Welcome to DEF CON 33 - The Dark Tangent
The Dark Tangent
DEF CON 33 (backfill) · Day 1 · Main Stage
The "Welcome to DEF CON 33" address by The Dark Tangent (DT), the founder of DEF CON, is a quintessential opening keynote that transcends a mere greeting to encapsulate the ethos, history, and future trajectory of the world's longest-running and largest hacker convention. Delivered at DEF CON 33, this talk serves as both an origin story and a philosophical manifesto, articulating the core values that differentiate DEF CON from traditional information security (infosec) conferences. DT emphasizes the "joy of discovery," the inherent drive to understand and push technology beyond its intended limits, and the crucial role of community in fostering innovation and accountability within the hacker space.
AI review
This is DT doing what DT does at every DEF CON opening — origin story, community philosophy, hacker-vs-infosec distinction, a few good anecdotes, call to renewal. It's a competent, warm welcome from the person who has more right than anyone to give it. Nothing here will surprise a DEF CON regular, but it's not trying to.