Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Linux Kernel’s creator Linus Torvalds met for the very first time at a dinner hosted by Mark Russinovich, the creator of Sysinternals. The selfie of the duo along with two other Windows techies is going viral on the internet after Russinovich shared the picture on his Linkedin post with a witty caption, “No major kernel decisions were made.”
For the unversed, Linux, as an open-source operating system, has been one of the major competitors of subscription-based operating systems like Windows. Power users have always leaned on the Linux OS for superior security; however, most prefer Windows for user-friendliness.
Linus Torvalds & Bill Gates just met each other for the first time pic.twitter.com/vEGq6C44pg
— nixCraft 🐧 (@nixcraft) June 21, 2025
Reactions poured in on the internet, with users dropping memes depicting OS war between the Windows and the Linux kernels. “Somebody needs to watch their hands for knives,” wrote one, while another user quipped, “Can’t believe this is real.” “It feels like Zeus and Hades just shook hands,” the user added.
“Diss mixtape coming soon,” jibed a third user. Yet another user noted, “This is such an epic pic! The brainpower in this pic is unparalleled!” “Two kernels walk into a bar—epic!” remarked one.
pic.twitter.com/5WIHbbyS3f
— Markos (@OhHiMarkos) June 21, 2025
Somebody needs to watch their hands for knives…
— The Deal Director (@thedealdirector) June 21, 2025
Can’t believe this is real. It feels like Zeus and Hades just shook hands.
— Joel Rodriguez (@JoelRodrim) June 22, 2025
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Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India