Are hackers working all over the software industry?

Computer are among the brightest minds in the software industry, so many are hired by big-name software companies. Then they dance the awkward dance of dual identities, engineer by day, hacker by night. The consequences of a misstep in that dance can be severe, as a hacker calling himself "VallaH" learned last week. In his case, a visit from the FBI meant the loss of his job at Microsoft, and a new focus on the role of hackers at work. J. Roberson, 19, was a self-described "angry little kid" two years ago, fairly well-known as VallaH on the hacking scene, dabbling in writing hacker software tools. At his worst, he says, he wrote software that crashed victim_s computers, forcing them to reboot. Then a Microsoft employee saw his programming code, was duly impressed and invited VallaH to Redmond, Wash. Over time, Roberson was convinced to put his skills to good use and took the job. He_s spent the past year working on Windows 2000, testing for interoperability with Unix systems - his specialty. But he also stayed involved in the hacker "scene." He says he hadn_t done anything illegal since taking his job at Microsoft; in fact he says he spent his time trying to convince other "angry little kids" that they could be creative instead of destructive. But someone passed his "handle" to the FBI recently. Then his Seattle-area apartment was raided May 26 in the hacker sweep, and VallaH_s life instantly changed. His assignment at Microsoft was immediately terminated - he_s now pleading his case with the company, hoping to get a new assignment. Are other "hackers" working at Microsoft? Does the company recruit in the underbelly of the Internet, places like Internet Relay Chat rooms set up for hackers? The company wouldn_t say. "We don_t recruit people who are involved in illegal activities," spokesman Adam Sohn said. "But did one computer scientist see [VallaH_s code] and thought, gee, this is ... great work, we should get this person? Surely that may happen." Other software firms wouldn_t discuss company policies about hiring hackers when contacted for this article - but hackers say the practice is common and complicated.