What a Con!

I was deflowered recently. Not in that way, mind you. I’m referring to my initiation into the mind-blowing experience of being surrounded by people fueled by passion and lusting after something new. Obviously, I’m talking about my first trip to a tech con.

I was initiated gently, ushered into the sophisticated ranks of BSides SF. But for an innocent like myself, who’s just learning the ropes, BSides was stimulation enough. The overly-friendly vendors varnished with a topcoat of superiority, the Very Important Smart People giving Very Important Talks, the strutting tech bro peacocks trying to impress….pea hens? All of it wrapped up in the scent of movie-theater popcorn. It was a lot for this maiden to take in.

For those of you who don’t know, BSides SF takes place in an event space at the Metreon Complex, which is also home to a 16-screen movie theater complex, hence the lingering smell of popcorn. Posters advertising the latest film releases line hallways leading to the theaters where the talks take place, and speakers have to compete with reclining leather seats to keep their listeners’ attention. Vendor booths fill a vast room, and food is available outside on patios with a beautiful view of the city. Much nicer than you might imagine when you envision a convention center.

Since it was my first con, my job was mostly just to observe. And man, did the anthropologist in me have a field day, every pun intended. There were a few things that made an impression on me right away. One was the sense of an overcompensating eagerness that filled the room; a vibe with underlying whiffs of insecurity. It seemed as if everyone was trying to be the most extroverted person in the room, except that everyone was too cool to initiate conversations and expected the other extrovert to do so. Everyone wanted to show off, but didn’t want to seem showy. Because if you’re too eager to show off, then you must have something to prove. And everyone - everyone - in that space acted like they didn’t need to prove a thing, and others should be happy just to bask in their presence….but should also sign up for a demo. Talk about feeling conflicted.

Another thing that stood out to me is that tech guys seem to be really tall. There’s a PhD dissertation in there somewhere. I looked around and noticed an abundance of seriously tall men - we’re talking 6’4 and up. As soon as I made this observation, I considered the the correlation between height and dominance, as well as the connection between height and IQ and wondered how that translates to success in the tech industry - both in sales and in product development. Speaking of dominance, did I see a lot of really tall women? No, of course not. Tech is a hotbed of gender disparity. Despite the fact that there is a positive correlation between height and both dominance and intelligence in men and women, women are still disproportionately shut out of the tech industry. So when I say that I noticed a lot of tall men, that’s because I was surrounded by men.

The latent desire to impress was everywhere, including in some of the talks, but I also found the talks to be the most interesting and enriching part of the con. Daniel Schwalbe’s presentation offering a look at the ecosystem hiding beneath the rock that is Salt Typhoon was particularly fascinating. I’m not a software engineer or a cybersecurity guru. I work in BizOps, but cybersecurity is a big part of our business and I’m absorbing knowledge every day that I’m around my team. Being at BSides was like an immersion trip overseas when you’re learning a foreign language - the longer I was there listening to the people around me, the more I understood what was being said. I came away from the convention better able to communicate our company’s role in the techverse, and excited to see The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Looking back on the experience, I can see that cons are like prisms, each a dizzying display of facets. There is the opportunity to network, of course, often masking the desire to show off. There is the chance to scope out the competition, either in an unassuming, stealthy way, or with an aggressively obvious tone. Cons provide a space to learn from some of the best in the industry, and a time to drink free booze with former colleagues and future conquests. A break from the daily grind, and an energizing tangle of innovation. A chance to test your wares, and a shot in the arm of motivation. The con spectrum is a fascinating, enticing array of color.

Look for me at DefCon. I’ll be the one asking for your height...