ROB Juncker, chief product and technology officer at Mimecast, describes himself as a hacker, a claim he frames as important for security leadership. The piece traces his early curiosity to a ten-year-old with an Apple IIc, where he taught himself BASIC after taking the machine apart and exploring the command prompt.
As a teenager, he expanded into social engineering, including a dramatic bid to secure a dedicated modem line by forging a letter from his father; he later recounts a formative encounter with US legal authorities that resulted in a warning and a turning point away from illegal activity. The narrative emphasises how his initial hacks — from wardialing to bypassing software controls in early games — evolved into a deeper understanding of technology and security.
The article outlines a shift from illicit experimentation to legitimate, defensive work. Juncker’s education – combining computer science with economics – helped him see the business value of secure software and a career protecting systems rather than breaking into them. Health challenges in his twenties further sharpened his focus on meaningful work and a moral compass that he describes as his North Star.
Professionally, he held senior product, R&D and engineering roles at VMware, LANDesk and Ivanti, became Code42’s CTO in 2020, and joined Mimecast following the company’s acquisition of Code42 in July 2024. The piece concludes with Juncker’s view that hackers’ curiosity can be redirected toward strengthening organisations and making the digital world safer.