Stupid question but are such hackers mostly trust fund babies? With their future secure and nothing but boredom? Coz the rest of us are too busy making a living for such exploits (no pun intended).
Bar some exceptions, most people are not that busy (including me and likely you). They just lack commitment.
Not saying that work doesn't take out a very big chunk of it, it does. But we still have more free time than sometimes we realize.
What we many times lack, is perspective and commitment.
What's the point in dropping a strange negative comment like this anyway? Are you unhappy that others are happy?
No idea of who would do it though. My best guess is young-ish brilliant engineers in the beginning of their careers, before they've taken on too much responsibility at and outside of work. Those who still have a lot of excitement for the field with a lot of time on their hands.
Hahaha, yeahhh. I'd love to do this kind of stuff, but after sitting at a computer for 8 hours every day for work, the last thing I want to do in my free time is sit in front of another computer :)