Hacker Hangouts

An unexpected interview with Kari Byron at DEF CON, a Funny or Die film set, and a few IMDb connections later: it’s official—we have Bacon numbers.

This week on Hacker Hangouts, Silk and Gourry trace their routes to Kevin Bacon, explain the even nerdier Erdős–Bacon number, and revisit the impromptu interview that apparently landed them on an airline entertainment screen. We get into explaining security to a general audience, the cringe of watching yourself back, and whether reviewing the tape helps you improve.

Then we turn to building “lore”: the hobbies, oddball projects, and memorable moments that give people a story to remember you by. From getting comfortable putting your work online to bringing a guitar to DEF CON, we talk about following your interests and owning your quirks—with detours through LinkedIn recommendations, unlikely musical mashups, and a gym consultation that got surprisingly philosophical.

Apparently, this counts as networking.

MOST importantly - Until it happens live, we have no idea where the conversation will go. We do it live!

Come hang out, and hack on!

🎧 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.

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What does “closed source” mean when AI can help you take software apart and build your own version?

This week on Hacker Hangouts, Silk and Gourry debate how AI-assisted reverse engineering is changing software freedom and the business of selling code. From Photoshop alternatives and game decompilation to removing ads from smart TVs, we explore what happens when software becomes easier to inspect, modify, and recreate—and vulnerabilities become easier to find.

Could a coming “SaaS-pocalypse” leave us building personalized tools instead of buying subscriptions? We get into copyright questions, the possibility of vendors locking more software behind cloud services, and the backlash against AI in open-source communities and hacking contests.

We also revisit our experiences at DEF CON and Reality Overrun to ask how contests could evolve as technical hurdles shrink. Between the disagreements and dystopian possibilities, there’s something we’re both excited about: more people getting to follow their curiosity, try projects that once felt out of reach, and rediscover the sense of play that got us into hacking.

Come hang out, and hack on!

🎧 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.

Join After Root newsletter - https://afterroot.alexchaveriat.com/

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 
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AI has made it easier to build the things we used to put off. It’s also made it harder to sit down, play a game, and stop feeling like we should be getting more done.

This week on Hacker Hangouts, we compare notes on translating old games, rebuilding a home lab with Codex, and turning a small Frame TV project into an app. We get into what it means to make something with AI, why we disagree about art and code, and whether better tools change how the next generation learns to hack.

We also debate the future of bug bounties, the flood of code and findings that humans still have to review, and what happens to CTFs when everyone can automate the challenges. The possibilities are exciting. The growing pile of projects, expectations, and things to manage is exhausting.

Are you having fun yet? Tell us what AI has made more enjoyable for you—and what’s become harder to put down.

🎧 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!

Join After Root newsletter - https://afterroot.alexchaveriat.com/

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:
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Large language models have massively changed the game at DEF CON #defcon showing up everywhere from CTFs and even some fears at scavhunt to generate fake images to puzzles and other contests. We’re talking about what happens when challenges designed to test human creativity and hacker ingenuity can suddenly be solved—or dramatically accelerated—by AI. Can DEF CON’s contests survive the LLM era, and if so, how do they need to evolve?

🎧 About Hacker Hangouts:
Hacker Hangouts is a live-streamed podcast (though this one was recorded at DEF CON 34) 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!

Join After Root newsletter - https://afterroot.alexchaveriat.com/

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 

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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.