Why Did Berners-Lee Give the Web Away for Free?

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Transcript

00:00You were born in 1955. That's the same year as Bill Gates, also the same year as Steve Jobs.

00:07And unlike them, you gave away your tech and your know-how for very little personal reward by comparison.

00:16Why was that?

00:18If I hadn't given it away for free, then it wouldn't have happened.

00:23There was a big ask. I was asking everybody to put their stuff on the web.

00:26And that's a very, very big ask. You've got to also say, and you have to pay me two cents a click as well.

00:33So how is it that those men have managed to amass enormous fortunes and you haven't?

00:41Well, because my focus has always been on the web itself, on making sure I led the industry consortium of companies building the web.

00:53But leading that, you have to be a neutral party.

00:57So I worked for MIT at the time.

00:59So that's, you know, it's like, but, which is a reasonable, you know, it was a reasonable salary, but it doesn't make you a gazillionaire.

01:09So I'll see you next time.