Evolving from Cyberpunk to Solarpunk: Actionable Guidance from hacker for hope into the future

Michael Goetzman, a Wisconsin-based security leader who was previously CISO at Master Lock and head of security for the Americas at Cushman and Wakefield, argues that cyberpunk as a hacker identity has run its course and proposes solarpunk, decentralized, nature-integrated technology built for community abundance rather than corporate control, as a more useful North Star. He grounds this in practical IoT product-security lessons from manufacturing padlocks and smart-building systems: get PCB design and power efficiency right from the start since retrofitting is nearly impossible, budget for supply-chain volatility, stress-test devices physically before mass production, plan end-of-life and failure states, and expect cost pressure and patchwork regulation to push teams toward cutting corners unless leadership is held accountable. He recommends hiring passionate hobbyists, running private bug bounties, and building security culture by making the work genuinely fun, such as sending staff to DEF CON, rather than mandatory. He closes with household examples, power-monitoring sensors, a water-leak shutoff device, and rooftop solar panels, as concrete ways individuals can start decentralizing their own energy use, and lists right-to-repair and light pollution as extensions of the same philosophy.