I grew up in the piracy era, if the code is possible to get and I want it, I get the code and do what I want. What is this license everyone keeps talking about?

I grew up in the piracy era, if the code is possible to get and I want it, I get the code and do what I want. What is this license everyone keeps talking about? Never read one of those. Seems like a lot of wasted time and energy to me. I'd rather use that time and energy to building something cool. If I gotta be anon to do that, I'm black as night. This legal shit is for bean counter types. I get shit done for a living.