The Two Types of Fool – Generations in Cybersecurity
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BSides Las Vegas 2025 · Day 1
Casey Ellis delivers a reflective keynote on **generational knowledge transfer** in cybersecurity, anchored by a thesis borrowed from **John Brunner**’s novel *The Shockwave Rider*: there are two kinds of fools—one who says “**this is old, therefore good**,” and another who says “**this is new, therefore better**.” Ellis argues both extremes fail; truth sits in the middle. The talk weaves personal medical trauma, community sociology, entrepreneurship, and geopolitical threat trends into a single argument: **defenders** succeed when **wisdom** and **knowledge** move across age cohorts and subcultures faster than attackers innovate alone.
AI review
A heartfelt community keynote with sharp cultural diagnosis (generational arrogance traps, hybrid threats, AI lowering bars) wrapped in personal stakes. Light on technical novelty—this is morale, sociology, and strategy—not new payloads.