On this day in history, August 25, 1991, a 21-year-old Linus Torvalds made a groundbreaking announcement on an online forum. He had created a new operating system, one that was free and open-source, and he sought user feedback to enhance it. Despite his modest description of it as ‘just a hobby’ and not ‘big and professional like GNU,’ this creation would soon astound and inspire the technology industry with its disruptive power.

Torvalds was a student at the University of Helsinki when he announced Linux. At the time, the Unix operating system had a near-monopoly and kept raising prices. Torvalds, inspired by the GNU Project’s similar motivation to create a free and open-source operating system, wanted to encourage developers to create new things. The GNU Project, which started in 1983, had a similar goal but had stalled. Torvalds used pieces of GNU and some aspects of Unix to build Linux.

Under the GNU Project, Linux was licensed, and its journey to success began. A community of developers quickly formed, united in their goal to advance the system and create new ecosystems. Torvalds, with his creation, almost single-handedly broke Unix’s monopoly, as commercial users flocked to Linux for its freedom and lack of licensing restrictions. Today, Linux stands as the foundation of a diverse range of operating systems, from servers to cell phones to embedded devices, a testament to the power of collaboration in the tech world.

A college student’s ‘hobby’ completely disrupted the technology industry. It knocked down an industry giant and proved that collaborative, volunteer-based projects gave creative freedom for incredible innovations. Today, we appreciate Torvalds’ full-time dedication to Linux as an employee of the Linux Foundation.