Categories
Artificial Intelligence Current Events

Elon threatens to make OpenAI leaders “most hated men in America,” a topic where he’s a subject matter expert

From Ars Technica’s article:

Just days before the trial started, Elon Musk tried to settle his lawsuit, which alleges that under Sam Altman’s direction, OpenAI abandoned its mission to serve as a nonprofit making AI to benefit humanity.

According to a Sunday court filing from OpenAI, Musk messaged OpenAI President Greg Brockman two days ahead of the trial to “gauge interest” in a possible settlement. Brockman promptly responded, suggesting that “both sides” drop their claims. But Musk refused, then appeared to grow threatening enough that the court may allow Brockman to testify on the message as evidence supposedly revealing Musk’s true motives for pursuing the litigation.

“By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America,” Musk responded to Brockman’s suggestion that all claims be dropped. “If you insist, so it will be.”

OpenAI clearly did not accept the settlement terms, as the trial started last week with Musk as the first witness. On the stand, Musk stumbled several times, perhaps weakening his case by making concessions, growing hot-tempered, backing off claims that AI risks may quickly become existential, and admitting his ignorance when it comes to AI safety at his own company, xAI.

In short, it’s classic Muskrat moves: make threats, dilute said threats, get huffy, admit ignorance in a field where he claims expertise, repeat.

Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

It’s gonna be May in Tampa Bay!

It’s May, and there’s going to be a lot happening in Tampa Bay’s tech scene, including…

AI Salon St. Pete/Tampa (Wednesday, May 6)

@ spARK Labs / ARK Innovation Center • 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

This AI Salon will feature Chad Mairn, Professor and Founder of the Innovation Lab at St. Petersburg College. It’ll feature the this format: keynote → startup pitches → open mic → networking.

Find out more and register here.

TEKsystems’ Meet and Greet (Thursday, May 7)

@ TEKsystems offices • 6:00 p.m.

Ready to level up your network? Connect with industry-leading recruiters and fellow tech professionals at TEKsystems, one of the world’s premier IT staffing firms. Whether you’re looking for your next role in Web development, Cloud, Data Science, or Cybersecurity—or just want to be proactive in today’s shifting economy—this is the place to be.

Find out more and register here.

The Save the Kids Gatsby Gala (Friday, May 8)

@ The Orlo House & Ballroom • 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.

Organized by Disrupt the Bay, this is a Roaring ’20s-themed charity event in Tampa, FL, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research, particularly targeting ATRT. There’ll be a premium cocktail hour, live entertainment, curated dining, silent and live auctions, and powerful stories showcasing the real impact their support makes for children and families. It’s not just a gala—it’s an experience where purpose meets style, and generosity fuels life-saving breakthroughs led by Save The Kids Foundation.

And hey, you’ll get to hang out with this guy:

Find out more and register here.

BSides Tampa 2026: Unlucky 13! (Saturday, May 16)

@ Marshall Student Center, USF • 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

BSides Tampa, a cybersecurity conference that brings in 2,000+ attendees and held right here in Tampa Bay, returns for its 13th year on Saturday, May 16! It’s a full day with…

  • Great keynotes and presentations across seven tracks: keynotes, red team, blue team, cloud security, GRC and privacy, appsec, and AI and emerging
  • The exhibitor hall, where they don’t scan your badge, which means that you won’t get spammed as a result and they won’t sell your info
  • Interactive villages: malware, social engineering, IOT, network, lockpicking
  • A chance to meet the technology and cybersecurity professionals in the area, including these two…

Find out more and register here.

SOF Week (May 18 – 21)

@ SOF Week campus (see map below), May 18 – 21

SOF Week (“SOF” being short for “Special Operations Forces”) brings the international Special Operations community together for one focused week of collaboration, learning, and capability development. Jointly supported by U.S. Special Operations Command and the Global SOF Foundation, the event serves as the central gathering point for SOF Operators, government leaders, and industry partners working to advance the mission. There’s a fair bit of overlap with the technology industry (including SOFWERX).

Find out more and register here.

poweredUP Tampa Bay Tech Festival (Wednesday, May 20)

@ Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater • Starting at 11:00 a.m.

One of the largest technology conferences in the Tampa Bay region returns on May 20, bringing together hundreds of technology leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and students for a full day of learning, insight, and connection.

This year, poweredUP Tampa Bay Tech Fest introduces an exciting new format designed to give attendees both the big-picture view of where technology is heading in our region and the practical knowledge they can take back to their teams.

Find out more and register here.

 

Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events list (Monday, May 4 – Sunday, May 10)

Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, May 4 through Sunday, May 10!

This list includes both in-person and online events. Note that each item in the list includes:

✅ When the event will take place

✅ What the event is

✅ Where the event will take place

✅ Who is holding the event

This week’s events

Monday, May 4

Event name and location Group Time
Monthly Championship Tounament
Monday, May 4 · 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa 1:30 PM
Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Tea Tavern – Dungeons and Dragons
Monday, May 4 · 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tea Tavern Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Group – DMS WANTED 5:59 PM
Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
ACE Advanced Toastmasters 3274480
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Sarasota Blood on the Clocktower
Clocktower meetup
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Food, Fun & Games!
Village Inn
Gulfside Gatherings 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Toast of Lakewood Ranch Toastmasters Club
Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!!
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Adult Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Campaigns at Conworlds Emporium
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Getting ready for that next Job?
Online event
Tampa AI Applications Meetup Group 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Lakeland (FL) Toastmasters Club #2262
GFWC United Women’s Club of Lakeland
Toastmasters Division E 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Public Speaking & Leadership Development
Dunedin
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Let’s Talk Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
DigiMondays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Weekly General Meetup
Online event
Beginning Web Development 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Where is Bitcoin Going?
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Tuesday, May 5

Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. at Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (Tampa): Entrepreneurs Learning and Growth Hub presents Preparing Your Business for AI Automation.

Many businesses attempt to automate too early and struggle with broken processes, unreliable results, and increased complexity. This session focuses on how entrepreneurs can properly prepare their business for AI automation by building the right foundations first.

In this session, you’ll explore what needs to be in place before introducing AI so automation supports growth instead of creating operational risk.

Find out more and register here.

Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. online: Computer Coach / Tech  Success Network presents LinkedIn Master Class: Being Found In The Crowd.

Standing out on LinkedIn takes more than just having a profile. It takes intention, clarity, and the right approach. This live webinar is designed to help professionals cut through the noise and get noticed by recruiters, hiring managers, and industry peers. Led by the Computer Coach Career Services team, this session breaks down how LinkedIn actually works and how to use it as a tool for visibility, connection, and career growth.

Find out more and register here.

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (Tampa): Tampa Bay Biotech presents Building Agentic AI Assistants: A Tutorial for Everyone.

