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Tim Berners-Lee
1955–Present · Inventor of the World Wide Web
He invented the most valuable technology in human history, and gave it away for free. No patents. No licensing. No billion-dollar IPO. He could have been the richest person who ever lived. Instead, he chose open access for all of humanity. When the world monetizes everything, Berners-Lee proved that the most powerful act of virtue is building something magnificent and refusing to own it.
Quoted in these Footings
VIR-III-0019“Someone gave me too much change and I gave it back.”VER-XIV-0040“My mentor helped me rise but now needs me to stay beneath them.”VER-XIV-0042“My job is basically to oversell an AI product I know is half-broken.”VER-XIV-0043“My friends are warm when I'm down and cold the moment I do well.”VER-XIV-0044“I keep swallowing the truth to keep a peace that only ever costs me.”VIR-III-0052“They handed me the award and I named everyone who built it with me.”