The Internet Beat Game Theory

In Smart Mobs I think it's interesting that the Internet was created in a way that "self-interest and public goods were identical." This allowed the original hackers that created the Internet to put lots of hard work, creativity and energy into something that was both immediately useful to them and would eventually become incredibly useful and valuable to the public as a whole. By combining the self-interest and public good into one creation, the Internet beat all game theory that trumps the public good for self-interest. I don't really understand how this happened, other than through deliberate decisions and forethought by its creators, but I think it was vital to allowing the Internet to become as large and powerful as it is today. Much thanks is owed to those hackers both for the act of creating the easily expandable networks and for the forethought to make improvements to the 'Net both self-serving and beneficial to the public.