Join Tampa Bay Biotech for a practical and engaging introduction to Agentic AI — the new generation of AI assistants that can reason, plan, use tools, and complete multi-step tasks. This session will explain how agent-based AI differs from traditional AI and standard prompt-response systems, then walk through the core architecture behind intelligent assistants, including LLMs, memory, tools, planning, execution, and orchestration.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
v-Lean Coffee
Online event
Tampa Bay Agile 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM EDT
CEO Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Preparing Your Business for AI Automation
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
Entrepreneurs Learning & Growth Hub 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
LinkedIn Master Class: Being Found In The Crowd
Online event
Tech Success Network 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Building Agentic AI Assistants: A Tutorial for Everyone
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
Tampa Bay Biotech 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Weekly Open Make Night
4931 W Nassau St
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Disney Lorcana Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Hobby Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
May Critique Night
Tap Room at the Hollander Hotel
Creative Writers Support Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Pinellas Writers and Authors Weekly Meeting (Online/Zoom)
Online event
Pinellas Writers Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa
Shamrocks Ale House
Loner Seekers Euchre – Tampa 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
D&D @ Critical Hit Games (Full)
Critical Hit Games
RPG-Pinellas 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
[Virtual] Tampa Bay Bitcoin Meetup: News, Markets, & Community
Online event
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Winter Springs Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM EDT
Boards & Bones Table Top RPGs
Nerdbrew Rented Space
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Trivia Nights @ Escape Brewing Company – Trinity
Escape Brewing Company
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults
Pinellas Ale Works Brewery
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
AMA – Ask Me Anything Related to Photography, Computers and Software
Downtown Pizza Sports Bar and Grill
Florida Center for Creative Photography 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Keynotes and More Advanced Toastmasters Biweekly Meeting
Online event
Toastmasters Division E 7:07 PM to 8:37 PM EDT
Nic At Nite – Weekly Movie Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Trading Tuesday
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Wednesday, May 6

St. Pete / Tampa AI salonWednesday at 5:30 p.m. @ spARK Labs (St. Pete): The St. Pete / Tampa AI Salon is back with Chad Mairn, Professor and Founder of the Innovation Lab at St. Petersburg College. It’ll feature the this format: keynote → startup pitches → open mic → networking.

Find out more and register here.

Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Vaco (Tampa): Tampa Bay Product Group presents Product Builders & Bingo: Casual Networking Social Hour.

Get ready for a networking experience that trades awkward silence for a little friendly competition. We’re turning the standard “so, what do you do?” small talk into a low-stakes scavenger hunt with our interactive Networking Bingo. Each attendee will receive a custom bingo card packed with a mix of product-focused prompts and lighthearted personal fun facts. Your mission is simple: strike up a conversation, find someone who matches a square, and have them sign your card. It’s the ultimate icebreaker designed to help you connect with as many local product peers as possible in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.

While you hunt for those winning rows, we’ll keep the energy high with plenty of fuel for your conversations. Food along with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options will be provided to keep things casual. Beyond the networking, we’ll also have exciting giveaways throughout the night for those who participate in the quest. Whether you’re a seasoned product leader or new to the field, come for the community, stay for the prizes, and leave with a whole new set of local connections.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
World Toasters Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Division E 7:05 AM to 8:00 AM EDT
Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters
Hyde Park United Methodist Church
Toastmasters District 48 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
1 Million Cups St. Pete
The Greenhouse
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
1 Million Cups Tampa
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
Tech Hiring Trends: What Recruiters Are Seeing Across IT
Online event
Tech Success Network 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
Wednesday Night Gaming
Nerdy Needs
Brandon Boardgamers 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
40k Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
St. Pete / Tampa AI Salon
spARK Labs
AI Salon 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
CNC Wednesday’s
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Wednesday Board Game Night
Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Orlando Chess Association
West Osceola Library
Greater Orlando Chess 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Chess Night at Conworlds Emporium Every Wednesday
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Product Builders & Bingo: Casual Networking Social Hour
Vaco – Skycenter
Tampa Bay Product Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Casual Commander Wednesdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Blockchain & Crypto Investors & Enthusiasts – International Blockchain Group
Pinellas Ale Works, St. Petersburg, FL
Blockchain and Crypto Investors and Enthusiasts 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Sun Coast Euchre Club
The Hanger Restaurant & Flight Lounge
Suncoast Euchre Club -St Pete 6:50 PM to 8:50 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters
Online event
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Games & Grog! Board game night @ Peabodies
Peabodies
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
ONLINE / SPANISH: EPICTETO DISERTACIONES POR ARRIANO
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Trivia Night at Tampa Tap Room – Carrollwood
Tampa Tap Room
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
May meetup – Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Pier 22
Reading the Classics 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Thursday, May 7

Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at TEKsystems (Tampa):

Ready to level up your network? Connect with industry-leading recruiters and fellow tech professionals at TEKsystems, one of the world’s premier IT staffing firms. Whether you’re looking for your next role in Web development, Cloud, Data Science, or Cybersecurity—or just want to be proactive in today’s shifting economy—this is the place to be.

Find out more and register here.

Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at The Neon Temple (Tampa): The Neon Temple presents Ouroboros of TPRM, is your TPRM actually working anymore?

Come join The Neon temple as D4B05H drops some knowledge-bombs about TPRM (Third-Party Risk Management). Understanding how the landscape has changed, and with the rise of AI, how effective actually is your current TPRM program? Some lessons learned from building an effective vendor TPRM program and how you can learn from their struggles.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
West Orange Working Professionals – Coffee Meetup
Island Touch Cafe
West Orange Working Professionals 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM EDT
Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Open Board Gaming Day at Dark Side
Dark Side Comics & Games
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Omni Toastmasters Club 6861
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Meet & Greet: TEKsystems Tampa
TEKsystems Tampa
Tampa Devs 6:00 PM EDT
[AL] Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk [APL 1 Tier 1]
Coliseum of Comics Kissimmee
Adventurers of Central Florida 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Warhammer Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
START YOUR OWN SIDE GIG! Small Business Thursdays!
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Writing Meetup
HotWax Coffee Shop, Kava Bar & Tap House
Tampa Free Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Ouroboros of TPRM, is your TPRM actually working anymore?
The Neon Temple
The Neon Temple 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Palm Harbor Toastmasters Club #8248
1500 16th St
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
FABulous Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
One Piece Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Pathfinder Society
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Live streaming production and talent
124 S Ring Ave
Live streaming production and talent 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Thursday Tacos & Tax Write Offs
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Game Night!
Lucky Spartan
Tampa 20’s and 30’s Social Crew 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Friday, May 8

Friday at 6:00 p.m. at The Orlo (Tampa):

Organized by Disrupt the Bay, this is a Roaring ’20s-themed charity event in Tampa, FL, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research, particularly targeting ATRT. There’ll be a premium cocktail hour, live entertainment, curated dining, silent and live auctions, and powerful stories showcasing the real impact their support makes for children and families. It’s not just a gala—it’s an experience where purpose meets style, and generosity fuels life-saving breakthroughs led by Save The Kids Foundation.

