The NSA spent billions trying to break encryption.
One German programmer beat them.
He earned only $25k a year. 🤯
Meet Werner Koch 🇩🇪
> German free software developer. Born 1961 in Düsseldorf.
> 1997 ~ Richard Stallman called for a free encryption tool.
> Only option then: closed-source, US-restricted PGP.
> Werner answered. He built GnuPG (GPG) alone ~ free software to encrypt files, sign software, and verify identity.
> 1999 ~ Released GPG 1.0. Fully open source. No restrictions.
> Today his code verifies every Linux server update, every Debian package, every Tor Browser download on this Earth.
> Every signed Linux release depends on it.
> Used by activists, dissidents, and security pros worldwide to stay untracked.
> Edward Snowden used GPG in 2013 to leak NSA documents. It held up against the world’s most powerful spy agency. 🚀
> 2001 ~ Founded g10code with his brother to work full-time on GPG.
> Earned only $25,000/year for 14 years while supporting his wife and daughter.
> 2012 ~ Funding ended. He had to let go of his only programmer.
> 2013 ~ He was the sole maintainer and nearly quit.
> 2015 ~ ProPublica story dropped. Internet donated $137k in 24 hours.
> Facebook Stripe pledged $50k/year each. Linux Foundation gave $60k
> Won FSF Award for the Advancement of Free Software.
> Today he still maintains GPG from home in Erkrath, Germany.
This one man kept the internet’s secrets, secret.
The world almost lost him in 2013.
His code still protects yours.
Privacy Legend. 🐐