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About this quote

What does it mean?
A humorous self-deprecating comment attributing Linux success to myths rather than personal effort.
In plain terms
I was just a front for myths.
What can you take from it?
Success is often credited to more than the visible leader.

Where it applies

  • tech interviews
  • community acknowledgments

Putting it to work

  • acknowledge collaborators
  • humor in tech culture

Questions to consider

  • Who really builds tech?
  • How do we credit work?

Another view

It minimizes the actual hard work and leadership involved.

More from Linus Torvalds

  1. The memory management on the PowerPC can be used to frighten small children.

    Permalink to quote #70
  2. Let's put it this way: if you need to ask a lawyer whether what you do is 'right' or not, you are morally corrupt. Let's not go there. We don't base our morali…

    Permalink to quote #72
  3. If you want to travel around the world and be invited to speak at a lot of different places, just write a Unix operating system.

    Permalink to quote #69

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