And hey, you’ll get to hang out with this guy:

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
Osceola Toastmasters Club
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Toastmasters Division E 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Age of Sigmar: Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Friday Board Game Night
Bridge Club
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Disrupt The Bay’s Save The Kids Gatsby Gala
The Orlo House & Ballroom
Tampa Bay AI Meetup 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander FNM
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night
1Up Entertainment, Tampa
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Modern FNM
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
The Practicing Stoic: A 13-Week Online Discussion Series
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Friday Pokemon Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Friday Night Gaming @ Pinchasers
Pinchasers / VETERANS location
Tampa Bay Meetup (20’s & 30’s) 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Saturday, May 9

Event name and location Group Time
Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
EZ Stock (Stock, Options, Market)
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Get on Bitcoin Book Signing
The Book Shack
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM EDT
How to Start a BRAND vs Private Label
Online event
Tampa Bay Amazon Sellers Meetup 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
How to Start a BRAND vs Private Label
Online event
Tampa Amazon Seller Meetup Group 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Youth Dungeons & Dragons Saturdays (Ages7-12) At Conworlds Emporium
Saturday, May 9 · 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 1:00 PM
NNO Book Club: Time Shelter
Plate Tapas Grill & Lounge
Nerd Night Out 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
FREE Fab Lab Orientation
Faulhaber Fab Lab
Suncoast Makers 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM EDT
D&D (5e) @ Black Harbor Gaming (FULL)
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Saturday Chess @ Cozy Kava St. Pete
Cozy Kava
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Bitcoin Social in St. Petersburg
Beech Kombucha
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Warmachine Journeyman League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Pathfinder D&D (Beginner to Experienced)
Descent Into Gaming
Bradenton Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Meetup Group 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM EDT
May 9th – Let’s have fun!
IHOP
New Port Richey Game Night 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Community Hang-out Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Sunday, May 10

Event name and location Group Time
Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
D&D Adventurers League
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
IMPROV Drop-In Class! (FUN! No experience required) [$20]
Spitfire Theater
Tampa 20’s and 30’s Social Crew 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Sunday Pokemon League
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
A Duck Presents NB Movie Night
Discord.io/Nerdbrew
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

About this list

How do I put this list together?

It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.

In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.

What goes into this list?

I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:

    • Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
    • Tech project management / agile processes
    • Video, board, and role-playing games
    • Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
    • Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
    • Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
    • Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
  • Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
  • Anything I deem geeky
Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events list (Monday, April 27 – Sunday, May 3)

Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, April 27 through Sunday, May 3!

This list includes both in-person and online events. Note that each item in the list includes:

✅ When the event will take place

✅ What the event is

✅ Where the event will take place

✅ Who is holding the event

This week’s events

Monday, April 27

Event name and location Group Time
Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Tea Tavern – Dungeons and Dragons
Monday, Apr 27 · 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tea Tavern Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Group – DMS WANTED 5:59 PM
CorelDraw Academy
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
PL-300 Study Group Power BI – Use Cases. Wave theme: Travel and Entertainment
Online event
Orlando Power BI User Group 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM EDT
Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Sarasota Blood on the Clocktower
Clocktower meetup
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Food, Fun & Games!
Village Inn
Gulfside Gatherings 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Toast of Lakewood Ranch Toastmasters Club
Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!!
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Mothership Monday: The Dose Makes the Poison
Kitchen Table Games (New Location)
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Adult Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Campaigns at Conworlds Emporium
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Public Speaking & Leadership Development
Dunedin
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Let’s Talk Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
April Finale Clocktower
Old Tavern Games
Blood on the Clocktower – New Port Richey 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
DigiMondays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Weekly General Meetup
Online event
Beginning Web Development 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Where is Bitcoin Going?
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Tuesday, April 28

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Rialto Theater (Tampa): Join TEKsystems and Gold’s Liquor for an evening of craft spirits, connection, and community impact as they raise funds for the March of Dimes organization!

This ticketed tasting event brings together members of the local business and professional community for a relaxed, social evening in support of the health of moms and babies.

All ticket purchase proceeds go towards their fundraiser for the March for Babies walk 2026.

Find out more and register here.

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Hidden Springs Ale Works (Tampa): Join Tampa’s tech pro on Tuesday, April 28th, for the monthly meetup event, TampaTech, Taps & Tacos!

  • Tech: Connect & network with tech industry peers
  • Taps: Enjoy 15% off your tab as a tech attendee
  • Tacos: A full taco bar… who doesn’t love tacos?!

No speakers, no presentations – just great conversations and a raffle (because that’s way more fun!)

Find out more and register here.

Tuesday at 6:00 p.m., online: The Mission: From “Hello” to “Welcome Back.” The biggest limitation of most AI apps is that they have “Goldfish Memory.” Every time you open the app, it’s like meeting a stranger.

At this meetup, this all changes. You’ll build an agent that uses Gemini 3’s 2-million-token context window and a new Memory Skill to create a truly personalized experience. Your app will remember that you hate cilantro, prefer 15-minute meals, and that you scanned an onion three days ago.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
CEO Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Build a complete application using Claude Code Architecture
Online event
Saint Petersburg AI Collaborative Intelligence Group 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM EDT
Online: DaVinci Resolve – Color Page
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EDT
Sip & Support: A Tasting Experience with TEKsystems & Gold’s Liquor
Rialto Theater
TEKsystems 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
April | TampaTech Taps & Taco Tuesday
Hidden Springs Ale Works
Kelsey Puryear 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Agentic RAG for Healthcare AI Assistants
6092 Clark Center Ave, Sarasota, FL 34238
Sarasota AI 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
AI for Business Planning and Strategy
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
Entrepreneurs Learning & Growth Hub 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Common Ground Games at Patricks 1481
Patricks 1481
Common Ground Games 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Weekly Open Make Night
4931 W Nassau St
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
PyOrl @ ODevs Social
Twelve Talons Beerworks
The Orlando Python User Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Build with AI: The “Memory Agent” — Persistent Personalization with Gemini 3
Online event
GDG Tampa Bay 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Bartow Toastmasters HYBRID Meeting
2250 S Floral Ave
Toastmasters Division E 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM EDT
Spanglish Toastmasters Club 7703731
Online event
Toastmasters Division G 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Disney Lorcana Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Hobby Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Pinellas Writers and Authors Weekly Meeting (Online/Zoom)
Online event
Pinellas Writers Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Winter Haven Toastmasters
St Paul’s Episcopal Church
Toastmasters Division E 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
D&D @ Critical Hit Games (Full)
Critical Hit Games
RPG-Pinellas 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tuesday Night Trivia at Henderson’s Kitchen and Bar
Henderson’s Bar & Kitchen
Gen Geek 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
The Sarasota Creative Writers
Sarasota Alliance Church
The Sarasota Creative Writers Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Virtual “Show and Tell” of Projects by the Community
Online event
Google Developer Group Central Florida 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Winter Springs Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM EDT
New-to-You Book Swap
Beef O’Brady’s
Geekocracy! 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Boards & Bones Table Top RPGs
Nerdbrew Rented Space
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults
Pinellas Ale Works Brewery
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Trivia Nights @ Escape Brewing Company – Trinity
Escape Brewing Company
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Nic At Nite – Weekly Movie Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Trading Tuesday
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Lessons from Nature for Everyday Life
Online event
Philosophy for Everyday Life – Talks and Classes in Florida 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Wednesday, April 29

Event name and location Group Time
World Toasters Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Division E 7:05 AM to 8:00 AM EDT
Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters
Hyde Park United Methodist Church
Toastmasters District 48 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
1 Million Cups St. Pete
The Greenhouse
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
1 Million Cups Tampa
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
Lunch Hour Meetup
Online event
Sarasota Web Development Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Wednesday Night Gaming
Nerdy Needs
Brandon Boardgamers 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
40k Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
CNC Wednesday’s
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Wednesday Board Game Night
Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Chess Night at Conworlds Emporium Every Wednesday
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Orlando Chess Association
West Osceola Library
Greater Orlando Chess 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Casual Commander Wednesdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Sun Coast Euchre Club
The Hanger Restaurant & Flight Lounge
Suncoast Euchre Club -St Pete 6:50 PM to 8:50 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters
Online event
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Games & Grog! Board game night @ Peabodies
Peabodies
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
ONLINE / SPANISH: EPICTETO DISERTACIONES POR ARRIANO
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Trivia Night at Tampa Tap Room – Carrollwood
Tampa Tap Room
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Thursday, April 30

Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at CoHatch West Tampa (Tampa): Join Tampa RHUG to explore cutting edge solutions for IT modernization.

