--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Web took off in all its glory because…" description: "\"The Web took off in all its glory because it was a royalty-free infrastructure . . . When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg" --- # The Web took off in all its glory because it was a… ![“The Web took off in all its glory because it was a royalty-free infrastructure . . . When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end in the U.S.A. If we had a situation in which the…” quote by Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg) > “The Web took off in all its glory because it was a royalty-free infrastructure . . . When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end in the U.S.A. If we had a situation in which the U.S. had serious flaws in its Net Neutrality, and Europe did have Net Neutrality, and I were trying to start a company, then I would be very tempted to move.” [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Web succeeded because it was open and free, but threats to net neutrality could force innovators to relocate. **In simple terms:** Open web enabled growth; loss of neutrality may drive creators away. Key Takeaway Protect net neutrality to keep innovation local. Themes open internet innovation policy competition Mood concerned optimistic defensive Type policy warning strategic When to use this quote - startup founders - policy makers - tech investors - digital rights activists Key Concepts net neutrality digital sovereignty entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - How would stricter net neutrality affect your business? - What alternatives exist to preserve an open web? A Different Perspective If neutrality is lost, other regions may become more attractive, reducing U.S. tech leadership. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Free Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-infrastructure-2662889/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Infrastructure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infrastructure/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Invented Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-web-1681514/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Net neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/net-neutrality/) [Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Permission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permission/) [Royalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royalty/) [Royalty Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royalty-free-4389386/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Tempted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tempted/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Web Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web-took-5588940/) [Worried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/when-i-invented-the-web-i-didn-t-have-to-ask-anyone-s-permission-now/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Most larger companies now see that for the market to grow, Web infrastructure must be royalty-free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/most-larger-companies-now-see-that-for-the-market-to-grow-web/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [I invented the Web just because I needed it, really, because it was so frustrating that it didn't exit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/i-invented-the-web-just-because-i-needed-it-really-because-it-was-so/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [People are free or cheap. Marketing: using Twitter or blogs. Cheap or free. Infrastructure: call up Amazon, call up Rackspace, terabytes of data in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/people-are-free-or-cheap-marketing-using-twitter-or-blogs-cheap-or/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“Meanwhile, large corporations have invented a Web genre that combines and remediates a number of forms, including the promotional ad or brochure, the stockholder's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-david-bolter/meanwhile-large-corporations-have-invented-a-web-genre-that-combines/) [Jay David Bolter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-david-bolter/) > [Net neutrality isn't a government takeover of the Internet, as many of my Republican colleagues have alleged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/net-neutrality-isn-t-a-government-takeover-of-the-internet-as-many-of/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [To go back to a 1950s voice mentality with Title II and net neutrality would be a tremendous mistake for our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-chambers/to-go-back-to-a-1950s-voice-mentality-with-title-ii-and-net/) [John T. Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [I am a big advocate of what is known as net neutrality. This means that providers are compelled to transmit content without political or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-maiziere/i-am-a-big-advocate-of-what-is-known-as-net-neutrality-this-means/) [Thomas de Maiziere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-maiziere/) > [I'm very active in pushing for net neutrality and an open Internet. There are countless other causes I support personally and privately, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-kulash/i-m-very-active-in-pushing-for-net-neutrality-and-an-open-internet/) [Damian Kulash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-kulash/) > [A liberated Internet will continue to be a reality in your life (and in the lives of your children) if rules like Net Neutrality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/a-liberated-internet-will-continue-to-be-a-reality-in-your-life-and/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [If we didn't have Net neutrality, carriers could do things like penalize companies that use a lot of bandwidth or create high-speed lanes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/if-we-didn-t-have-net-neutrality-carriers-could-do-things-like/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [When the Obama administration passed the net neutrality rules in 2015, even when we were winning, I favored trying to get these rules in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/when-the-obama-administration-passed-the-net-neutrality-rules-in-2015/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [I think the Internet has developed at this incredibly rapid pace because of net neutrality, because of the free nature of it, because a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-think-the-internet-has-developed-at-this-incredibly-rapid-pace/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [President Obama is a big supporter of keeping the Internet open. During his presidential campaign, he pledged his support to net neutrality repeatedly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-ammori/president-obama-is-a-big-supporter-of-keeping-the-internet-open/) [Marvin Ammori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-ammori/) > [Net neutrality is at the core of what we love about the Internet. Put simply, it allows any individual or business equal access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/net-neutrality-is-at-the-core-of-what-we-love-about-the-internet-put/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) ## More by Tim Berners-Lee > [When something is such a creative medium as the web, the limits to it are our imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/when-something-is-such-a-creative-medium-as-the-web-the-limits-to-it/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [You can’t propose that something be a universal space and at the same time keep control of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/you-can-t-propose-that-something-be-a-universal-space-and-at-the-same/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Physicists analyse systems. Web scientists, however, can create the systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/physicists-analyse-systems-web-scientists-however-can-create-the/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [AI is not just heading for our industry, it will radically change the machinery we use in marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/ai-is-not-just-heading-for-our-industry-it-will-radically-change-the/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Web pages are designed for people. For the Semantic Web, we need to look at existing databases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-pages-are-designed-for-people-for-the-semantic-web-we-need-to/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [One of the issues of social networking silos is that they have the data and I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/one-of-the-issues-of-social-networking-silos-is-that-they-have-the/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [The more you enter, the more you become locked in. Your social-networking site becomes a central platform - a closed silo of content, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/the-more-you-enter-the-more-you-become-locked-in-your-social/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Celebrity damages private life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/celebrity-damages-private-life/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [I think, in general, it's clear that most bad things come from misunderstanding, and communication is generally the way to resolve misunderstandings - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/i-think-in-general-it-s-clear-that-most-bad-things-come-from/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [When somebody has learned how to program a computer ... You're joining a group of people who can do incredible things. They can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/when-somebody-has-learned-how-to-program-a-computer-you-re-joining-a/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [I'm an optimist about humanity in general, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/i-m-an-optimist-about-humanity-in-general-i-suppose/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/anyone-who-has-lost-track-of-time-when-using-a-computer-knows-the/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Universality has been the key enabler of innovation on the Web and will continue to be so in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/universality-has-been-the-key-enabler-of-innovation-on-the-web-and/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [What is a Web year now, about three months? And when people can browse around, discover new things, and download them fast, when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/what-is-a-web-year-now-about-three-months-and-when-people-can-browse/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) [Explore all 134 Tim Berners-Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Web took off in all its glory because it was a royalty-free infrastructure . . . When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end in the U.S.A. If we had a situation in which the U.S. had serious flaws in its Net Neutrality, and Europe did have Net Neutrality, and I were trying to start a company, then I would be very tempted to move.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Berners-Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-because-it-was-a-royalty-free/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-because-it-was-a-royalty-free/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/tim-berners-lee-3302_asks_the-web-took-off-in-all-its-glory-becaus_2327948.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Web took off in all its glory because it was a royalty-free infrastructure . . . 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