Linus Torvalds built Git in 10 days – and never imagined it would last 20 years

zdnet.com

3 pointsmaxloh3 comments

I am really amazed by people like Linus. Their focus, smartness, persistence, conviction etc really are unbelievable. Are people like him born or develop - nature or nurture or something else?

I think it is largely nature. Linus has great ability to

1) Identify and resonate deeply with developer issues (like Git, Linux)

2) Focus on executing a usable product in a very short time

So combined it's a really potent ability. If he had the personality he'd probably be a really great founder, but he has chosen to open source all his stuff.

Compare to some other humans of similar nature who are focused on the money. I think Linus has generated more real value, and thus is really worth more to us all.

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