They’ll dive into RHEL 10 Image Mode, a new deployment methodology that is a game changer for system security and administration. You’ll also see how Ansible Automation Platform simplifies VM lifecycle management and automates OpenShift Virtualization, a critical topic for those facing virtualization strategy changes.

Find out more and register here.

Thursday, starting at 4:00 p.m. at American Legion Post 138 (Tampa): You’re invited to participate in a MacDill and Tampa wide Orange Call!

Please feel free to spread the word to all communicators, guardians, and enablers past and present, as well as DoD Civilians. Their purpose is to gather and network amongst fellow communicators, guardians, and enablers of all ranks, titles, and experience levels, share resources, and seek professional development. They’ll conduct a round table meet & greet and discuss MacDill communicators and missions, including the increasing role of cyber and the importance of defending our nation’s networks.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
RSVP to the next Tampa RHUG!
CoHatch West Tampa
Tampa Red Hat User Group 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Online: Adobe Premiere Level 3
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EDT
Open Board Gaming Day at Dark Side
Dark Side Comics & Games
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Tampa/ MacDill AFB Orange Call, Networking Event & Tech Round Table-Apr2026
American Legion Post 138
Signal Corps Regimental Association – Striker Chapter (Tampa) 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Omni Toastmasters Club 6861
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
[AL] Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk [APL 1 Tier 1]
Coliseum of Comics Kissimmee
Adventurers of Central Florida 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Warhammer Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
START YOUR OWN SIDE GIG! Small Business Thursdays!
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Palm Harbor Toastmasters Club #8248
1500 16th St
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
One Piece Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
FABulous Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Pathfinder Society
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Live streaming production and talent
124 S Ring Ave
Live streaming production and talent 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Thursday Tacos & Tax Write Offs
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Game Night!
Lucky Spartan
Tampa 20’s and 30’s Social Crew 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Friday, May 1

Event name and location Group Time
Toastmasters Osceola Club – Open House
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Toastmasters Division E 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Osceola Toastmasters Club
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Toastmasters Division E 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Open House Oceola Toastmasters
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Oceola Toasmasters 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Designer Cowork @ Mighty Fine/Late Start
Mighty Fine
Tampa Bay Designers (Formerly Tampa Bay UX) 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM EDT
Age of Sigmar: Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Friday Board Game Night
Bridge Club
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
PL-300 Study Group Power BI – Use Cases. Wave theme: Travel and Entertainment
Online event
Orlando Power BI User Group 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM EDT
MTG: Commander FNM
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
“Of Consolation: To Marcia” – Seneca
The Skills Center
Tampa Stoics 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night
1Up Entertainment, Tampa
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Modern FNM
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
The Practicing Stoic: A 13-Week Online Discussion Series
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Friday Pokemon Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Saturday, May 2

Event name and location Group Time
NATIONAL TRUFFLE NIGHT — INDULGE IS SWEET FUN! Saturday, May 02, 2026
Saturday, May 2 · 4:45 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Tampa (Citrus Park Area) Games Meetup Group 1:11 PM
Creative Writing In-Person Monthly Gathering for Aspiring Authors
16120 US Hwy 19 N
Pinellas Writers Group 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Hunters Creek Toastmasters
Hart Memorial Library 2nd Floor
Toastmasters Division E 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
EZ Stock (Stock, Options, Market)
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Twilight Imperium 4
Anson on Palmer Ranch
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM EDT
Bring Up The Heat For The Annual Pinellas Pepper Festival
England Brother’s Park
Geekocracy! 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
Godbound One-Shot: Ten Buried Blades
Emerald City Comics * Games * Toys
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Youth Dungeons & Dragons Saturdays (Ages7-12) At Conworlds Emporium
Saturday, May 2 · 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 1:00 PM
FREE Fab Lab Orientation
Faulhaber Fab Lab
Suncoast Makers 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM EDT
D&D (5e) @ Black Harbor Gaming (FULL)
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Saturday Chess @ Cozy Kava St. Pete
Cozy Kava
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Chess and Climbing at Vertical Ventures
Vertical Ventures St. Pete
Chess Republic 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Playing Nintendo Games (Nintendo Switch and Switch 2)
Online event
Nintendo Meetup Central Florida 3:25 PM to 5:25 PM EDT
Pretending to be an Adult CAH Game
Windermere
Cards Against Humanity Orlando Game Night 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Warmachine Journeyman League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Community Hang-out Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Sunday, May 3

Event name and location Group Time
Saltmarsh and Beyond (5e 2024 D&D Campaign)
Sunday, May 3 · 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Adventurers of Central Florida 4:00 PM
Pinball Hangout at Ballerz Cafe
Ballerz Pinball Cafe
Sarasota Social Singles (20s-40s) 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
Blood on the Clocktower at Tampa Gaming Guild
Tampa Bay Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Sunday Gaming
Tampa Bay Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
D&D Adventurers League
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Traveller – Science Fiction Adventure RPG
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Sunday Pokemon League
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
A Duck Presents NB Movie Night
Discord.io/Nerdbrew
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

About this list

How do I put this list together?

It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.

In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.

What goes into this list?

I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:

    • Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
    • Tech project management / agile processes
    • Video, board, and role-playing games
    • Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
    • Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
    • Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
    • Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
  • Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
  • Anything I deem geeky
Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events list (Monday, April 20 – Sunday, April 26)

Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, April 20 through Sunday, April 26!

This list includes both in-person and online events. Note that each item in the list includes:

✅ When the event will take place

✅ What the event is

✅ Where the event will take place

✅ Who is holding the event

This week’s events

Monday, April 20

Monday at 6:00 p.m. at Seminole Heights Library (Tampa): Tampa Devs presents How We Deleted $600K in Software Costs (And What We Learned Along the Way).

Long-time Tampa Devs member Ryan Clements, who’s also a long-time Tampa Devs member and speaker/founder of Byte Bot will share a story on how he and his team deleted $600K in software costs and the hard lessons learned along the way. The process involved replacing an expensive third-party ETL platform, revealing technical challenges that required every ounce of the team’s technical know-how.

