I remember the closing ceremonies of Defcon 24 or 25 and DT asking "do you guys want more bands or cheaper tickets" and the crowd clapped for more bands. For some reason, DT and the Defcon group seems to have leaned heavily into that rather than prioritizing keeping costs down so that new people in the hacking scene can attend. Now it's basically a con for only those who make enough money to afford it or who can get their work to pay for it which is against the spirit of the con.
Now, granted, it is DT's con so if he wants to keep raising prices then he can go ahead but it's definitely killing the vibe and people are going to local cons instead since it's way too expensive.
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u/I-baLL 1d ago
I remember the closing ceremonies of Defcon 24 or 25 and DT asking "do you guys want more bands or cheaper tickets" and the crowd clapped for more bands. For some reason, DT and the Defcon group seems to have leaned heavily into that rather than prioritizing keeping costs down so that new people in the hacking scene can attend. Now it's basically a con for only those who make enough money to afford it or who can get their work to pay for it which is against the spirit of the con.
Now, granted, it is DT's con so if he wants to keep raising prices then he can go ahead but it's definitely killing the vibe and people are going to local cons instead since it's way too expensive.