Before I was arrested in 2009, I was at the height of my little cybercriminal "empire". I was standing at a crossroads. Part of me wanted an exit and a chance to redirect my skills toward something constructive. Another part of me feared that if I walked away, all the risks I had taken as a hacker would have meant nothing. 11 years in prison for hacking taught me that the reputation I thought I had built in that world, the ideals I believed in, and the status I thought mattered turned out to be far more futile than I could have imagined at the time. When everything collapsed, I realized that none of that mattered. I learned that most of what passes for loyalty and respect in cybercrime is conditional. Today, there's no reason to turn to cybercrime in order to feel accepted or to enjoy camaraderie and acceptance among peers, or to pursue a sense of justice and vindication. Cybercrime isn't the solution, or the stepping stone. All the hackers in my crew from back in the day have respectable cybersecurity careers today, because sooner or later everyone learns the same lesson. Cybercrime has limits, and it does not put food on the table without tremendous risk. #realtalk #hacking #hacktivism #truecrime