Hackers at 30: “Hackers” and “Information Wants to Be Free”

In my more indulgent moments I can tick off a few career highlights. It was, after all, the book that established a meme that still throbs in the pulse of Internet discussions, from Anonymous IRC chats to panels on the future of music: Information Wants to Be Free. On the 30th anniversary of Hackers I thought the story worth recounting, because even though the words were not mine, it became indelibly intertwined with the exciting—and frustrating—release of the book. She dismissed Hackers in a few paragraphs, managing to imply that the book wasn’t even worth that much attention. The Whole Earth Review’s Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and Ryan Phelan had organized a once-in-a-lifetime retreat that would unite the three generations of hackers I had written about in my book.