Defakto Brings Product, AI and Security to One Rooftop

Product managers rarely get to make an AI decision without inheriting a security question. No Static Secrets, Just Drinks: Defakto PM Happy Hour gives that overlap a room of its own, bringing product managers together to compare notes on product, AI and security without turning the evening into another formal program.

Defakto Security will present the gathering on November 10, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. EST in Midtown Manhattan. Kassen Qian and Nazia are listed as hosts. Registration is free but requires approval, and the exact rooftop location is available only to approved guests.

The product boundary keeps moving

AI features pull product teams closer to questions about access, identity and the credentials moving between workloads. A choice that begins as a user experience decision can quickly reach the systems deciding which machine can act, which data it can touch and how long that permission should survive.

Defakto describes its own work around replacing static secrets and long-lived credentials with identity-based access for machine workloads. That context makes the event's product-management focus important. Security does not arrive after the roadmap is finished. It shapes what the roadmap can safely promise.

A happy hour can still expose the operating problem

The organizer promises drinks, light bites and conversation rather than a speaker lineup. The value will depend on the experiences people bring into the room: where AI has changed a product requirement, where security has slowed or improved a launch, and where product ownership becomes harder once autonomous systems begin acting across infrastructure.

Request approval through the official Defakto event page. Approved guests should confirm the private Midtown location before attending.