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Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

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Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#71

Post by ma2rten »

yason wrote: post #69
pessimist wrote: post #8

RedHat's $1m stock is his only big payout, apparently. Rather sad, considering the number of mid-level facebook engineers who will become many times as rich in a few months.

I think that the only reason you actually want lots of money is that you can do what you desire and not have to worry about spending time to actually make a living. Torvalds at least has that covered.

The other reason is so that you can buy expensive stuff to impress your peers, but Linus found another way to impress his peers as well.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#72

Post by creamyhorror »

noonespecial wrote: post #16
pessimist wrote: post #8

RedHat's $1m stock is his only big payout, apparently. Rather sad, considering the number of mid-level facebook engineers who will become many times as rich in a few months.

It would be a tragedy if he had to spend his time managing a bunch of money he can't take with him anyway instead of doing what he loves and benefiting us all. It would be as big a waste as if he was broke and had to flip burgers to make ends meet. This is a rare case where reality seems to actually be optimized for all involved. We, the collective we, have done exceptionally well in this deal, and Linus probably has…

You make it sound like such an onerous task to manage tens of millions of dollars. Sure he might feel the need to spend some time on it - but he might just as likely leave it to an investment manager or put it in an index fund. Or even invest some of it in a startup or two.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#73

Post by kaens »

sk5t wrote: post #64
femto wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stallmann got a MacArthur Fellowship, worth USD240,000 in 1990 [1], and a Grace Murray Hopper Award and a Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award, which had some money attached. Torvalds and Stallmann also had a share of a 100 million yen prize in 2001. It's not quite in the Zuckerberg league, but it at least means he shouldn't have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. [1] http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N30/rms.30n.html

Really? If all I had realized over 22 years was ~US$1.24MM, with nothing else in the pipeline, I'd be seriously concerned about my financial well-being.

Seriously? That's well above many people who are perfectly comfortable with their financial status and do not feel it to be a burden on their lives.

I suppose it's a subjective thing, but it strikes me as a bit much.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#74

Post by rmc »

noonespecial wrote: post #16
pessimist wrote: post #8

RedHat's $1m stock is his only big payout, apparently. Rather sad, considering the number of mid-level facebook engineers who will become many times as rich in a few months.

It would be a tragedy if he had to spend his time managing a bunch of money he can't take with him anyway instead of doing what he loves and benefiting us all. It would be as big a waste as if he was broke and had to flip burgers to make ends meet. This is a rare case where reality seems to actually be optimized for all involved. We, the collective we, have done exceptionally well in this deal, and Linus probably has…

You only need to spend time managing money if you want to make the most of it.

If you plonk €Xmillion in a bank account getting 2% interest per year, you can forget about it and you and your family can live quite happily.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#75

Post by rmc »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #9
pessimist wrote: post #8

RedHat's $1m stock is his only big payout, apparently. Rather sad, considering the number of mid-level facebook engineers who will become many times as rich in a few months.

Which of those will be remembered in 200 years. Wanna be the richest guy in the graveyard?

"The man who dies rich, dies disgraced" Andrew Carnegie

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#76

Post by Newky »

ecaradec wrote: post #17
comice wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as always though, what would more money actually buy him? Early retirement from something he seems to love doing?

I agree but it's still a bit sad to see such a giant gap between the value he brought to the world and the value he retired from it.

He seems ultimately very comfortable with the way he is living, feel free to prove me wrong but I do not remember seeing any point where he expresses a desire for more money.

I think this community as a whole at times, sees the end goal of money too much as the incentive and can often forget that it is mostly about keeping your head above water, and if doing so you manage to be happy doing what you are doing then that is a massive advantage.

Luckily for the vast majority of us who work in tech, our jobs could equally be said to be our hobbies, I frequently come home from a day of programming to start into a side project. I would much rather work on the wage I'm currently earning, than earn twice as much working in a different field where I cannot wait for the weekend and every morning seems like a struggle.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#77

Post by RyanMcGreal »

sk5t wrote: post #63
mountaineer wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 6000 sq ft house in LO, the most affluent city in Oregon, would run a couple million dollars probably. Throw in the Mercedes and I think he's carved some money out over the years.

I will posit that nobody any significant distance from the west coast knows what "LO" is meant to signify. A little research suggests Lake Oswego, but really...

FTFA:

> He lives with his wife Tove, three kids, a cat, a dog, a snake, a goldfish, a bunny and a pet rat in a comfortable 6,000 square foot home just north of Portland’s tony Lake Oswego neighborhood.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#78

Post by RyanMcGreal »

sk5t wrote: post #64
femto wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stallmann got a MacArthur Fellowship, worth USD240,000 in 1990 [1], and a Grace Murray Hopper Award and a Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award, which had some money attached. Torvalds and Stallmann also had a share of a 100 million yen prize in 2001. It's not quite in the Zuckerberg league, but it at least means he shouldn't have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. [1] http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N30/rms.30n.html

Really? If all I had realized over 22 years was ~US$1.24MM, with nothing else in the pipeline, I'd be seriously concerned about my financial well-being.

It works out to $56K a year, which is significantly above the American median household income. This also assumes Stallman didn't have any other sources of income or income-equivalent over that period.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#79

Post by ttt_ »

kamaal wrote: post #68
zerostar07 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Millions of tourists who pay tributes to graves and memorials would disagree

None of that would matter for the 'dead guy' in the graveyard. What matters is your experiences when your alive. What matters more? The rich guy gets a more comfortable coffin too!

>> None of that would matter for the 'dead guy' in the graveyard.

That's up for the 'dead guy' and his beliefs to consider.

Re: Linus Torvalds: The King of Geeks (And Dad of 3)

#80

Post by itmag »

ma2rten wrote: post #71
yason wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that the only reason you actually want lots of money is that you can do what you desire and not have to worry about spending time to actually make a living. Torvalds at least has that covered.

The other reason is so that you can buy expensive stuff to impress your peers, but Linus found another way to impress his peers as well.

The third reason is so you can change the world.
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