Comment by lysace
1 day ago
Please expand?
He was and is very smart. This is not disputed. He was 23 at the time. Not exactly a child.
The worm was surprisingly elaborate containing three separate remote exploits.
It probably took a few weeks to build and test.
So sabotaging thousands of at the time very expensive network connected computers was a very deliberate action.
I posit that he likely did it to become famous and perhaps even successful, feeling safe with his dad’s position. And it worked. He did not end up in prison. He ended up cofounding Viaweb and YCombinator.
Unironically a great role model for YC. :/
I'm not psychoanalyzing the guy, I'm saying I'm not surprised he had an elite academic career, because he's an elite performer.
What confuses me right now is your ongoing very obvious leftist activist stance on HN vs refusing to entertain the thought that he got away with it because of his NSA dad.
Edit: I am not American. Please realize that I meant exactly what I wrote and not what some of you now imagine that I wrote. I have high trust in you!
To clarify: not a Trump fan.
A felony conviction, three years probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $25,000 (inflation adjusted) fine for a novel non-violent crime with no personal material benefit isn't exactly "got away with it"
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Hold on, I need to capture and circulate this claim that I'm a "very obvious leftist" to my friends and acquaintances. Thanks, this made my day.
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> very obvious leftist activist stance
Is there something wrong with being a "leftist"?
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There's no need to "insult" people. What I'm seeing in his comments is just a successful tech bro admiring and defending a fellow tech bro, "boys will be boys" style. I don't think it has anything to do with politics.
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