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Pakistan’s Forgotten Piracy Subculture | Mohammed Abdullah | TEDxBAU Cyprus

This talk explores how piracy in early 2000s Pakistan unexpectedly became a tool for tech democratization, enabling youth to access and learn digital skills outside formal systems. Muhammad Abdullah is a third-year software engineering student with a love for building things that probably shouldn’t work—but somehow do. From crafting mobile apps to porting DOOM to a PlayStation 3 “just for fun,” Abdullah thrives on pushing technical boundaries. His work straddles the line between innovation and mischief, reflecting a generation that grew up on cracked software and limitless curiosity. When he's not debugging, he’s deep-diving into subcultures where tech, creativity, and rule-breaking collide. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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