I once compared Linus Torvalds' net worth to Warren Buffett's net worth. I think... (2024)

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I once compared Linus Torvalds' net worth to Warren Buffett's net worth. I think...? ›

I once compared Linus Torvalds' net worth to Warren Buffett's net worth. I think they are both extremely capable individuals in their fields. Torvalds earns about 10 million per year. With that income, it would take Torvalds 12k years to reach the same net worth as Buffett (about 124 billion).

Berkshire Hathaway CEO and chairman Warren Buffett's net worth is an estimated $135 billion. He's the world's 10th-richest person, per Bloomberg, above Michael Dell and the Walton siblings. Buffett is known for living modestly and being one of the world's most generous philanthropists.

He is the creative genius behind the Linux kernel operating system that he wrote as part of his Master's thesis titled Linux: A Portable Operating System aged 21.

He enrolled at the University of Helsinki in 1988, graduating with a master's degree in computer science. His M.Sc. thesis was titled Linux: A Portable Operating System. An avid computer programmer, Linus authored many gaming applications in his early years.

He gets his money, from companies, paying him for technical support, from Redhat shares and from public speaking. He was smart enough to realise that he could eventually make some money, whilst getting 13,000 contributors to continue the evolution of Linux, for free.

Despite being the sixth-richest person globally, Warren Buffett continues to drive a 2014 Cadillac XTS he purchased with hail damage. Although he can afford any luxury vehicle, Buffett prefers the practicality of his 10-year-old car.

It's been estimated that Linus Torvalds has an IQ of around 160, but it has never been officially published.

Sure Linus could have tried to nickle and dime people … He could have started an early Linux company, time with VA Linux and Redhat, but he did not want to. Redhat just gave him stocks, so he is very well off. He could be working with pretty much anything and making tons of money, he does not want to.

I once compared Linus Torvalds' net worth to Warren Buffett's net worth. I think they are both extremely capable individuals in their fields. Torvalds earns about 10 million per year. With that income, it would take Torvalds 12k years to reach the same net worth as Buffett (about 124 billion).

Why is Linus called Git? ›

The name "git" was given by Linus Torvalds when he wrote the very first version. He described the tool as "the stupid content tracker" and the name as (depending on your mood): random three-letter combination that is pronounceable, and not actually used by any common UNIX command.

Linus Torvalds owns the copyright to the name Linux, but anyone can create a distribution of Linux by combining various open source components.

These days, when he's on the road, Torvalds is using an Apple MacBook Air with an M2 processor. On this hot new machine, he runs Fedora Workstation 36. He can't recommend this for mere mortals yet. There was no Fedora port for the ARM-64 M2 processor, so he did it himself.

What has Linus Sebastian invested in? Linus Sebastian has invested in Framework within the Computers, Parts and Peripherals industry.

Unfortunately, Susan ultimately died after having a stroke in 2004, leaving both Warren and Astrid grief-stricken. Following Susan's death, Astrid became more involved in Warren's public life.

Wealth and Philanthropy

Buffett stunned the world in June 2006 when he announced the donation of the vast majority of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on world health concerns, U.S. libraries, and global schools, among other issues. It is one of the world's largest transparent charities.

That's up substantially from the $84.5 billion net worth Buffett had at the time Housel's book was published in 2020. Most of that wealth came in Buffett's later years, Housel wrote, with $84.2 billion after he turned 50 and $81.5 billion after he turned 65.

Why does Buffett make so little? The world-famous investor has requested a $100,000 annual salary with no bonus or stock awards for over 40 years. That's a tiny amount compared with the roughly $17 million average compensation among S&P 500 CEOs in 2022.