Hackers tend to be libertarians for the same reason that neither the essay nor the 18 comments so far mention demographics more than glancingly: they've stumbled into a high-status/high-reward niche in society, and like most people who do so, they prefer to think that this means they are exceptional. Libertarianism is an ideology for those who fear constraints on their own (self-perceived) excellence more than they fear luck. It attracts mainly those who have had very good luck, and it tells them a bedtime story about how that luck is really talent/accomplishment.
I'm a libertarian because I appreciate how order can develop in seemingly chaotic systems without central control. In human history, this organic order has been shown to provide the best incentives for progress. It causes life to improve for the most people at the fastest rate.
Also, I enjoy living in a free and prosperous society, I want my future children to live in a free and prosperous society, and I think the organic order of the market, which is a product of freedom itself, is the most likely organization of society to preserve freedom and prosperity.
All the alternatives to the market that have been tried throughout history are versions of Plato's philosopher-king. Whether leaders are elected or chosen by birth, the idea is that society needs a few wise people to have more power than everybody else in order to guide the rest. The arguments for a philosopher-king are simple and straight-forward, so many people advocate the idea. However, although arguments for the market are more subtle, I believe evidence and logic shows that the organic order it produces is better for society than order imposed by a philosopher-king. Bottom-up is better than top-down.
I'm not particularly successful, although I guess I am of above-average competence and have a fair chance at success. I resent the implication that I hold the ideas I do for solely self-serving reasons. I don't accuse the billionaire leftists I know of being self-serving.
Well, yeah, that is a particularly negative way of stating it, but mostly true. Most people favor political ideologies that favor them.
(e.g. those who identify with those who are unable to earn much tend to prefer more collectivist ideologies, and to call tallent luck, while those who identify with people who earn a lot tend to support more individualist ideologies, and call luck tallent.)
I think it is somewhat self-reinforcing, a person who believes that it is all a roll of the dice is less likely to put as much effort into self-improvement than someone who doesn't believe in luck.
But then, I don't believe in luck.
A religious friend has suggested that this is because I'm just lucky :)
I've hung out with Libertarian Party regulars in a few different cities. Take an evening sometime and try it yourself. You may reconsider the idea that libertarians are mostly part of a "high-status/high-reward niche".