What Ryan didn’t expect was how much the project’s success would hinge on navigating ambiguity, building stakeholder trust, and making dozens of small decisions that would compound over time. This session will dive into a story of a migration where the wins, the failures, and the lessons were earned from being in the trenches.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Tea Tavern – Dungeons and Dragons
Adobe Kava
Tea Tavern Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Group – DMS WANTED 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
How We Deleted $600K in Software Costs (And What We Learned Along the Way)
Seminole Heights Library
Tampa Devs 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
CorelDraw Academy
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
PL-300 Study Group Power BI – Use Cases. Wave theme: Travel and Entertainment
Online event
Orlando Power BI User Group 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM EDT
ACE Advanced Toastmasters 3274480
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Speakeasy Toastmasters #4698
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Sarasota Blood on the Clocktower
Clocktower meetup
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Food, Fun & Games!
Village Inn
Gulfside Gatherings 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Toast of Lakewood Ranch Toastmasters Club
Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!!
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Adult Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Campaigns at Conworlds Emporium
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Tampa AI Builders Meetup – Casual Meet & Greet
AI Wealth Builders of Tampa 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Let’s Talk Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Lakeland (FL) Toastmasters Club #2262
GFWC United Women’s Club of Lakeland
Toastmasters Division E 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Stirling Toastmasters Club #7461614 | Public Speaking & Leadership Development
Dunedin
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Virtual Event: Hiawassee Book Club
Online event
Library Book Clubs – OCLS 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
TRIVIA at GenX Tavern in Downtown Tampa
GenX Tavern
The 30/40 Social Club 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
DigiMondays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Weekly General Meetup
Online event
Beginning Web Development 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Where is Bitcoin Going?
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Tuesday, April 21

Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. online: Computer Coach presents How to Write a Technical Resume.

Learn how to craft a killer technical resume that will land you interviews and impress hiring managers!

Technology is a vast industry with so many diverse specializations. Now more than ever, it’s critical that your resume represents not just your professional experience, but your technical abilities and how your skill ties in with the tech ecosystem.

During this live workshop, they’ll discuss how to write a technical resume for job searching in today’s highly competitive job market!

Find out more and register here.

Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Hyde Park (Tampa): Tampa Machine Learning is holding a paper reading, where the paper in question is Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
How to Write a Technical Resume
Online event
Tampa Cybersecurity Training 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Online: DaVinci Resolve – Edit Page
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EDT
Online: DaVinci Resolve – Fusion FX
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Weekly Open Make Night
4931 W Nassau St
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Hobby Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Disney Lorcana Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Pinellas Writers and Authors Weekly Meeting (Online/Zoom)
Online event
Pinellas Writers Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
April Saint Petersburg Meetup Bookclub $3.00 fee
Tuesday, Apr 21 · 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Saint Petersburg Book Club Meetup Group 6:30 PM
Florida Podcasters April Meeting
Oxford Exchange
Florida Podcasters Association 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
April Florida Podcasters Association meeting
Oxford Exchange
Tampa eMarketing Groups 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
D&D @ Critical Hit Games (Full)
Critical Hit Games
RPG-Pinellas 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Virtual Poetry Write In
Online event
We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Paper Reading
Hyde Park
Tampa Machine Learning 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
[Virtual] Tampa Bay Bitcoin Meetup: News, Markets, & Community
Online event
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Winter Springs Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM EDT
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults
Pinellas Ale Works Brewery
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Trivia Nights @ Escape Brewing Company – Trinity
Escape Brewing Company
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Boards & Bones Table Top RPGs
Nerdbrew Rented Space
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tampa Bay Technology Center (TBTC) Monthly Meeting
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Coalition of Reason is disbanded 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Keynotes and More Advanced Toastmasters Biweekly Meeting
Online event
Toastmasters Division E 7:07 PM to 8:37 PM EDT
Nic At Nite – Weekly Movie Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Trading Tuesday
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Wednesday, April 22

Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. online: Heart of Agile is holding an online coffee corner, which is a relaxed Zoom gathering where practitioners come together to explore what those four moves look like in real teams, projects, and organizations.

In recent sessions, they’ve learned that people appreciate the openness of an informal conversation, and that a little bit of structure helps the discussion land more clearly.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
World Toasters Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Division E 7:05 AM to 8:00 AM EDT
Tampa Highrisers Toastmasters
Hyde Park United Methodist Church
Toastmasters District 48 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
1 Million Cups St. Pete/a>
The Greenhouse
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
1 Million Cups Tampa/a>
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
Heart of Agile Coffee Corner–Small Moves, Big Questions
Online event
Heart of Agile St. Pete – Tampa – Orlando 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM EDT
Wednesday Night Gaming
Nerdy Needs
Brandon Boardgamers 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
40k Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
CNC Wednesday’s
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Orlando Chess Association
West Osceola Library
Greater Orlando Chess 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Wednesday Board Game Night
Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Chess Night at Conworlds Emporium Every Wednesday
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
PL-300 Study Group Power BI – Use Cases. Wave theme: Travel and Entertainment
Online event
Orlando Power BI User Group 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM EDT
Casual Commander Wednesdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tampa Writers Alliance Critique Group
Online event
Tampa Writers Alliance 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Carrollwood Toastmasters Meetings meet In-Person and Online
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters
Online event
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Games & Grog! Board game night @ Peabodies
Peabodies
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
ONLINE / SPANISH: EPICTETO DISERTACIONES POR ARRIANO
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Trivia Night at Tampa Tap Room – Carrollwood
Tampa Tap Room
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Thursday, April 23

Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (Tampa): Tampa Java User Group presents Automated Generation of REST API Specifications and Java Code!

Given today’s AI-based “vibe-coding” tools implementing APIs can feel deceptively easy. However implementing APIs without first defining a well-structured API interface can increase technical debt and result in brittle API architectures. In contrast an API contract-first design approach focuses on crafting the API’s client interface specification before starting API coding.

This session will explore API design principles such as employing use cases to elicit API requirements, creating business domain models to create canonical API data models, and using the OpenAPI standard for documenting client interface contracts. They’ll show how creating well-structured business domain models can accelerate API development by automatically generating OpenAPI specifications and API implementation code. Finally they’ll demo tooling that automatically transforms a graphical business domain model into a well-structured OpenAPI specification and skeleton API Java code.

This session is ideal for architects, tech leads, and senior engineers seeking to pair the speed of modern tooling with the rigor of careful API design.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Open Board Gaming Day at Dark Side
Dark Side Comics & Games
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Happy Hour with Unchained
The Tampa Club
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Omni Toastmasters Club 6861
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Automated Generation of REST API Specifications and Java Code
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (ECC)
Tampa Java User Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Vecna – Eye of Ruin (T4-APL19)
Coliseum of Comics Kissimmee
Adventurers of Central Florida 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Warhammer Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
START YOUR OWN SIDE GIG! Small Business Thursdays!
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Writing Meetup
HotWax Coffee Shop, Kava Bar & Tap House
Tampa Free Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Tampa Writers Alliance Poetry Group
Barnes & Noble Carrollwood
Tampa Writers Alliance 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Creative Writing club
Foxtail coffee
Cozy Club 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Palm Harbor Toastmasters Club #8248
1500 16th St
Toastmasters District 48 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Book Club: “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story”
Shamrock’s Irish Pub
Geekocracy! 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
FABulous Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
One Piece Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Pathfinder Society
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Weekly Meetup (Mother Mary)
AMC Veterans 24
Weekly Movie Group (Tampa) 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Live streaming production and talent
124 S Ring Ave
Live streaming production and talent 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Thursday Tacos & Tax Write Offs
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Friday, April 24

Friday at 8:30 a.m. at Pikmykid’s office (Tampa): Homebrew Hillsborough presents Pikmykid powered by CENTEGIX!

