
Photo: Christopher Michel from San Francisco, USA / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Tim O'Reilly is one of those figures whose influence I feel more than I see, because he shaped the vocabulary we use rather than a product we hold. Founding O'Reilly Media, he popularized the terms open source and Web 2.0, and I think naming a movement is its own kind of power. What I find interesting is his Irish-Cork roots paired with a Harvard education and a career that bridges publishing, writing, and computer science. He sits at the intersection of ideas and technology, and to me that explains why his books and conferences became required reading for a whole generation of developers.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Tim O'Reilly
- Name (Japanese)
- ティム・オライリー
- Reading
- てぃむ・おらいりー
- Born
- June 6, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Horse
- Origin
- Cork, County Cork, Ireland
- Occupation
- publisher / writer / computer scientist / engineer / businessperson
2. Background
- University
- Harvard College
Awards & achievements
- 2007 White Camel award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Tim O'Reilly born?
Born June 6, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Tim O'Reilly from?
Tim O'Reilly is from Cork, County Cork, Ireland.
What does Tim O'Reilly do?
Tim O'Reilly works as publisher, writer, computer scientist, engineer, businessperson.
Publisher — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from Ireland →
7. 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.