It’s a different type of hacking. This was about hacking a system for one’s advantage, not the computer type of hacking.

I always interpreted the hacker in HN as a spirit, irrespective of vocation.

What is endearing and admirable as the underdog very easily becomes contemptible abuse in the biggest dog of the pack. It's not a contradiction - the hacking spirit is a trait that causes more damage the more power you have.

The persistent belief in the tech industry as some kind of underdog I think explains much of the recent deplorable behavior by some of the richest people on the planet. A bunch of unbelievably wealthy nerds are mentally trapped in the past and too out of touch to realize they have become the bullies.