FAQ

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What is The Linux Foundation?

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering
the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, it sponsors the work of Linux
creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading companies and
developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes,
protects and standardizes Linux by providing unified resources and
services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed
platforms.

Who are members of the Linux Foundation?

The founding platinum members of the Linux Foundation are Fujitsu,
Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel, NEC, Novell, and Oracle. Other members of the
new organization include every major company in the Linux industry as
well as numerous community groups, universities and indivuals. You can
see the full line up on our Members page.

Where is the Linux Foundation located?

The Linux Foundation has offices in San Francisco and Tokyo, with
additional staff in Indiana, Texas and Canada. Here is our contact info.

Why was The Linux Foundation formed?

The Linux Foundation's mission is to promote, protect and standardize
the Linux platform to fuel its growth around the world. The Linux
Foundation marshals the resources of the Linux ecosystem to provide
much needed services that are not easily offered by a single community
member, entity or company. It uses a shared resources strategy – much
as open source developers do – to collaborate on platform development
while enhancing the Linux market for everyone: end users, the
community, developers and industry..

Does Linus Torvalds work for The Linux Foundation?

The Linux Foundation sponsors Linus Torvalds so he can remain
independent while working full-time on the Linux kernel.

Who leads the Linux Foundation?

Jim Zemlin is the Executive Director and was chosen to lead the Linux
Foundation due to his deep Linux and open source software experience
and industry relationships.

The management team includes:

  • Jim Zemlin, Executive Director
  • Dan Kohn, Chief Operating Officer & Member Outreach
  • Amanda McPherson, Vice President of Marketing and Developer Programs
  • Mike Woster, Director of Business Development
  • Theodore Ts'o, Fellow and Chief Technology Officer
  • Takashi Kunai, Director of Linux Foundation Japan

How do I become a member of the Linux Foundation?

Please proceed to our Membership page for more information on becoming a Corporate or Individual member.

How do I get involved with the Linux Foundation?

There are plenty of ways to for individuals and companies to get involved with the Linux foundation. Please see our Membership and Participate sections for more details.

To find out how your organization can benefit from the Linux Foundation, contact:

info (at) linuxfoundation dot org
General contact for The Linux Foundation

memberservices (at) linuxfoundation dot org
For membership questions or comments

press (at) linuxfoundation dot org
For press questions or comments

events (at) linuxfoundation dot org
For information on attending or speaking at our events