It might seem that way but a few observations. The number of people in total hacking away is much much larger now. So the absolute numbers are probably similar or more, while in relative terms you’re probably right. But my observation with a young hacker in the house is there’s a lot of appreciation for how the machine really works amongst many kids. The high level glossy stuff doesn’t appeal as much as ripping the cover off and poking memory locations. I think this shows up in the amazing prevalence of electronics hacking these days, low power computing, etc. This is the best time to be a hacker, the tools at all levels are amazing. But real nerds like you and I are just as rare as ever, and can’t resist ripping the lids off.

There has never been a time in history of this planet with more people possessing those capabilities.

The team that won Disobey’s CTF this year was very young. I don’t have a perfect eye for age, but I’d say the average age for the large group was around 20-25

I used Ghidra while I was in school to crack a copy of a CAD program- took forever but was totally worth it

Those young ones in a prior generation would be kicking sand in the nerds face. Not every human will be a nerd, only a tiny fraction will have the true calling. But once called, they can’t help but rip back the veil and hack.

I think AI will make every complicated process much more accessible as you can interact with a, rounds to free, teacher that can explain each piece in the appropriate level of detail for your skill level.