Are you familiar with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the CEO of popular company Inrupt? There’s a better than average chance that you know at least a few things about him, but you might not know some of the most important things that have helped him shape his career and to a certain extent, even his personal life. If you want to know more about someone who genuinely changed the face of the way virtually every person on the planet lives, keep reading. Here are 10 things about him that you might not have known before.
1. He is a world-renowned computer scientist
For the entirety of his adult life, he has been one of the best computer scientists in existence. As a matter of fact, he’s always had a knack for being able to figure out things about computers that other people simply don’t understand, even those who have a background in this type of thing and who have a genuine talent for figuring out some of the most difficult problems associated with computer operation. If there’s a problem that no one else can figure out, it’s usually something that Berners-Lee can sort out in a relatively short amount of time.
2. He invented the internet
As far as changing the world, few people can say that they have done so in the same manner that he has. He actually invented the World Wide Web in 1989. It’s funny to look back on that time now, as many people scoffed at the idea, believing that it wouldn’t catch on. So many people thought that it was just going to be a fleeting thing that would be around for a few months or maybe even a couple of years, and then disappear. At the time, no one had the slightest idea that his invention would change things the way that it has, allowing people to go to school and work differently than they ever had in the past and changing the way that society interacts with one another. At the time, many people thought that he was just some crazy scientist who finally went over the edge.
3. He’s received a number of awards
He’s been knighted by the Queen of England and received a number of other awards, most of them relating to his efforts in both technology and humanity. Over the years, he has become one of the most decorated computer scientists to have ever lived. Considering his contributions to not only his industry, but to the world in general, this only makes sense.
4. He was taught to question everything
When he was growing up, he was taught to question everything. The fact that he serves as an executive for Inrupt proves that, as the entire existence of the company is designed to change the way that the internet operates so that people no longer have access to your individual information just because you have a presence on the web. As a matter of fact, he says that this is essentially how he ended up inventing the World Wide Web in the first place, because he was taught to question the way that things had always been done and then look beyond them in order to find a better way of doing things in the future.
5. He likes to upset the status quo
As you might have guessed by now, he rather enjoys upsetting the status quo because that’s the only way that real change ever happens. He’s not a fan of doing things the same way they’ve always been done simply because that’s how people have always done them. Instead, he likes to think about the best ways that people can do things in order to truly and dramatically improve the way they live their lives and then find a way to make it happen.
6. He thinks outside the box
Clearly, he doesn’t have a tendency to think in the same manner that a lot of people do. That is evidenced by his inventions and the fact that he’s been so celebrated for them. This is something else that he was taught from a young age. As opposed to thinking in the exact same manner as everyone else, he was always taught to look for that one thing that everyone else is missing and then find a way to create a solution based on taking things in that direction. Clearly, it’s something that he paid attention to while he was growing up. It’s also something that has served him well throughout his entire life.
7. He’s also a professor
He has spent a good portion of his life as a professor at Oxford University and it’s something that he still does today. He enjoys the idea of teaching other people, not only about the basics of computer science and the technology that goes with it, but also about the way that they can take that information and then use it to improve the lives of so many people all over the world. For him, that is where the genuine excitement still exists and it’s something that he uses to inspire himself to teach his best each and every day.
8. He challenges the youth of today to top his own achievements
He also challenges young people to top the achievements that he has accomplished in order to make things even better. He’s always quick to point out that technology is constantly evolving, meaning that there are new opportunities becoming available each and every day that simply weren’t possible back in 1989 when he invented the Internet.
9. He wants people to believe in themselves
He knows how important it is to believe in yourself, even when everyone else is telling you that you’ve gone completely crazy. He wants people to believe in themselves, no matter how many people tell them that they can’t do it or that it won’t work. According to him, having a strong sense of self-confidence and self-worth is the first key to experiencing success.
10. He doesn’t listen to the naysayers
He always tells his students not to listen to the negativity of people who don’t believe in their dreams. As far as he’s concerned, there is nothing that is impossible. As long as the person responsible for achieving a goal believes that they can indeed achieve it, there is nothing that can stop them. He’s always been quick to tell his classes that the only thing that can really stop a person involves self-limiting beliefs that stop them before they ever even really get started.
