Skip to content

A couple of years ago this guy called Ken Brown wrote a…

“A couple of years ago this guy called Ken Brown wrote a book saying that Linus stole Linux from me It later came out that Microsoft had paid him to do this” quote by Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Download Open image
“A couple of years ago this guy called Ken Brown wrote a book saying that Linus stole Linux from me It later came out that Microsoft had paid him to do this”

Andrew S. Tanenbaum

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker claims a former colleague falsely accused Linus Torvalds of plagiarism, later revealed as a paid smear campaign by Microsoft.

In simple terms: Alleged plagiarism claim was a paid smear.

Key Takeaway

Beware of corporate‑funded misinformation.

Themes

authorship technology corporate influence reputation media manipulation

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

controversial historical

When to use this quote

  • software development meetings
  • tech journalism
  • industry conferences

Key Concepts

intellectual property open source conflict of interest

Practical Applications

  • historical analysis of open‑source origins
  • risk assessment for corporate PR

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does corporate funding affect credibility?
  • What safeguards protect open‑source narratives?
A Different Perspective

No verifiable evidence supports the claim; it appears to be a rumor.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Explore all 24 Andrew S. Tanenbaum quotes

More Book quotes

Browse all 29,378 Book quotes