Vulnerability Research Is Not Cooked w/ Thomas Dullien

About this episode

Thomas Dullien—better known to the cybersecurity world as the legendary Halvar Flake—didn't just participate in the early cracking scene; he helped define it. As a computing mathematician and the mastermind behind BinDiff, Thomas revolutionized how we understand silent patches and reverse engineering. He eventually sold his pioneering company, Zynamics, to Google, but the journey was anything but smooth. In this episode, we get a no-holds-barred look at his origin story, why building a business around reverse engineering is a massive headache, and the excruciating reality of early tech M&As. Plus, Thomas delivers a sobering, provocative take on how agentic AI and infinite compute are about to rewrite the rules of vulnerability research—and why the human element isn't going anywhere anytime soon