This is a very special Homebrew Hillsborough with our very own homegrown startup to company, Pikmykid powered by CENTEGIX. It will showcase one of Hillsborough County’s success stories and you’ll have the opportunity to meet the founders and learn about their journey.

Pikmykid is a Tampa-founded K–12 comprehensive safety platform built on a simple mission: to keep every student safe on campus. They empower schools to transform their daily and emergency operations with an easy-to-use platform, providing peace of mind so educators can focus on learning. Today, Pikmykid supports over 7,000 schools nationwide. Proudly built in Tampa and grown through the local innovation ecosystem, Pikmykid reflects the power of homegrown entrepreneurship scaling to national impact.

They will host a morning coffee session featuring founder stories and a discussion on building and scaling a mission-driven EdTech company from Tampa. This will include a short demo of their “campus-to-home” safety platform, followed by interactive Q&A and networking.

Find out more and register here.

Friday at 11:30 a.m. at GuidePoint Security (Tampa): It’s OWASP Tampa Chapter’s 2026 April Lunch n’ Learn!

You’re invited to join OWASP Tampa Bay Chapter and members of our local Tampa Bay community to hear from industry experts in cybersecurity. This lunch and learn will bring topics that influence discussion among your peers and provide a venue to meet others that share your passions.

The speaker will be Damien DeHart, who comes with a background in Enterprise Observability/Performance Management, where he was a major contributor to New Relic’s Observability Maturity Architecture (OMA). Currently working as a Senior Solutions Consultant at Aikido Security, his current role is focused assisting clients with their Vulnerability Management strategy.

His talk abstract: Your devs are piling on 10k lines before lunch. This is the world we live in. What do you do about it? In this session, we’ll dive into some modern and emerging coding practices, how they’ve changed the landscape of software development, and how they affect your security posture in 2026. In an AI-Native world, security should integrate across your entire SDLC, especially at the point(s) where they can expose your organization to data breaches, malware, and subsequently reputational and monetary damage.

Find out more and register here.

Event name and location Group Time
Osceola Toastmasters Club
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Toastmasters Division E 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Apr 2026 Homebrew Hillsborough: Pikmykid powered by CENTEGIX
Pikmykid
Homebrew Hillsborough 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM EDT
OWASP Tampa Chapter 2026 April Lunch n’ Learn
GuidePoint Security
OWASP Tampa 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM EDT
Age of Sigmar: Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Friday Board Game Night
Bridge Club
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander FNM
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Modern FNM
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night
1Up Entertainment, Tampa
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
The Practicing Stoic: A 13-Week Online Discussion Series
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Friday Pokemon Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
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Saturday, April 25

Google Developer Group

Saturday at 10:00 a.m. online: Google Developer Group Central Florida presents Build Your Own YouTube Summarizer Workshop!

Join them for an exciting hands-on workshop where you’ll learn to build a YouTube Summarizer using Google’s powerful tools and APIs! Whether you’re new to development or looking to expand your skills, this event is perfect for you. With our expert guidance, you’ll navigate through the codelab and create your very own application that summarizes YouTube videos. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your programming skills and connect with fellow tech enthusiasts in the community.

Find out more and register here.

Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Felicitous Coffee (Tampa): Liz Tiller presents a Women in Tech Tampa Meetup!

She writes:

Tampa women in tech ✨

I’m excited to officially share the details for our upcoming coffee hang!

We’ll be gathering on Saturday, April 25th at 11 AM at Felicitous Coffee (51st & Fowler, near USF / Temple Terrace).

This is a casual, welcoming space to connect with other women in tech—whether you’re a developer, designer, product manager, student, career-switcher, or just curious about the field. Come grab a coffee, meet new people, and build community.

If you’re interested in joining, drop a comment or send me a message—I’d love to get a sense of who’s coming!

Feel free to share with others in the Tampa area who might want to join us ☕

Find out more here.

Event name and location Group Time
Saturday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Build Your Own YouTube Summarizer Workshop
Online event
Google Developer Group Central Florida 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM EDT
Online: Adobe Premiere Level 1
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EDT
Electronics Soldering: Lesson I
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
Saturday Gaming
Nerdy Needs
Brandon Boardgamers 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Youth Dungeons & Dragons Saturdays (Ages7-12) At Conworlds Emporium
Saturday, Apr 25 · 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 1:00 PM
April Write-in
Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement
Creative Writers Support Group 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
FREE Fab Lab Orientation
Faulhaber Fab Lab
Suncoast Makers 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM EDT
D&D (5e) @ Black Harbor Gaming (FULL)
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Saturday Chess @ Cozy Kava St. Pete
Cozy Kava
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Warmachine Journeyman League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
April 25th – It’s Game Night! – Join us!
IHOP
New Port Richey Game Night 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Community Hang-out Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Tampa Hackerspace Board Game Night
Tampa Hackerspace West
Tampa Hackerspace 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
From Zero to Crypto: Trading & Digital Business Meetup
Online event
Crypto Visionaries Meetup 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
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Sunday, April 26

Event name and location Group Time
CorelDraw Academy
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
D&D Adventurers League
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Tree Fort Tech: AI for Creatives — Free Talk & QA
EveryDay AI Learning & Social Meetup Group 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Sunday Pokemon League
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Sew Awesome! (Textile Arts & Crafts)
4933 W Nassau St
Tampa Hackerspace 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Game Night Returns: More Dice, More Decks & No Drama
Magnanimous Brewing
The 30/40 Social Club 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
A Duck Presents NB Movie Night
Discord.io/Nerdbrew
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

About this list

How do I put this list together?

It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.

In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.

What goes into this list?

I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:

    • Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
    • Tech project management / agile processes
    • Video, board, and role-playing games
    • Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
    • Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
    • Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
    • Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
  • Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
  • Anything I deem geeky
Categories
Current Events Meetups Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay tech, entrepreneur, and nerd events list (Monday, April 13 – Sunday, April 19)

Here’s what’s happening in the thriving tech scene in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas for the week of Monday, April 13 through Sunday, April 19!

