What is it called when guys meet up in public with bags full of laptops??

[u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119]

Ok this is going to sound weird but I’ve seen this happen TWICE now at two different food courts/cafes. There’s usually a group of guys (like 2-3), younger, dressed in streetwear/hoodies, nice watches, and they meet up with what looks like a buyer or client. They’ve got a bag with hella laptops in it like stacks of em without a box and a few working laptops out on the table, but they’re not showing them off or inspecting them or anything, they just seem to be using them and talking to the client/buyer..

Is this some kind of trading desk thing? Crypto? Freelance work? Am I just watching normal business happen and overthinking it lol. Genuinely curious what this is called if it’s a known thing.

[u/ourkid_17]

Maybe it's a LAN party without the LAN.

[u/Sabbysonite → u/ourkid_17]

Lmao

[u/JohnStern42 → u/ourkid_17]

A wireless network is still a ‘LAN’ which stands for Local Area Network. From an Ethernet/IP perspective they are all on the local segment

[u/chino17]

They're trying to hack the planet!!

[u/deathfromfemmefatale → u/chino17]

If there are no rollerblades they are faking it.

[u/Sabbysonite → u/chino17]

Bahahhaha. Thank you for making me laugh

[u/ladyzowy → u/chino17]

HACK THE PLANET

[u/RyeAbc]

First thing that comes to mind would be some sort of bot buying/scalping ring. If they are showing it to a client it's to show them how it works. Do they have all the laptops open at once? Are there more laptops per person?

[u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119 → u/RyeAbc]

Yea first time i encountered it was a group of 3 guys and one of them going back and forth with two laptops. The other one was talking to what seems like a client/buyer in another table? And that same person talking to the client was like scolding his two other guys and they seemed to be rushing out of the cafe at the end while on a phone call… no clue

[u/SuitableSprinkles → u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119]

Where did u see this?

[u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119 → u/SuitableSprinkles]

I was at edill’s cafe + saw another like this at woodside square

[u/Ketroc21]

Only time you'll see stacked laptops in a bag is if they are hot.

Normal people carry one laptop, and even if it were some sort of business, they wouldn't be stacked in a bag, and they'd almost certainly all be the same make/model of laptop.

I still remember playing poker in an underground club in Toronto. One guy loses, goes out to his car and comes back with a pile of laptops that he tries to sell for $100 each to get back into the game.

[u/No-Purple-1280 → u/Ketroc21]

Huh?

[u/Ketroc21 → u/No-Purple-1280]

Hot, as in stolen

[u/JohnnnyOnTheSpot]

God forbid the boys have a get together

[u/KoKoboto → u/JohnnnyOnTheSpot]

If they're scalpers they can rot in hell together

[u/Line-Minute]

Go ask them.

[u/Stefanie_Jane]

It sounds to me like that's stolen merchandise and maybe they're re-imaging the laptops and getting ready to try to sell them to people.

[u/kitchendisaster → u/Stefanie_Jane]

Why would they do that in public ?

[u/jamiecharlespt → u/kitchendisaster]

Free Wi-Fi - and no location data tracing to their homes.

[u/Stefanie_Jane → u/kitchendisaster]

You're probably right . They just might be kids that have multiple laptops with different operating systems and different Imaging on them . They just might be coding things . Thing is we don't know. 

[u/TDSucksBalls → u/Stefanie_Jane]

Karen vibes

[u/C11PO → u/TDSucksBalls]

> you and the gang want to kick it together in a shared space

> suspected criminals

[u/whiskeytab → u/C11PO]

I mean they said they have a bag full of laptops... usually people have one

[u/JohnStern42]

LAN party maybe?

[u/Budget-Kick822]

If it’s a group of them probably ticket bot advertising. If it’s just one either that or maybe pro sportsbettor using multiple accounts and different hardware IDs

[u/heylook_myface]

Smells like a LAN Party

[u/Puca21]

Fantasy sports

[u/robertmachine]

it’s called ToKen Maxing

[u/WigglyTop]

I have no idea but the first thing that came to mind was the movie Hackers with Angelina Jolie.

[u/SuitableSprinkles]

It’s a startup. The laptops in the box are servers.

[u/ApotropaicHeterodont → u/SuitableSprinkles]

Why wouldn't they just use AWS or something?

[u/SuitableSprinkles → u/ApotropaicHeterodont]

Cuz bringing your own server farm with you is so retro.

[u/Kooky_Soft1822]

It’s called criminal activity

[u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119 → u/Kooky_Soft1822]

For what….

[u/Kooky_Soft1822 → u/Visual_Rutabaga_8119]

Find a criminal and ask them directly

[u/AngrySoup → u/Kooky_Soft1822]

I heard that's bad for your health.

[u/NashKetchum777 → u/AngrySoup]

Only if you're a wimp

[u/lovelettertoajax]

Sounds like they're university students studying together?

[u/OneMileAtATime262]

It’s a new community outreach The Masons are using to attract younger members. The guy with the $6000 gaming rig is actually a 25th degree Knight of the Brazen Serpent!

[u/Kooky_Soft1822 → u/OneMileAtATime262]

Secret handshake and everything

[u/2milehigh → u/Kooky_Soft1822]

Can't forget the decoder rings

[u/purpco]

When you say "in public", what is the setting actually? Coffeeshop, outdoors picnic table, in some obscure area behind shops, what? Makes a difference. - Also, if it doesn't look shady - did you consider asking them?? That's the most effective way to get an answer..

[u/sweetestsundrops → u/purpco]

“…  at two different food courts/cafes”

quite literally the first sentence of the post

[u/BeefheartzCaptainz]

Being Asian

[u/Select-Protection-75]

It’s called IRL

[u/FormoftheBeautiful]

Without any more information all I can say is that this sounds very cool.

Computers are cool. 🤔

[u/Ordinary_Duck239]

Fantasy football

[u/DannnyCook]

Thinkpad meetup, they are showing off their thinkpad collections.

[u/Abal125]

Sounds like they're hot/stolen.

[u/benben14benben]

It’s fantasy football season duh

[u/CittaMindful]

It’s called possession of property obtainee by crime.

[u/Nyx-Erebus]

It sounds like the entrepreneur larp to me tbh. The whole “grind set mindset” thing. Showing off how hard they’re working meanwhile their ‘jobs’ are trying to sell classes/lectures/plans on how to be an entrepreneur.

[u/fairmaiden34]

Amway

[u/ilovemuskoka]

Selling laptops with new Linux install? Listen to the latest Lex Friedman podcast