[jhaand]

DEFCON did not do proper estimation, risk analysis and due diligence with ordering these badges. Also if the cat design and other things were done by the Defcon orga and the electronics by EE, then this already sounds like a complicated mess.

If I look at the Defcon30 badge from 2022. It's the same thing. A small random engineering shop is selected and gets the order. And you get a nice little badge that can do stuff.

For the Dutch hacker camps we look a bit more long term and the engineers and designers have been part of the core team since 2017. And for 2025 we're already well underway.

https://badge.team

[zavec]

I'm definitely going to have to look into these Dutch events, not only did Defcon feel like much less value for money this year (and all the badge drama) but the Netherlands is way easier for me to get to as well.

[jhaand]

The Dutch event is WHY2025. https://why2025.org

There's a nice overview website with all the events around The Netherlands. https://hackeropuit.nl/

[CalRobert]

Thank you!!!! I moved to NL last year and have been missing this.

[rasz]

>did not do proper estimation, risk analysis and due diligence

How can you say that when badges were on time and working at the end of the day?

[jhaand]

I would say that it seems a miracle there were working badges on time. Both EE and Defcon gave everything they could to make this happen.

But this breakdown in trust, too short timescales, using a new chip, not backing it up with extra funding and choosing this engineering company remains Defcons responsibility for running the project and realising a product.

Without full payment of the development costs, the IP for the PCB probably was still owned by EE and they could have stopped production. This shit show could have been prevented.