TL;DR
A year-end tally of individual bloggers on Hacker News ranks Simon Willison first for the third year running, followed by Jeff Geerling, Sean Goedecke, Brian Krebs and Neal Agarwal. The list highlights different successful approaches — prolific link-blogging, polished video-to-text posts, explanatory essays about tech orgs, investigative reporting, and interactive web projects.
What happened
Reporter Michael Lynch compiled Hacker News’ most popular individual bloggers for 2025, counting people who publish personal blogs rather than corporate or team blogs. Simon Willison retained the top spot for a third consecutive year; his output included more than 1,000 short posts in 2025, of which 118 were full-length articles. Jeff Geerling placed second in a very close race, with his posts totaling 10,813 upvotes; he pairs a large YouTube audience with blog posts crafted for a text readership. Sean Goedecke emerged as a breakout blogger after a late-2024 hit, publishing 140 posts in 2025 and getting 47 front-page appearances. Brian Krebs remained a steady top-10 presence with investigative cybersecurity reporting, and Neal Agarwal succeeded with interactive pieces that consistently reached the front page. The article also notes other standouts such as John Gruber, Mahad Kalam and Byran Huang.
Why it matters
- Individual bloggers continue to shape discussion on Hacker News outside of corporate channels.
- Different formats can succeed: concise link-commentary, long-form explainers, investigative reporting, and interactive projects all drew attention.
- Prolific publication and adapting content to the text medium (rather than auto-transcribed videos) appear to improve visibility.
- Moderation and community responses can swiftly affect the visibility of politically charged posts.
Key facts
- Simon Willison finished #1 for the third straight year and published over 1,000 posts in 2025, including 118 full-length articles.
- Jeff Geerling placed #2 with a total of 10,813 upvotes across his posts and is also a YouTube creator with over 1 million subscribers.
- Sean Goedecke published 140 posts in 2025; 47 of those reached the Hacker News front page after he gained traction following a late-2024 article.
- Brian Krebs remained one of Hacker News’ long-running top bloggers, appearing in the top 10 for 11 of the past 12 years; one of his politically focused posts was removed from the front page after flags.
- Neal Agarwal’s interactive projects all reached the front page in 2025, with about half peaking at #1; his 'Stimulation Clicker' ranked as the fourth most popular post of the year.
- The race for spots near the top was close: Jeff edged the #3 blogger by 9 upvote points (a 0.08% margin), and the #4 finisher was about 100 points behind.
- John Gruber ranked #6, marking his best year on Hacker News since 2011 and his first top-10 appearance since 2020.
- Mahad Kalam finished the year at #21 with a single post that became the top post of the year; Byran Huang followed him with another single post that ranked as the #3 most upvoted post of 2025.
What to watch next
- Rankings could still shift after publication because older posts can continue to accrue upvotes over time.
- How moderation decisions affect the visibility of political or sensitive topics on Hacker News.
- not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Hacker News: A social-news website focused on technology and entrepreneurship where users submit links and discuss them; visibility is determined by community voting and moderation.
- Link blog: A blog format that shares interesting links with brief commentary, often valued for curating and contextualizing web content.
- Front page: The set of posts on Hacker News that receive enough upvotes and visibility to appear prominently for the community.
- Upvote: A user action signaling approval or support for a post; aggregate upvotes influence a post’s ranking and visibility.
Reader FAQ
How were bloggers counted for this list?
The list counts individuals who publish personal blogs rather than company or team blogs; examples were explained in the methodology page.
Who was the top blogger on Hacker News in 2025?
Simon Willison ranked first for the third consecutive year.
Can these rankings change after they were published?
Yes. The source notes that past stories can continue to accrue upvotes, so positions could flip after the cutoff.
Why did Jeff Geerling perform well?
He combined a large YouTube audience with blog posts written to suit text readers rather than auto-generated transcripts.
The Most Popular Blogs of Hacker News in 2025 by Michael Lynch, published January 2, 2026 With 2025 wrapped up, I can finally answer a question I’m curious about every…
Sources
- The Most Popular Blogs of Hacker News in 2025
- The most popular blogs of Hacker News in 2025
- Top personal blogs on Hacker News in 2025, by points
- HN Popularity Contest
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