Скачать или смотреть Mark Shuttleworth : South Africa’s Open-Source Pioneer and Space-Bound Visionary

Mark Shuttleworth is one of South Africa’s most remarkable entrepreneurs — a figure who bridged technology, exploration, and philanthropy long before it was fashionable.

Born in 1973 in Welkom, he built his first major success with Thawte Consulting, a cybersecurity startup founded while studying at UCT. Thawte became the first company outside the U.S. to sell SSL certificates, capturing nearly 40% of the global market before Shuttleworth sold it to VeriSign in 1999 for $575 million. In a rare gesture of generosity, every Thawte employee — including cleaners — received a R1 million bonus.

In 2002, Shuttleworth became the first African in space, spending eight days aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments for South Africa. His $20 million journey symbolized curiosity, courage, and the power of independent vision.

He later turned his focus to democratizing access to technology. In 2004 he founded Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu — a Linux distribution whose name reflects the African idea that “I am because we are.” Ubuntu aimed to challenge Microsoft’s dominance and make open-source software accessible to all. Today, Ubuntu powers servers, clouds, and devices across the world, with Canonical generating revenue through enterprise services.

Shuttleworth’s influence extends into philanthropy through the Shuttleworth Foundation, which supports open-knowledge and education initiatives, and through HBD Venture Capital, which backs innovation and sustainability projects, including the development of eco-tourism on the island of Príncipe.

His career hasn’t been without controversy. Shuttleworth fought the South African Reserve Bank over a R250 million exit levy when moving capital offshore, and he was briefly denied entry to the U.S. due to his expertise in encryption and ties to Russian space training.

Still, his legacy is undeniable: a South African who helped secure the web, opened the door to space, and built one of the world’s most important open-source movements.

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