She is a former staff member of The New York Times, and has written articles and books on subjects including technology and history.
Hafner's first book was Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier (1991), an exploration of youth computer-hacking in three parts, co-written with John Markoff.
[8] Her sixth book, Mother Daughter Me (2013), a memoir about trying to live with her mother and her teenage daughter in a house in San Francisco,[9] was named one of "Ten Titles to Pick Up Now" in the August 2013 issue of O Magazine and was on other lists of recommendations including Parade magazine's 2013 "Summer Reading List".
[citation needed] Hafner is co-executive producer and host of the podcast series Lost Women of Science.
[16] The first season tells the story of Dr. Dorothy Andersen, the first person to identify and describe cystic fibrosis.
[17] The second season is the story of Klára Dán von Neumann, one of the first women to work as a computer programmer.