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The Man Who Wrote the Rules of Freedom for Software
You might have heard Linux Torvalds’ name a dozen times, but you might not have heard of Richard Stallman. And that is a pity! (This is a longer story, so please stay to the end about the 2026 interview that almost happened.)
In the sprawling, sterilized history of the digital age, Richard Matthew Stallman (RMS) exists as a singular, indigestible singularity. He is the ghost in the machine of modern computing, a figure whose code runs the internet but whose philosophy is actively rejected by the corporations that profit from it. To understand the trajectory of the twenty-first century’s technological infrastructure, one must confront the paradox of Stallman: he is simultaneously the industry’s most revered architect and its most ostracized pariah. He built the foundation, but he refuses to enter the building.
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Towards the end of January 2026, I emailed Richard for an interview. I don’t have high hopes, but to enhance my odds I added a personal note “I saw your presentation when I was a graduate student in Australian National University in Canberra where you wore the cape.”