Hacker News - The Good Parts

16 Oct, 2025

The other day, my twelve-year-old daughter asked me what platform I spend most of my time on when I'm on my phone or computer. She intuitively noticed that it must be some kind of nerd stuff since it looks so odd and doesn't resemble Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc., which she knows but luckily refrains from using herself — yet.

For those of you who are curious, here is my explanation of what Hacker News is, why I like it, and what sets it apart from the others. I deliberately left out the negative aspects for a different article, so be warned that this is a one-sided view only¹.

Explanation

HN is a website where any registered user can submit links to other websites. Each link is given a single-line title, which is usually the title of the original resource. Other users can vote up such submissions or comment on them. Highly upvoted submissions are listed on the front page. The same holds true for comments: Users can vote on them (and now also downvote) or comment on them. There are some minor nuances, but this is the core functionality.

The HN Guidelines are concise and to the point — there isn't much to add.

However, I would like to share what I find most notable about the concept and the result.

Content shall satisfy "intellectual curiosity"

The majority of submissions are in the broad category of information technology. When it comes to different disciplines, you will find submissions on very general, high-level topics and foundational and basic material. You will also find very detailed, in-depth, and niche content, which definitely qualifies as one interpretation of the term "hacker," referring to someone with an in-depth knowledge of a specific technical topic. However, there are also interesting finds from philosophy, business, history, archaeology, biology, mathematics, literature, and linguistics, which cover the full range of content depth. The best part? No politics, trivia, or spam. Mainstream media news is rare and only included if it provides a long-term perspective on a governing topic from any of the aforementioned fields.

Side note: Death notices of notable people in the above field may result in a black banner. It is not uncommon to see comments from past acquaintances of the deceased, which serve as a special form of obituary.

Niche and mainstream topics are covered as long as they stimulate intellectual curiosity. The benefit of this spectrum is that you are neither siloed in an obscure filter bubble nor bored by common mainstream conformity.

Moderation

Two dedicated human moderators, dang and tomhow, take care of the platform — and it shows. When a post is down-voted or flagged, a self-cleaning procedure is triggered by other users, so quality posts and comments tend to float to the top.

Reach

Although the platform is based in Silicon Valley, the discussions ripple through the Western tech world. California, USA and the rest of the world. Rare finds from exotic locations around the world pop up from time to time, provided they are in English.

There are many heavy users who have gained fame both inside and outside of HN. Many tech-related CEOs and founders are present and contribute if their product is mentioned. More importantly, almost any submitted topic has experts who share their knowledge or experience in an unpretentious way.

Inspiration and Surprise

There is always an interesting link available. The comments are often more valuable because they guide you through complex topics, offer alternatives, keep facts straight, and challenge opinions. Real information is conveyed when it contains surprises, and there are plenty to be found in most threads.

Humility

The username is the sole representation of one's ego. Users can provide more information in their "About" section, but this does not hinder a good discussion and is probably not even clicked on by most readers. HN is also text-only. There is no multimedia or distractions. The platform and the mindset of most users are focused on signal, not noise. You can read about ego defaults in some comments, but any unsubstantial contribution is either downvoted or flagged so as not to spoil the reading experience, or balanced by a quality argument.

The good, the true and the beauty

In conclusion, HN is a great space for discovering things, following interesting discussions, learning, and exchanging ideas with others, whether they are like-minded or opposed.

As far as I know, it is the only "social network" that allows you to grow intellectually through participation. This is probably the highest compliment an internet platform can receive in 2025.