This list includes both in-person and online events. Note that each item in the list includes:

✅ When the event will take place

✅ What the event is

✅ Where the event will take place

✅ Who is holding the event

This week’s events

Monday, April 13

Event name and location Group Time
Venice Area Toastmasters Club #5486
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Online: Streaming Live Video with OBS
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 6
Online event
Orlando Unity Developers Group 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Unity: Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 6
Online event
Orlando Game Developers Meetup 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Tea Tavern – Dungeons and Dragons
Monday, Apr 13 · 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tea Tavern Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Group – DMS WANTED 5:59 PM
CorelDraw Academy
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Prep Online event for AI Vibe coding – prepping our database
Online event
Tampa AI Applications Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
TBDEG – Getting Started in Data Engineering: The Basics
Online event
Tampa Bay Data Engineering Group 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Sarasota Blood on the Clocktower
Clocktower meetup
Board Games and Card Games in Sarasota & Bradenton 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Food, Fun & Games!
Village Inn
Gulfside Gatherings 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Toast of Lakewood Ranch Toastmasters Club
Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
North Port Toastmasters Meets Online!!
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Adult Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Campaigns at Conworlds Emporium
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Let’s Talk Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
DigiMondays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Weekly General Meetup
Online event
Beginning Web Development 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Where is Bitcoin Going?
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
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Tuesday, April 14

Event name and location Group Time
Top Interview Questions: What They Mean & Why They’re Asking
Online event
Tampa Cybersecurity Training 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 7
Online event
Orlando Unity Developers Group 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Unity: Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 7
Online event
Orlando Game Developers Meetup 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Build with AI: The “Pantry Pilot” — Vision-to-Action with Gemini 3
Online event
Gdg Ocala 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Spanglish Toastmasters Club 7703731
Online event
Toastmasters Division G 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Disney Lorcana Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Hobby Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
April Critique Night
Tap Room at the Hollander Hotel
Creative Writers Support Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Pinellas Writers and Authors Weekly Meeting (Online/Zoom)
Online event
Pinellas Writers Group 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
D&D @ Critical Hit Games (Full)
Critical Hit Games
RPG-Pinellas 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Tuesday Night Trivia at Henderson’s Kitchen and Bar
Henderson’s Bar & Kitchen
Gen Geek 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Let’s Meetup and Discuss “Local Woman Missing” by Mary Kubica
American Social Orlando
Central Florida Books and Brews 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
The Sarasota Creative Writers
Sarasota Alliance Church
The Sarasota Creative Writers Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Virtual Poetry Write In
Online event
We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
AI Topics — What is machine learning? A high level overview.
Online event
The Infinite Loop Lounge 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
[Virtual] Tampa Bay Bitcoin Meetup: News, Markets, & Community
Online event
Tampa Bay Bitcoin 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Winter Springs Toastmasters Club
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM EDT
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games Meetup for Young Adults
Pinellas Ale Works Brewery
St. Pete Beers ‘n Board Games for Young Adults 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Trivia Nights @ Escape Brewing Company – Trinity
Escape Brewing Company
Tampa Bay Area Trivia Players 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Nic At Nite – Weekly Movie Night
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Trading Tuesday
Online event
Bitcoiners of Southwest Florida 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
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Wednesday, April 15

Event name and location Group Time
Magic Pioneer Event
Wednesday, Apr 15 · 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Sunshine Games 5:53 PM
LinkedIn Local Tampa Bay
Tech Success Network 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 8
Online event
Orlando Unity Developers Group 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Unity: Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 8
Online event
Orlando Game Developers Meetup 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
40k Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
CNC Wednesday’s
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Chess Night at Conworlds Emporium Every Wednesday
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Orlando Chess Association
West Osceola Library
Greater Orlando Chess 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Vibe Coding with Bolt.new
Hillsborough County ECC
Tampa AI Applications Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
3D Printing Orientation: Models and Slicers
Wednesday, Apr 15 · 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Tampa Hackerspace 6:00 PM
Casual Commander Wednesdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
CigarCitySec Meetup
Cigar City Brewing
Central Florida CitySec 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters
Online event
Apopka Foliage Toastmasters 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
ONLINE / SPANISH: EPICTETO DISERTACIONES POR ARRIANO
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Cardfight Vanguard!! OverDress Weekly
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
Game Night!
magnanimous
Tampa 20’s and 30’s Social Crew 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT
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Thursday, April 16

Event name and location Group Time
1 Million Cups St. Petersburg
The Greenhouse
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
1 Million Cups Tampa
Entrepreneur Collaborative Center
1 Million Cups 9:00 AM
Online: Streamlabs Basics for YouTube Live
Thursday, Apr 16 · 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EDT
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 11:09 AM
Sarasota Speakers Exchange Toastmasters
Online event
Toastmasters District 48 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Online: Adobe Premiere Level 1
Online event
Orlando Video & Post Production Meetup 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EDT
Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 9
Online event
Orlando Unity Developers Group 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Unity: Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 9
Online event
Orlando Game Developers Meetup 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Omni Toastmasters Club 6861
Online event
Toastmasters Divisions C & D 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Tampa SEO and Digital Marketing Meetup with Steve Scott
Online event
Tampa SEO and Digital Marketing Meetup with Steve Scott 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Board Game Night
Conworlds Emporium
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Warhammer Night
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Lean Beer for All Things Agile (Tampa)
Wild Rover Brewery
Tampa Bay Agile 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
START YOUR OWN SIDE GIG! Small Business Thursdays!
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
April Discussion and Q&A
Online event
Bitcoin Orlando (and Worldwide) 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Sip and Share: Poetry
Online event
We Write Here Black and Women of Color Writing Group 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
FABulous Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
One Piece Thursdays
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Pathfinder Society
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Live streaming production and talent
124 S Ring Ave
Live streaming production and talent 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Thursday Tacos & Tax Write Offs
Online event
Nerdbrew Events 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
Weekly Hacks
Online event
Hacktivate – Hackathon Meetup Group 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
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Friday, April 17

Event name and location Group Time
How did our nation end up in a civil war?
Friday, Apr 17 · 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Pages and Plates Book Club 8:00 AM
Osceola Toastmasters Club
Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA)
Toastmasters Division E 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT
Computer Repair Clinic
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 10
Online event
Orlando Unity Developers Group 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Unity: Create a Third-Person Game 10 parts Class Series – Part 10
Online event
Orlando Game Developers Meetup 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Age of Sigmar: Escalation League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Friday night games!
Cozy dragon Games
Cozy Dragon Meetups! 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT
Friday Board Game Night
Bridge Club
Tampa Gaming Guild 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Everyday AI: Stranger to Companion | Apr 17–19 | 5 Sessions
EveryDay AI Learning & Social Meetup Group 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
MTG: Commander FNM
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
“On Anger” – Seneca, Finishing Book 3 & Closing
The Skills Center
Tampa Stoics 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Taps & Drafts | EDH/MtG Night
1Up Entertainment, Tampa
Nerdbrew Events 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Modern FNM
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM EDT
The Practicing Stoic: A 13-Week Online Discussion Series
Online event
Orlando Stoics 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
Friday Pokemon Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
Return to the top of the list

Saturday, April 18

Event name and location Group Time
April Book Club
Saturday, Apr 18 · 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Tampa Bay Women’s Book Club Meetup Group 1:45 PM
Hunters Creek Toastmasters
Hart Memorial Library 2nd Floor
Toastmasters Division E 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
EZ Stock (Stock, Options, Market)
2079 Range Rd
Tampa Bay Technology Center 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Mini Con (TCG Card show and Kawaii market)
The Castle Hotel
Gen Geek 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM EDT
Come and Hang Out
Panera Bread
Windermere Writers Group 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Torchbearer One-Shot: Dread Crypt
Emerald City Comics 4902 113th Ave N, Clearwater, Florida 33760
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM EDT
Welding basics
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT
Youth Dungeons & Dragons Saturdays (Ages7-12) At Conworlds Emporium
Saturday, Apr 18 · 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Tarpon Springs Community Fun & Games 1:00 PM
FREE Fab Lab Orientation
Faulhaber Fab Lab
Suncoast Makers 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM EDT
D&D (5e) @ Black Harbor Gaming (FULL)
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Saturday Chess @ Cozy Kava St. Pete
Cozy Kava
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
1776 by David McCullough
New World Tampa
Tampa Book Club – Award-Winning Books 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Playing Nintendo Games (Nintendo Switch and Switch 2)
Online event
Nintendo Meetup Central Florida 3:25 PM to 5:25 PM EDT
Tech in Full Effect | Presented By Lite Technology Solutions x CiviWave
Tech in Full Effect 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Game Project Therapy (Virtual)
Online event
Tampa Games Developer Guild 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Warmachine Journeyman League
Battlebrush Games
Battlebrush Games: Paint Minis & Play Warhammer/Warmachine 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT
Dave and Busters Game Night
Dave & Busters
Gen Geek 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Yu-Gi-Oh Evening Tournament
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
From Zero to Crypto: Trading & Digital Business Meetup
Online event
Crypto Visionaries Meetup 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
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Sunday, April 19

