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> I would guess Linus has generated as much worth as Microsoft Microsoft makes everything from game consoles to ERP systems while Linus created one part of an

> I would guess Linus has generated as much worth as Microsoft Microsoft makes everything from game consoles to ERP systems while Linus created one part of an operating system and a source control system. Linus certainly captured less of the economic value he created than Microsoft’s founders shareholders but Microsoft has generated much, much more (economic) value.

robocat 1y ago
Well, I'll pick a similar counterexample then. Microsoft valued Github at over $7.5 billion in stock at acquisition. git was developed by Linus, subsequently generating economic value for Microsoft. What was git worth economically? Did Microsoft pay Linus for any of the value it received?
- firesteelrain 1y ago
  Git is foundational. GitHub added value by building collaboration tools, UIs, CI/CD integration, and a social coding layer on top of Git. Git is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v2), which allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute it freely under its terms. It’s an infrastructure that others build on.
- maratc 1y ago
  There is tremendous value in git, however you need to take into consideration the fact that 100% of the people and companies who pay GitHub (and thus, generate value for Microsoft) have the option of just using git without GitHub, for $0. This causes me to think that what these people are actually paying for is GitHub, and not git. Which causes me to think that, when Microsoft valued Github at over $7.5 billion, that value reflected the value of GitHub sans git. Linus is in business of advancing the humanity, without making billions in the process. I can only salute him for that.
Miraste 1y ago
I'm not sure about that. Linux runs effectively the entire internet, as well as the majority of personal computing devices (there are more Android phones out there than Windows PCs and iPhones combined), and everything from rockets to toasters. That's a lot of economic value.

robocat 1y ago

Well, I'll pick a similar counterexample then. Microsoft valued Github at over $7.5 billion in stock at acquisition. git was developed by Linus, subsequently generating economic value for Microsoft. What was git worth economically? Did Microsoft pay Linus for any of the value it received?

firesteelrain 1y ago
Git is foundational. GitHub added value by building collaboration tools, UIs, CI/CD integration, and a social coding layer on top of Git. Git is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v2), which allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute it freely under its terms. It’s an infrastructure that others build on.
maratc 1y ago
There is tremendous value in git, however you need to take into consideration the fact that 100% of the people and companies who pay GitHub (and thus, generate value for Microsoft) have the option of just using git without GitHub, for $0. This causes me to think that what these people are actually paying for is GitHub, and not git. Which causes me to think that, when Microsoft valued Github at over $7.5 billion, that value reflected the value of GitHub sans git. Linus is in business of advancing the humanity, without making billions in the process. I can only salute him for that.

Miraste 1y ago

I'm not sure about that. Linux runs effectively the entire internet, as well as the majority of personal computing devices (there are more Android phones out there than Windows PCs and iPhones combined), and everything from rockets to toasters. That's a lot of economic value.