Frustrated with Microsoft and unable to afford Unix, Finnish computer science student Linus Benedict Torvalds (1969–) wrote his own operating system while studying at the University of Helsinki. At just 21, he launched Linux—and gave it away for free.

Torvalds posted the source code online, inviting the world to improve it. Linux quickly became a global project—open-source, evolving, and unstoppable. “I don’t mind Microsoft making money,” he once said. “I mind them having a bad operating system.”

He was named after both Charles Schulz’s Peanuts character and chemist Linus Pauling. Torvalds began programming games on his Commodore VIC-20 at age 10 and never stopped building.

“If you’re good,” he said, “it’s easy to get paid. Good programmers are rare enough that people pay them well. A big part of personal satisfaction is having your work recognized by your peers.”

Linux is registered under a General Public License (GPL) with the Free Software Foundation and has been called “the biggest collaborative project in history.” Thousands have contributed to its code, celebrating the power of connection and shared creativity.

“By sharing information—and even encouraging others to improve it—you open yourself up to continuous innovation,” Torvalds explained. He never expected to be taken so seriously. But he built something the world couldn’t ignore.

✨Linus Torvalds is honored on the Top 100 Innovators list for giving the world Linux—freely, fearlessly, and for the greater good. 🌍💡