Why Hackers Are Stoked That Beto O’Rourke Was One Of Them

Beto O'Rourke, full of some of the same centrist charisma that Barack Obama had back when he hit the national stage, is believed by many to be one of the frontrunners to face Donald Trump in 2020.

The enthusiasm for O'Rourke may be somewhat predictable, but what no one saw coming was the revelation that he was one of the original members of the legendary and pioneering hacking group known as the Cult of the Dead Cow, or cDc. O'Rourke's hacker moniker was "Psychedelic Warrior."

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This week, we spoke to a long-time member of cDc about the group's origins, its influence-which still echoes today-and why having a hacker run for president is such a big deal.

O'Rouke's role in cDC was first revealed by Reuters in an exclusive excerpt from Joseph Menn's upcoming book, Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World.