This past week, we held the 40th Internet Identity Workshop—a milestone event that brought together a global community of builders, dreamers, and implementers focused on the future of digital identity. And what a gathering it was.

If there's any lingering doubt about IIW's reach or relevance, just take a look at the map of attendees. People came from all over the world to shape the conversation on the importance of digital identity in the modern age.

As expected, the United States made up the bulk of attendees, with 223 participants from across 20+ states, but what stood out this time was the breadth of international participation:

• 🇰🇷 South Korea: 12 attendees
• 🇨🇦 Canada: 11 attendees
• 🇯🇵 Japan: 10 attendees
• 🇩🇪 Germany: 7 attendees
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 5 attendees
• 🇮🇳 India: 4 attendees
• 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇦🇺 Australia: 3 each
• 🇨🇷 Costa Rica, 🇨🇴 Colombia: 2 each
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇹🇼 Taiwan, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇫🇷 France, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇨🇱 Chile, 🇦🇷 Argentina: 1 each

That's 28 countries represented—more than we've ever had before. We still need more participation from Africa. We have a scholarship program if that would help you come!

California: The Identity Capital (Again)

Of course, California led the way in states with a whopping 117 attendees, and cities like San Francisco (24), San Jose (19), Oakland, and Mountain View formed a familiar cluster of identity wonks. Other strong showings came from Washington (18 attendees), Utah (12), and the tech corridors of Massachusetts and New York.

One surprise highlight? Seocho-gu, South Korea, which sent 10 participants—a remarkable show of commitment from a single district in Seoul. We're seeing more and more investment from Asia in building open, interoperable identity layers, and it's a welcome sign.

What We Talked About

While I'll save the detailed session notes for the Book of Proceedings (still to come), a few themes emerged repeatedly:

• Agent-based architecture is gaining traction, and the discussions around personal digital agents (and their governance) were some of the most animated of the week.
• Interoperability wasn't just a buzzword—there were concrete efforts to align schemas, protocols, and credential formats across communities.
• Authenticity and trust were explored beyond technology—touching on human governance, decentralized reputation, and context-aware interactions.
• And yes, AI made its appearance—both as a tool for agent enhancement and a source of identity risk.

It's worth noting that the sessions weren't just technical deep dives. Some of the most impactful conversations happened in hallway chats, whiteboard scribbles, and shared coffee lines.

IIW Still Feels Like a Meetup (and That's a Good Thing)

Despite this being the 40th edition, IIW retains its uniquely informal, self-organized flavor. There's no main stage, no keynotes, and no vendors hawking wares. Just a grid of ideas and a crowd of people who care enough to show up, share, and build.

That's what makes IIW magical.

To everyone who attended—whether from Sunnyvale or São Paulo, Tokyo or Toronto—thank you for being part of this milestone. Let's keep making identity better.

You can access all of Doc's wonderful pictures of IIW XL on Flickr.