AK HN: Is the Era of Hackers/Startups Over?
As a longtime HN user. I've noticed a drastic shift in the last few years in the industry. The glamour of a "hot startup" has gone away in lieu of the inevitably of big corporations and big platforms. Being a programmer doesn't seem as desirable or command nearly the respect that it did just a decade ago.
The "hacker ethos" seems to be in decline, for any number of interconnected reasons:
- The rise of AI
- High interest rates
- Dooming/decline of tech optimism
- Decline of the open internet and the rise of proprietary services
- Abandonment by tech leaders
- Diminishing returns of software on human productivity
- Generational changes
Does anyone else share this feeling? Temporarily or as a fundamental shift?
To that end, to what purpose is HN if the idea of a "hacker" goes away? It's hard not to understand the sudden shift of HN posts being political news, but what other topics are more broadly relevant to tech people right now?
It's likely cyclical. Check again in 2040.
The glamour of a "hot startup" was a side effect of ZIRP.
The glamorous 'day in the life' videos were a result of ZIRP.
Tech optimism was a dream that was only insulated from reality by the easy money of ZIRP.
The inevitability of big corporations is a result of them actually having to make money now, not just expecting to make money at some point in the distant future, is a result of higher interest rates.
Decline of the open internet and the rise of proprietary services is because companies want to actually make money.
Being a programmer doesn't seem as desirable or command nearly the respect that it did just a decade ago because tons of people who wanted easy money, because of ZIRP, became programmers and diluted the pool.
Hackers will never go away, they will simply need to adapt to the ever changing environment in which they exist. But that is what Hackers do best.
The hacker ethos is as strong, or stronger, than ever. It just has little to do with anything silicon valley is up to.