Linus Torvalds
termops cultureprogramming
The Finnish student who announced a free operating-system kernel on the comp.os.minix newsgroup in August 1991 - 'just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu' - and who, in 2005, wrote Git in about ten days after the kernel lost access to its proprietary version-control system.
Two artifacts, both now infrastructure for the entire industry: the kernel that runs most servers, all Android phones and most of the cloud, and the version-control model every developer uses daily. His method is as influential as his code - merciless public review on a mailing list, a benevolent-dictator model of governance, and a famous temper he publicly stepped back to address in 2018. Where Stallman argued ethics, Torvalds argued engineering, and between them the movement got both halves.
Also known as: linux creator, git author, just a hobby