Hacker Conversations: Chris Thompson, Former Head of IBM X-Force Red, Co-Founder of RemoteThreat

Chris Thompson went from hacking video games as a teenager to founding IBM's first dedicated red team and leading X-Force Red, before recently launching RemoteThreat to use AI against malicious actors. His unconventional path included convincing major companies like EA to hire him at eighteen for security work, and he built his career on proving skills rather than academic credentials — a philosophy he maintains when hiring, seeking domain expertise and collaboration over college degrees. Thompson, who has ADHD, believes neurodivergence is common among elite hackers and serves as a "superpower" in the field, contributing to the deep focus and different thinking style that makes great security researchers.