“I don’t want good students. I don’t want Ivy League kids. I don’t want the typical rank and file that go off to IBM or get pulled into Microsoft and Google because they got an internship via their career center.
I want kids that spent their time doing things that live and breathe algorithms. I want the students that enjoy programming competitions and breaking into each other’s computers. I want the kids that cracked a copy of Photoshop not just because it was cheaper than buying it – but also because it was fun.
I don’t want computer nerds or even software engineers. I want hackers.”
These were the words from my friend Jen, a recruiter at a very-well funded startup in Silicon Valley. Jen’s comment highlights a growing trend in Silicon Valley – the popular embrace of the hacker in establishing and maintaining a culture of innovation.