I was there, and unlike many of the other commenters, I feel like it was just ok. Imagine maker faire but there happens to be a stage next door with YouTubers.

The panels I did see, the moderator (William Osman) didn't do a very good job moving through questions, so very few people got to actually ask anything.

I also felt very strange that the only place I saw kids was lining up to ask YouTubers questions during the panels. I couldn't help but think about how many kids want to be YouTubers when they grow up - it seems like YouTuber idolism was the main event and not any of the awesome booths by non-famous people.

> The panels I did see, the moderator (William Osman) didn't do a very good job moving through questions, so very few people got to actually ask anything.

William Osman’s style is the anti Mark Rober: His channel is about winging it with projects that halfway work if they’re lucky, while being kind of awkward and mocking everyone and himself. Moderating the panel and getting questions answered probably wasn’t their goal. The goal was to be kind of entertaining in the style that their viewers are familiar with.

Would be frustrating for someone to go into one of those panels expecting a traditional efficiently moderated panel.

> I also felt very strange that the only place I saw kids was lining up to ask YouTubers questions during the panels. I couldn't help but think about how many kids want to be YouTubers when they grow up - it seems like YouTuber idolism was the main event and not any of the awesome booths by non-famous people.

Open Sauce was supposed to be inspired by two other conferences: Maker Faire and Vidcon. Vidcon was primarily a YouTube and later TikTok conference. Open Sauce is basically VidCon’s successor in California with some maker booths added in and an emphasis on maker channels. It’s still heavily a YouTube conference though and the primary focus is YouTuber audiences, which is where they do much of their marketing.

Meeting your favorite YouTubers is one of the main selling points of the conference. I wouldn’t read too much into the fact that you saw kids excited about their favorite YouTubers at a conference literally pitched on YouTube as a way for them to meet their favorite YouTubers.

I love the concept of expecting Big Willy to be an effective panel moderator. At times the guy can barely moderate his own mind (which is why I adore him).

This wasn't billed as a career fair. Why are so many comments criticizing as if it were?

And on the subject of careers. What's inherently negative about kids wanting to be a YouTuber? For every kid chasing fame, there is probably an equal who just wants to share their passion with an audience.

Having a science/tech/maker YouTuber as a role model is arguably better than, say, a fashion model, an actor, a populist podcaster, or a footballer, no?

>The panels I did see, the moderator (William Osman) didn't do a very good job moving through questions, so very few people got to actually ask anything.

Panels are a pretty mixed bag at conferences in general. So many panelists are reiterating talking points, they're repetitious a lot of the time, they're too polite and in agreement, and audience questions are often in the vein of not so much a question but a comment. I have seen good panels but I often avoid them as a rule.

The real draw of OpenSauce is that it is really mostly a con for the creators, and that the public is invited to some capacity is just a side thing.

The after party is where the real fun begins. Playing with dangerous high-energy devices? Hell yes.

I've noticed this as well, past couple of years it has turned into more panel/ytuber focused, less about the actual projects showcased on the ground floor. Not to mention, it is pricing out many from attending.

I agree that it was a bit meh, maker faire with a small side of youtubers is an accurate description but overall I enjoyed it and there were definitely some cool booths. Saturday was also ridiculously busy making it hard to navigate and interact with folks, Sunday was much better in that regard.

Is it a kid friendly event for a 8 year old who doesn't know any YouTubers? Like we he have fun seeing all the maker stuff?

> maker faire but there happens to be a stage next door with YouTubers

Sounds pretty bad...

For context, the parent commenter is an economist, not a maker/engineer.

There isn't a whole lot left in the US economy to aspire to. Do you think wanting to be a day trader is better? Should they try to get a professional engineering job and join the 50% of graduates who are unemployed a year after graduating?