EPISODE · Apr 10, 2025 · 4 MIN
Where are the hackers now (TLP 2025w14)
from Lead Prompt Podcast · host John Collins
Where are all of the hackers now, and is that culture still alive? Notes: When I first got into computer networks in a big way in the 1990s, the coolest thing you could be was a hacker. Now in 2025, I am left wondering where did all of those hackers go? Perhaps like me they got married, had kids, and took a steady job at a corporation or even a start-up? In the beginning of the usage of the term "hacker", is was used to describe someone who used their technology skills to explore networks and other systems out of a strong sense of curiosity, not bad intent. Instead "cracker" was used to differentiate someone who used their skills for personal gain, or to actively harm the systems they were cracking into. Somehow "cracker" did not stick, and instead we ended up with the following terms: Hacker became Whitehat hacker. Cracker became Blackhat hacker. This inevitably led to some people describing themselves as "Greyhat hackers", further muddying the intent of the original term. Today's "hackers" are just as likely to be Silicon Valley founders or investors: honestly the term has lost its meaning. So where have the original hackers gone, the guys driven by intellectual curiosity and not personal gain? Many founded open source projects, and still maintain them. These guys are legit. Some have no doubt moved into crypto, driven as they are by a deep distrust of authority, and a deeper need for anonymity. While I still had an X account in 2024, I briefly became excited about the e/acc movement as it appeared to capture some of the original hacker ethos, until I realized that many of the self-styled leaders of that movement were self-promoters who were perfectly fine with stepping into the limelight once they were "doxxed" by the media. Now I am left searching my old haunts: Slashdot, Hacker News, 2600, IRC...since I left X recently, to try to find my online tribe. Please hook me up in the comments, I am still curious. Notes and subscription links are here: https://techleader.pro/a/687-Where-are-the-hackers-now-(TLP-2025w14)
What this episode covers
Where are all of the hackers now, and is that culture still alive? Notes: When I first got into computer networks in a big way in the 1990s, the coolest thing you could be was a hacker. Now in 2025, I am left wondering where did all of those hackers go? Perhaps like me they got married, had kids, and took a steady job at a corporation or even a start-up? In the beginning of the usage of the term "hacker", is was used to describe someone who used their technology skills to explore networks and other systems out of a strong sense of curiosity, not bad intent. Instead "cracker" was used to differentiate someone who used their skills for personal gain, or to actively harm the systems they were cracking into. Somehow "cracker" did not stick, and instead we ended up with the following terms: Hacker became Whitehat hacker. Cracker became Blackhat hacker. This inevitably led to some people describing themselves as "Greyhat hackers", further muddying the intent of the original term. Today's "hackers" are just as likely to be Silicon Valley founders or investors: honestly the term has lost its meaning. So where have the original hackers gone, the guys driven by intellectual curiosity and not personal gain? Many founded open source projects, and still maintain them. These guys are legit. Some have no doubt moved into crypto, driven as they are by a deep distrust of authority, and a deeper need for anonymity. While I still had an X account in 2024, I briefly became excited about the e/acc movement as it appeared to capture some of the original hacker ethos, until I realized that many of the self-styled leaders of that movement were self-promoters who were perfectly fine with stepping into the limelight once they were "doxxed" by the media. Now I am left searching my old haunts: Slashdot, Hacker News, 2600, IRC...since I left X recently, to try to find my online tribe. Please hook me up in the comments, I am still curious. Notes and subscription links are here: https://techleader.pro/a/687-Where-are-the-hackers-now-(TLP-2025w14)
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Where are the hackers now (TLP 2025w14)
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