Event name and location Group Time
CorelDraw Academy
MakerSpace Pinellas
Makerspaces Pinellas Meetup Group 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
Sunday Gaming
Tampa Bay Bridge Center
Tampa Gaming Guild 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT
Sunday Chess at Wholefoods in Midtown, Tampa
Whole Foods Market
Chess Republic 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
D&D Adventurers League
Critical Hit Games
Critical Hit Games 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Traveller – Science Fiction Adventure RPG
Black Harbor Gaming
St Pete and Pinellas Tabletop RPG Group 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Sunday Pokemon League
Sunshine Games | Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sunshine Games 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
A Duck Presents NB Movie Night
Discord.io/Nerdbrew
Nerd Night Out 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM EDT
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About this list

How do I put this list together?

It’s largely automated. I have a collection of Python scripts in a Jupyter Notebook that scrapes Meetup and Eventbrite for events in categories that I consider to be “tech,” “entrepreneur,” and “nerd.” The result is a checklist that I review. I make judgment calls and uncheck any items that I don’t think fit on this list.

In addition to events that my scripts find, I also manually add events when their organizers contact me with their details.

What goes into this list?

I prefer to cast a wide net, so the list includes events that would be of interest to techies, nerds, and entrepreneurs. It includes (but isn’t limited to) events that fall under any of these categories:

    • Programming, DevOps, systems administration, and testing
    • Tech project management / agile processes
    • Video, board, and role-playing games
    • Book, philosophy, and discussion clubs
    • Tech, business, and entrepreneur networking events
    • Toastmasters and other events related to improving your presentation and public speaking skills, because nerds really need to up their presentation game
    • Sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre fandoms
  • Self-improvement, especially of the sort that appeals to techies
  • Anything I deem geeky
Categories
Artificial Intelligence Current Events Editorial

You’ve got 41 days before chip prices skyrocket

If you read my post from a few days ago, you know I’ve been sounding the alarm about how Operation Epic Fury and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are going to wreck your tech budget. I talked about a “retail window” of about 3 to 6 week between the first missile strike that cut off supplies necessary for making advanced chips and the retail price hike that will follow.

Well, the clock just got a lot more specific.

Nate B. Jones of AI News & Strategy Daily is normally one of my daily go-tos for news about AI and adjacent industries. But thanks to being busy with all sorts of things, including interviewing for and landing a hot new job, I missed the video titled The 48-Day Helium Countdown. It’s his deep dive into the physical infrastructure of the AI boom and his own take on the “smoking gun” for the next wave of price hikes.

Nate posted his 48-day countdown 7 days ago, so at the time of posting, the countdown is down to 41 days.

By the way, this post is dated Monday, April 6, 2026. 41 days from now is Sunday, May 17th.

The Qatari connection

While the fighting is centered on Iran, there’s a “splash zone” in the surrounding area:

In response to the attacks by the U.S. and Israel, Iran hit Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar. Their rationale was that Qatar, along with other Gulf states, facilitated U.S./Israeli airstrikes on Iranian energy sites.

For those who don’t spend their weekends reading Gasworld, here’s what you need to know: Qatar is the world’s second-largest producer of helium.

As I wrote in my earlier post:
  • Helium on Earth is the result of radioactive decay.
  • As radioactive elements in the earth’s crust decay, they release alpha particles, which are made up of 2 protons and 2 neutrons. 
  • An alpha particle is a helium nucleus, and because it’s positively charged, it picks up stray electrons and becomes helium gas.
  • Helium gas gets trapped in the same rock structures that hold natural gas, and ends up mixed with it.

Helium is the “Unicorn Blood”of computing

Nate B. Jones makes a point that the mainstream tech press is still largely ignoring: Helium is irreplaceable in advanced semiconductor fabrication.

  1. Thermal Conductivity: Chips are made by using ultraviolet light to “draw” circuitry on silicon treated with a light-sensitive material.

    When drawing circuits at the 2-3 nanometer scale (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter, which is one-millionth the thickness of a dime), the heat generated is intense enough to warp the silicon wafer.

    That’s where the helium comes in. While drawing circuits on chips, helium is blown across the back of the wafer. Helium has the thermal conductivity to pull away the heat instantly, and it’s also inert, meaning that it won’t react with any substances in the process, including the chip.

    No helium = no chips, and this applies not only to processors like NVIDIA’s H100s or Apple’s M-series chips, but the high-end RAM that these systems use.

  2. The “Priority” Problem: Helium’s used for all sorts of things, and fortunately MRIs and chip fabs are at the top of the list for the current supply. But as Nate points out, “first in line” doesn’t matter if the warehouse is empty. China is currently sitting on a strategic helium reserve that the West simply doesn’t have, giving them a massive geopolitical advantage as the 41-day countdown ticks away.

41 days until the “ratchet”

According to Nate’s analysis of current global stockpiles and burn rates at major fabs (TSMC, Samsung, Intel), we have roughly 48 days (at the time he published his video; it’s 41 days as I publish this post) before the strategic reserves hit “critical low” levels.

When that happens, we aren’t just looking at expensive chips. We’re now looking at unavailable chips.

  • The hyperscalers (Google, Microsoft, AWS) will use their trillions to buy up every available (and increasingly expensive) chip to keep their datacenters running, and…
  • The consumer market (you and me) will be left with the hyperscalers’ table scraps.

The bottom line for nerds

If you’ve been vibe coding or running local models and are waiting for the next big release to upgrade your workstation, stop waiting. Your window of opportunity is closing faster than we thought.

Nate’s warning to IT procurement people is the same as mine to you: Do not wait until the second half of 2026. The structural costs are about to ratchet upward. Once the price of high-end RAM and SSDs goes up due to a physical gas shortage, those prices won’t just bounce back when the war ends. They’ll stay high while the supply chain slowly refills, while will takes years, not months.

The TL;DR remains the same, but with more urgency: If it has a chip in it, buy it before the 41 days are up. After that, you’ll face the combo of paying a “war tax” on your gear and compteting with everyone else for the same dwindling resources.

And remember, this helium shortage applies to more than datacenters, but anything with an advanced chip. That includes laptops and phones. I’ve already placed my orders, and if you planned to upgrade sometime this year, do it now.

Good luck out there.

Here’s Nate’s video, The 48-Day Helium Countdown. And remember, it’s 41 days now: