What the Tech Industry Has Learned from Linus Torvalds: Jim Zemlin at TEDxConcordiaUPortland

Zemlin's career spans three of the largest technology trends to rise over the last decade: mobile computing, cloud computing and open source software. As executive director of The Linux Foundation, he uses this experience to accelerate the adoption of Linux and support the future of computing. Zemlin works with the world's largest technology companies to help define the future of computing on the server, in the cloud and on a variety of new mobile computing devices.

Zemlin has been recognized as a top Linux and open source blogger and is widely quoted in the press on Linux and the changing economics of the technology industry. Zemlin also advises a variety of startups, and sits on the boards of the Global Economic Symposium, Open Source For America and Chinese Open Source Promotion Union.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[swwei]

"Talk is cheap, show me the code." Torvalds said.

[robertperry]

This is really great to hear. My collage education is about 100% individualism in software development, 100% restrictions in how things are done, and 0% code reuse and so watching this video gave me hope that software can be fun once I graduate.

[RelatedGiraffe]

"Lesson 3: Don't have a plan." That's what I have been living by my entire life! This guy has really got it, don't plan anything! :D

[martrex]

The last words are pretty inspiring, the whole speech provides a more down to earth reality about Linux, but this doesn't even begin to describe how mazing Linux truly is. The thing is, Linux is all but down to earth, we're reaching upwards.

[SefraCorrea]

y does m zuckerberg deserve mention along jedi linus ?

[Krishnakumar-wlih]

If RMS was in the audience he would have shouted...

"NOT LINUX... GNU + LINUX"

[fatihkomurlu]

Information should be freely available for everyone for better progress. Linux shows that.

[PaezRice]

Yeah Apple uses free open source software (with a BSD license) to build a closed system with a closed shop where they do NOT allow FOSS apps that are licensed under the GPL (like the VLC media player). You can call this "smart" but i think i could come up with much better words to describe this behaviour ;)

[xia]

This guy sounds exactly like the executives who tries to lead a technical team with no technical background but years of experience of bullshitting. Most of what he said didn't have any actual deep understanding and study to back them. That's probably why Linus doesn't even bother to give a shit about what he says.

[bluehornet]

Wonderful talk--amazing. I can't imagine why this doesn't have a whole bunch of comments?!?!

Very insightful look at just how much of a contribution that Linux has made to the world...and will continue to do so for the next generation or more.

[youtuber-lhks]

I like this Jim dude. He obviously like what he does and most importantly he does not take him self seriously.

[Claymore]

Why isn't there a speech about Dennis Ritchie? He invented C helped developed UNIX, the entire UNIX structure has been re-written in C....

[seemeen]

Windows has disabled many to understand Linus.

[asdfghyter]

Yuck at that graph of 3 companies based on closed, partially open and open software. Please don't draw conclusions based on the correlation between three data points!

[CurtHowland]

"You can enrich yourself and at the same time enrich others."
That has always been the way when the interactions are voluntary.
When the transaction is voluntary, each party gains. Wealth is created by consensual trade, by each person doing what they do best, by the continual process of finding better ways.
It's called "the market".

[samarthkumar]

Any idea on what is the study of university of California about how ideas are created that was referred? Would looove to show it to some people. ;)

[max-sworn]

This is so superficial it's mind-blowing this got on TED.

[NicholasSilva]

this guy wears a hoodie with the same authenticity as when a hippie puts on a suit

[saeedgnu]

Meanwhile my employer in Singapore would not let me use Linux for development because everyone is using Mac, even though all our work was based on open source tech like Go, grpc, docker, kubernetes etc.

[darkhorse]

respect for Linux Torvalds and open source idea !