From Start-Up to Grown-Up

#95: From Startup to Grown-Up: Bob Young, co-founder of Red Hat - The origin of Open Source; the key to life and startup success, and how failure can fuel you.

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Jul 1, 2025
Bob Young, co-founder of Red Hat and a pioneer of open source software, shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey. He discusses how Red Hat evolved from a simple CD to a billion-dollar enterprise, emphasizing the importance of customer problem-solving. Young reflects on the financial risks he took, including racking up credit card debt, and stresses that failure can be a stepping stone to success. He also advocates for capitalism as a force for good and explores the significance of personal relationships in navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
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INSIGHT

Business as a Force for Good

  • A for-profit company can make the world better by serving customers well.
  • Money follows measurable value creation for customers.
INSIGHT

Open Source Business Model Pioneer

  • Red Hat pioneered a profitable open source business model.
  • Software vendors formerly controlled users by restricting source code access.
INSIGHT

Internet as Largest Open Source Project

  • The internet is the world’s largest open source project.
  • Linux is the second largest, powering most internet infrastructure.
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