Hackers Got Talent

Hackers Got Talent is an informal, improvised show held during HOPE 2025. Attendees sign up at the info desk and perform in front of a panel of judges and the audience. Jason Scott, the archivist who hosts the evening, keeps the pace moving as acts are called up one by one, with no script or prepared run order.

The lineup is wide-ranging. Performers juggle, sing a duet, perform a martial arts routine, deliver a rap about decentralized communities, and tell jokes. Others do mind-reading and number tricks, lead the crowd in a wave, or offer on-the-spot hacker names to people who lack one. Several acts are first-time HOPE attendees, and the show leans heavily on crowd participation, with audience singalongs and volunteers pulled onto the stage.

Judging combines the panel and audience votes, and results are announced from the bottom up, ending with a nine-way tie for second place. Prizes are modest and mostly playful: small gift cards from a publisher, a certificate, and a novelty diamond-painting kit for the top act. The main takeaway is the show's spirit. Stepping up and performing, even imperfectly, is the point, and a supportive audience is part of the event.