Mark Shuttleworth
A digital pioneer who sold his internet security company to fund a trip to space, then returned to earth to launch the Ubuntu software revolution.
Born 1973 (age 53)·South African entrepreneur and space tourist·Birthday: September 18·Generation X
Biography
Mark Shuttleworth's life reads like a science-fiction novel crafted for the dot-com age. A computer science graduate from Cape Town, he founded Thawte Consulting in his garage, a company that pioneered digital certificate and internet security services. By selling it to VeriSign at age 26, he secured not just wealth, but the freedom to pursue an audacious childhood dream: spaceflight. In 2002, after training in Star City, Russia, he boarded a Soyuz rocket bound for the International Space Station, becoming the first African in space and the second self-funded space tourist. The voyage wasn't an endpoint, but a catalyst. Upon his return, he founded Canonical and the Ubuntu project, with the ambitious, almost utopian goal of bringing a free, user-friendly Linux operating system to the global masses. While Ubuntu's desktop market share remains niche, it became a cornerstone of cloud computing and development, fundamentally shaping the open-source landscape. Shuttleworth continues to bridge worlds, investing in African tech startups through his Shuttleworth Foundation while steering Canonical's commercial ambitions.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mark was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first African to travel to space as a self-funded space tourist in 2002.
- Founded Canonical Ltd. and launched the Ubuntu open-source Linux operating system in 2004.
- Founded and sold Thawte, a digital certificate authority, to VeriSign for over $500 million in 1999.
- Established the Shuttleworth Foundation, which funds innovative open technology and education projects.
Did You Know?
His spaceflight suit bore the flag of South Africa and the flag of the Western Cape, his home province.
He funded the development of Ubuntu with a portion of the fortune from the sale of Thawte.
He holds dual citizenship in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
During his spaceflight, he conducted experiments for South African high school students.
“We believe that software should be free and accessible to everybody.”
