Believe it or not, some people are actually motivated by ideals that rise above money. As Berners-Lee says in the book, “What is maddening is the terrible notion that a person’s value depends on how important and financially successful they are, and that that is measured in the form of money. This suggests disrespect for the researchers across the globe developing ideas for the next leaps in science and technology. To use net worth as a criterion by which to judge people is to set our children’s sights on cash rather than on things that will actually make them happy.”

Every dot.com millionaire, and every person who’s ever found a nugget of information or friended a friend on the Web, owes a debt to Berners-Lee for deliberately setting up his creation as a free and open platform, not as a for-profit venture. And he’s not looking to be lionized for that. “I’m happy to let others play the role of royalty,” he says. “Just as long as they don’t try to control the Web.”

(Source: azspot, via poptech)