In a surprising turn of events, two tech giants, Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds, recently shared a meal together. This meeting is quite notable because, in the past, Microsoft had some strong words against Linux, calling it a "cancer. " Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, and Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, had never crossed paths before this dinner.

The gathering was also attended by Mark Russinovich, Microsoft's chief technical officer, and Dave Cutler, the architect behind the Windows NT kernel. Russinovich shared a photo of the event on LinkedIn, joking that no major decisions were made, but there's always next time.

The relationship between Microsoft and Linux has seen some dramatic shifts over the years. Back in 2001, Steve Ballmer, then CEO of Microsoft, was very vocal about his disdain for open-source software, stating it was a threat to Microsoft's dominance. However, by 2016, Ballmer had softened his stance, acknowledging that the open-source threat was no longer a major concern. He even praised Microsoft's embrace of open-source technologies under Satya Nadella's leadership.

Torvalds is known for his straightforward and sometimes fiery personality. He has been criticized in the past for his outbursts, including a 2013 incident where he was called out for advocating physical intimidation. He has also publicly clashed with companies like Nvidia and Intel, famously telling Nvidia "fu*k you" and criticizing Intel's Spectre patches. In 2018, he apologized for his past unprofessional behavior but continues to voice his opinions on issues that bother him, such as faulty hardware and the current state of AI technology.

This isn't the first time Torvalds has interacted with Microsoft. In 2016, he was seen smiling and laughing with the Microsoft team at LinuxCon. During that time, he famously stated that if Microsoft ever created applications for Linux, it would mean he had won.

Tech Legends Break Bread: Gates and Torvalds Finally Meet

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