker conference that still feels rooted in community, creativity, and hacker culture. We dive into the history behind NaClCON, the challenge of preserving the spirit of underground hacking as conferences grow, and what makes a con feel truly memorable beyond the talks and vendor floors. From hacker history and culture to beach-town chaos and building spaces where people can find their tribe, this is a conversation about what keeps the hacker community alive. https://naclcon.com/ 🎧 About Hacker Hangouts: Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast from two hackers who’ve been attending and goons at DEF CON for nearly 20 years, doing everything from building exploits to running video at the conference. We talk security, tech, culture, and everything in between—always with a bit of caffeine and a bit of chaos. Thank you for joining and hack on! DISCORD Invite - https://discord.gg/jCNdNPKygP 👉 Subscribe to Hacker Hangouts - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbGO7Ccpi21gi0xqGwHSyQ?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Subscribe to Alex Chaveriat- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHYwhbarpO6vXgbIYmcXnQ?sub_confirmation=1 🤘Socials: https://x.com/alexchaveriat https://x.com/gregory_price

Layoffs are everywhere, AI is accelerating fast, and a lot of people are asking hard questions about their careers. In this episode, we talk honestly about when to move on, starting a business, choosing offense vs defense, enterprise vs consulting, and whether we'd still enter this field today--with AI in the mix. We'll also tackle the uncomfortable question: are we building the future, or just becoming validators for machines? 🎧 About Hacker Hangouts: Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast from two hackers who’ve been attending and goons at DEF CON for nearly 20 years, doing everything from building exploits to running video at the conference. We talk security, tech, culture, and everything in between—always with a bit of caffeine and a bit of chaos. Thank you for joining and hack on! DISCORD Invite - https://discord.gg/jCNdNPKygP 👉 Subscribe to Hacker Hangouts - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbGO7Ccpi21gi0xqGwHSyQ?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Subscribe to Alex Chaveriat- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHYwhbarpO6vXgbIYmcXnQ?sub_confirmation=1 🤘Socials: https://x.com/alexchaveriat https://x.com/gregory_price

After some time offline, Hacker Hangouts is back and warming up the terminals. We’re reconnecting, catching up, and easing back into the chaos with stories, reflections, and whatever the conversation decides to become. 🎧 About Hacker Hangouts: Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast from two hackers who’ve been attending DEF CON for nearly 20 years, doing everything from building exploits to running video at the conference. We talk security, tech, culture, and everything in between—always with a bit of caffeine and a bit of chaos. Thank you for joining and hack on! DISCORD Invite - https://discord.gg/jCNdNPKygP 👉 Subscribe to Hacker Hangouts - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbGO7Ccpi21gi0xqGwHSyQ?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Subscribe to Alex Chaveriat- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHYwhbarpO6vXgbIYmcXnQ?sub_confirmation=1 🤘Socials: https://x.com/alexchaveriat https://x.com/gregory_price

Grab a mug and join us for a free-form hacker hangout where the only plan is that there’s no plan. We’ll dive into stories, tools, DEF CON, culture, and whatever chaotic tangents coffee and chat lead us to. 🎧 About Hacker Hangouts: Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast from two hackers who’ve been attending DEF CON for nearly 20 years, doing everything from building exploits to running video at the conference. We talk security, tech, culture, and everything in between—always with a bit of caffeine and a bit of chaos. Thank you for joining and hack on! DISCORD Invite - https://discord.gg/jCNdNPKygP 👉 Subscribe to Hacker Hangouts - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbGO7Ccpi21gi0xqGwHSyQ?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Subscribe to Alex Chaveriat- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHYwhbarpO6vXgbIYmcXnQ?sub_confirmation=1 🤘Socials: https://x.com/alexchaveriat https://x.com/gregory_price

The Dark Tangent (Jeff Moss, founder of DEF CON) and Kari Byron (MythBusters, White Rabbit Project) sit down on Hacker Hangouts at DEF CON 33 to share the origin story of DEF CON. From the early days of hacker culture to the unexpected twists that shaped the world’s largest hacker conference, this conversation dives into how it all began — and why failure is always an option. This was an absolute blast to record! Talking with passionate, curious people about what drives them is simply incredible and fascinating.

After another wild year at the world’s largest hacker con, we’re sitting down to unpack the vibes, the shifts, and the soul of DEF CON. In this episode, we reflect on our personal DEF CON 33 experiences — the moments we loved, what felt off, and what we want to do differently next year. We’ll talk about how the con has grown, how the art and contests have changed, and what it means to find your tribe in a sea of 30,000+ hackers. From shifting subcultures to that unmistakable feeling of belonging, we’ll explore how nighttime energy, community-driven chaos, and underground creativity have evolved — or faded. Is DEF CON still the hacker home we fell in love with? Maybe. Maybe not. But we’re here to talk about it, and to light the signal fire for what could come next. 🎧 About Hacker Hangouts: Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast from two hackers who’ve been attending DEF CON for nearly 20 years, doing everything from building exploits to running video at the conference. We talk security, tech, culture, and everything in between—always with a bit of caffeine and a bit of chaos. Thank you for joining and hack on! DISCORD Invite - https://discord.gg/jCNdNPKygP 👉 Subscribe to Hacker Hangouts - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbGO7Ccpi21gi0xqGwHSyQ?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Subscribe to Alex Chaveriat- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHYwhbarpO6vXgbIYmcXnQ?sub_confirmation=1 🤘Socials: https://x.com/alexchaveriat https://x.com/gregory_price

Garrett Gee shares his journey as the author of Hacker Mindset, founder of Hacker Warehouse, and long-time supporter of badgelife. From building tools and companies that empower hackers to fostering creativity at DEF CON 33.

Fantastic conversation with Andrew Carney, PM for the AIxCC Challenge, as he reflects on how the contest unfolded at DEF CON 33. We dive into lessons learned, surprises along the way, and what the future of AI in cybersecurity competitions might look like.

Absolutely AWESOME interview with team Theori on their approach to the AIxCC Cyber Challenge at DEF CON 33