Building Fake Businesses (and Becoming the Panopticon)

Have you ever wanted to launch a startup that is completely absurd, yet somehow fully functional in the real world? In this session, we’ll explore the art of creating "fake but kinda real" companies.

We’ll dive deep into two distinct case studies: LinkPee, the world’s premier urine-themed link-in-bio service, and TrafficVision.Live, a massive, publicly accessible global surveillance network aggregating over 140,000 live camera feeds from 160+ countries and 600+ official sources.

What to expect:

• Ideation: Spark ideas for your own satirical, experimental, or boundary-pushing websites and software.

• Under the Hood: A behind-the-scenes look at the technology and workflow that keeps these projects running at scale. Bring your questions!

• Global Surveillance: We’ll spend some time collaboratively watching the world unfold in real-time through TrafficVision.Live's camera feeds. I'll show you some of my favorite places and people to spy on.

Note: This session is (probably) the perfect conceptual precursor to Daniel OSullivan's "Do The Full Stack Vibe" workshop happening immediately afterward. Come get inspired, then go build your own fake empire.