Photo: Unknown author / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Linus Torvalds was born on December 28, 1969 in Helsinki, Finland and is credited as a programmer, software developer and writer. As of 2026, Linus Torvalds is 56 years old. Education on record includes University of Helsinki. Awards on record include Millennium Technology Prize (2012), Computer Pioneer Award (2014), Suuret suomalaiset and 5 more. Credited works include Subsurface.
My Take
Linus Torvalds is the kind of person whose impact is almost impossible to overstate — he wrote the Linux kernel as a college student in Helsinki just because he wanted a better operating system for himself, then handed it to the world with a casual "here, do whatever you want with it," and now it runs practically everything from Android phones to the servers behind the internet to the Mars rovers. He also gave us Git almost as a side project, which is now how basically every developer on the planet manages code. He's notoriously blunt, famously uninterested in PR polish, and has never seemed to care much about being likable — he just cares about the work being right. For a guy who's never been a celebrity in any traditional sense, his fingerprints are on more of modern life than almost anyone alive.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Linus Torvalds
- Name (Japanese)
- リーナス・トーバルズ
- Reading
- りーなす・とーばるず
- Born
- December 28, 1969 (age 56)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rooster
- Origin
- Helsinki, Finland
- Occupation
- programmer / software developer / writer / inventor / blogger
2. Background
- University
- University of Helsinki
Awards & achievements
- 2012 Millennium Technology Prize
- 2014 Computer Pioneer Award
- Suuret suomalaiset
- 2000 Lovelace Medal
- 1999 honorary doctor of Stockholm University
- 1998 EFF Award
- 2000 doctor honoris causa of the University of Helsinki
- 2008 Computer History Museum Fellow
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Subsurface |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://torvalds-family.blogspot.com
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%20Torvalds
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8A%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%83%88%E3%83%BC%E3%83%90%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q34253
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Linus Torvalds born?
Born December 28, 1969 (age 56).
Where is Linus Torvalds from?
Linus Torvalds is from Helsinki, Finland.
What does Linus Torvalds do?
Linus Torvalds works as programmer, software developer, writer, inventor, blogger.
What is Linus Torvalds known for?
Notable works include Subsurface.
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