The Hacker Possibility Mindset
Ask what you can make a technology do, then test its limits
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
The Hacker Possibility Mindset replaces the normal question, “What does this do?” with “What can I make this do?” The change moves a person from passive use to active exploration. Start with a system, inspect its components, alter how it is used, and learn from the resulting behavior. Reverse engineering supplies the feedback loop: break things apart, see what they do, and use those observations to form a better model of the system. The goal is not novelty for its own sake, but discovering capabilities that instructions and conventional wisdom conceal. Holman argues that this mindset extends beyond computer security into invention, skating, learning, and other domains where somebody must establish what is possible for the first time.
Origin
Pablos Holman developed this mindset while reverse engineering an early Apple II in Alaska without formal instruction, then recognized the same inventive behavior in hackers and skateboarder Rodney Mullen.
Core principles
- 01Treat intended use as a starting point, not a boundary
- 02Learn systems by changing them and observing the result
- 03Use deep curiosity to uncover possibilities others miss
- 04Accept that original invention requires sustained focus
How to run it
- 1
Pick a live puzzle
Choose a system or constraint that genuinely holds your attention. Sustained curiosity supplies the focus needed to go beyond familiar answers.
Pro tip Start where conventional instructions feel unnecessarily limiting.
Watch out Do not experiment on systems where you lack permission or could create real harm.
- 2
Replace the default question
Stop asking only what the system is intended to do. Ask what you can make it do instead.
Pro tip List off-label outcomes before judging whether they are practical.
- 3
Reverse engineer the system
Break the system into parts, alter them, and observe what changes. Use each result to improve your understanding of the underlying mechanism.
Pro tip Change one meaningful variable at a time when you need clear causal feedback.
Watch out Random damage without observation produces no reusable knowledge.
- 4
Probe the boundaries
Try uses and combinations that the directions do not cover. Follow surprising behavior far enough to understand whether it reveals a real capability.
Pro tip Treat anomalies as clues rather than immediate failures.
- 5
Turn possibility into invention
Select the most valuable discovered behavior and develop it into something another person can use or reproduce. Distinguish the first invention from later execution of the established craft.
Pro tip Document the enabling insight so others can build on it.
Watch out Do not confuse copying a demonstrated result with inventing the result.
In the wild
Holman describes hacker Samy Kamkar sending structured fake location data to Google so roads appeared congested and drivers avoided his route. The exploit began by treating Google Maps not as a fixed navigation product, but as a system whose traffic input could be manipulated.
→ The experiment exposed an unexpected control surface in a widely used system before Google fixed it.
Holman says Mullen imagines a move that may be impossible, spends months attempting it, and finally demonstrates it. Once the first version exists, other skaters can reproduce and improve it quickly.
→ A difficult zero-to-one invention becomes a learnable craft for skaters worldwide.
Common mistakes
Treating instructions as the boundary
Directions describe an intended use, not the full possibility space. Staying inside them prevents discovery.
Experimenting without a puzzle
Aimless tinkering lacks the focused curiosity Holman associates with strong hackers and inventors.
Calling repetition invention
Executing a demonstrated move can require skill, but Holman distinguishes that craft from creating the possibility for the first time.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for inventors, researchers, and builders exploring unfamiliar technology.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal where unauthorized experimentation could harm people, violate rules, or compromise live systems.
From the transcript
“If you give a new gadget to a hacker, then the question is what can I make this do?”
“You can't invent a new technology by reading the directions.”
“You kind of break things and see what they do and then try to learn from that.”
From the episode
#827: Pablos Holman — One of The Scariest Hackers I’ve Ever Met
Pablos Holman