"The reason why programming is so special to me is that I think programming shows you that you have power, and that you can do things, that you are your own person," - Zach Latta (Founder)
Since 2014, Hack Club has been cultivating a diverse community of worldwide teenage hackers and coders committed to changing the mindset around innovative technology. Each new club fosters opportunity and excitement surrounding technology education, providing students with a chance to explore what it means to be a “hacker”. This organization, like TecBridge, is therefore helping to create an impact in the world and increasing access to more and more high school students.
Genius Origins
Hack Club’s distinctive approach to programming originates directly from its founder’s journey and perspective as a young coder. Zach Latta initiated the company at the age of 16, fueled by his early passion for coding nurtured during Middle School.
During high school, however, he encountered a lack of Computer Science classes and opportunities to delve into the field. Consequently, he took matters into his own hands.
Establishing a small coding club of approximately 15 members at his school, he remarked, "just having anything at all made such a profound impact on what I got out of high school."
In that same year, Zach Latta successfully tested out of the last two years of high school, enabling him to embark on more advanced endeavors. At the age of 16, he began working as an engineer at Yo, a messaging app, earning a full salary.
His involvement with Hack Club propelled him to become one of the youngest leaders featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2016 within the education category. Additionally, Latta was awarded $100,000 and mentorship as a 2015 Thiel Fellow.
Remarkably, without a college education, Latta made significant strides in technology and rapidly expanded his organization to a global scale, boasting over 400 clubs and 29,000 active members.
The Hack Club Community
The organization's expansion has been mirrored by an increase in the range of opportunities it offers, including AMAs, Hackathons, and Days of Service events.
The AMAs are community-wide gatherings featuring esteemed industry figures, providing members with a platform for open interaction. Previous speakers have included Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell Industries, and Elon Musk.
Hack Club maintains its reputation through numerous student-led hackathons held nationwide. These events vary in duration, spanning from an afternoon to a week. Noteworthy examples include Outer-net, a week-long outdoor hackathon in Vermont; Wonderland, a weekend event in Massachusetts featuring mystery boxes to inspire innovative creations; and Epoch, a New Year’s Eve Hackathon in New Delhi, India.
Hack Club’s “The Hacker Zephyr” was an epic 10 day project occurring across 3,502 miles making it the world’s longest hackathon. Video from Hack Club’s YouTube channel.
These events are primarily organized by teenagers themselves, embodying one of the core principles of the nonprofit: "for teenagers, by teenagers." Additionally, the organization offers travel grants to members, regardless of their background or experience level, to facilitate participation in these opportunities. Generous support from major Venture Capitalists and industry stakeholders enables Hack Club to orchestrate such enriching engagements.
These events serve as invaluable platforms for Hack Club members to cultivate meaningful relationships with like-minded peers and surpass their individual creative boundaries. Communication within the organization primarily occurs through the messaging platform Slack, which hosts a range of channels covering diverse interests, from developing Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and creating robots for generative art to fostering community cohesion.
It's important to note that Hack Club members are not engaged in malicious activities such as hacking into malware or attempting to compromise personal data. Instead, they adhere to the Hacker Manifesto, which champions values like innovation, curiosity, knowledge, and experimentation.
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