The Hacker Spirit: Disregard the Rules and Look for Gaps in the System

Paul Graham’s classic Hackers & Painters also explains the hacker spirit clearly. Find a copy and read it when you have time. Robin: “Running through Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial spirit is a disregard for rules and a desire to break them quickly. Entrepreneurs look for gaps—unmet needs—between the ideal and the actual system, then use those gaps effectively to build entirely new businesses. These are all expressions of the hacker spirit.” For Buchheit, the most important part of developing a hacker mindset is challenging the received idea that “there are no shortcuts to success—only working hard and doing what people tell us to do will get us there.” In fact, hackers think in precisely the opposite way: they believe that shortcuts and loopholes must exist and can be used. For Buchheit, starting a business is itself an act of hacking. Indeed, “as long as people exist, some will examine the system, explore it, and search for the truth. Some will be content simply to discover a truth, while others will use what they find to hack the whole system and change the world. Buchheit concludes that truly great hacking discovers the nature of the world through an unending search. He regards this as the most promising way to create a better future. How can you apply a hacker mindset to your own work and life? Starting today, consider the industries you encounter every day and the ways of living you have grown used to. See whether you can distinguish the ideal system from the actual one within them. Actively explore where the least convenient parts are and whether you could create a shortcut. You may find a completely new opening in the smallest details around you.