The Hackers Conference is an annual invitation-only gathering of designers

Systems design

Systems design is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the application of systems theory to product development...

, engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

s and programmer

Programmer

A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...

s to discuss the latest developments and innovations in the computer industry

Computer industry

Computer industry is a collective term used to describe the whole range of businesses involved in developing computer software, designing computer hardware and computer networking infrastructures, the manufacture of computer components and the provision of information technology services.-See...

.

The first Hackers Conference was organized in 1984 in Marin County, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, by Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand is an American writer, best known as editor of the Whole Earth Catalog. He founded a number of organizations including The WELL, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation...

 and his associates at Whole Earth and The Point Foundation

Point Foundation (environment)

The Point Foundation was a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco and founded by Stewart Brand and Dick Raymond. It published works related to the Whole Earth Catalog. It was also a co-owner of The WELL.-References:...

. It was conceived in response to Steven Levy

Steven Levy

Steven Levy is an American journalist who has written several books on computers, technology, cryptography, the Internet, cybersecurity, and privacy.-Career:...

's book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution is a book by Steven Levy about hacker culture. It was published in 1984 in Garden City, New York by Anchor Press/Doubleday...

, which inspired Brand to arrange a meeting between the individuals, or "hackers", the book named. The first conference was the subject of a PBS documentary, produced by KQED: Hackers - Wizards of the Electronic Age.

Conferences have been held every year since 1986, after someone (?) asked on The WELL

The Well

- Titled works :* The Well , 1986 novel by Elizabeth JolleyMusical albums:* The Well , by Waking Ashland* The Well, 2001, by Jennifer Warnes* The Well, a song from the "Come to the Well" album by christian group Casting Crowns...

, "Why not do it again?". Glenn Tenney became the event organizer at that time, along with an ever changing list of assistants, for this and each subsequent conference to this day.