The History and Future of the Maker Movement with Dale Dougherty

Cohere Podcast

In this episode of the Cohere podcast, co-hosts Bill Johnston and Dr. Lauren Vargas welcome Dale Dougherty, the founder of Make: Magazine and Maker Faire, and a person who played a key and critical role in the launch of the Maker Movement. Dougherty shares his career journey and his belief that everyone is inherently a maker. The conversation takes a deep dive into the history and future of the Maker Movement, discussing the importance of community in both digital and real-life maker experiences. Dougherty also outlines plans for the return of the Bay Area Maker Faire, revealing a new location and expanded schedule. For those new to making or interested in starting their own maker space, Dougherty offers advice and encouragement. Finally, he expresses his excitement about the current moment in the Maker Movement, hinting at the promising future of this global community of thinkers, builders, and dreamers. In this episode, we discuss the following: [04:26] Introducing Dale Dougherty and discuss his career journey [08:55] Discussing the return of the Bay Area Maker Faire [12:56] Exploring the history of the Maker Movement [22:06] Examining the role of community [25:10] Showcasing the power of Makers [29:39] Considering the role of technology and generative AI [36:32] Sharing advice for someone new to Maker Faire and Making Mentioned in this episode: Purchase tickets to the About our guest: DALE DOUGHERTY is the leading advocate of the Maker Movement. He founded Make: Magazine 2005, which first used the term “makers” to describe people who enjoyed “hands-on” work and play. He started Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, and this event has spread to nearly 200 locations in 40 countries, with over 1.5M attendees annually. He is President of Make:Community, which produces Make: and Maker Faire. Call-to-Action(s): If you liked this episode, check out: and For more reflections about the intersection of community and movements, subscribe to the Cohere Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Share about future guests / topics of exploration. Check out #BookDNA for a list of books, articles, and whitepapers featured on the Cohere Podcast.