At their core, all bureaucracies are, fundamentally, information systems, containing the ability to store information, compute information, and share information over a network. This means they all can be hacked. In this funny, enriching, and ultimately inspirational talk, the concept of “bureaucracy hacking” will be discussed as a way to make a difference in any organization of any size, even (perhaps most especially) when you feel like “just a cog in the machine.” The talk will be suitable for a novice audience of any background, with high level references to traditional information security, hacking, and of course social engineering principles. What will make it unique and interesting will be particular emphasis on the exploitation of the emergent and unique properties of bureaucracies. It will be most actionable by young, idealistic entrants into the workforce. And, it may yet inspire the younger versions of ourselves inside each of us that our (warranted) cynicism has led us to ignore or forget (at our peril). Stories will come from the speaker’s (and others’) experiences at organizations like Meta, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy, and others. It is intended as a rebuttal to, and toolkit for, countering “Pournelle’s iron law of bureaucracy.”