What ever happened to the brilliant minds behind the web’s most transformative innovations? Some became venture capitalists reshaping Silicon Valley. Others shifted careers entirely. A few stayed quietly committed to their original creations. Seventeen years after the original “where are they now” piece, here’s what the trailblazers who invented the internet and digital tools are actually doing in 2026.
| Person | Famous For | What They’re Doing Now (2026) |
|---|---|---|
 Tim Berners-Lee |
Inventing HTML and the World Wide Web | Emeritus director of W3C; co-founder of Inrupt (developing the Solid platform for decentralized web); launched memoir This is For Everyone (2025); advocate for data sovereignty and fighting corporate monopolization of the web |
 Marc Andreessen |
Co-founding Netscape, and is now creating Mosaic | Co-founder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the world’s largest venture capital firms that’s focused on investing in AI startups & led the largest seed round in history (US$2 billion for Thinking Machines Lab in July 2025) |
 Vint Cerf |
Co-designing TCP/IP protocol (the Internet’s backbone) | Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google and he continues to shape internet governance and standards |
 Steve Wozniak |
Co-founding Apple | Maintains emeritus status at Apple; co-founded Woz U (education platform), actively speaks on AI future, keynote speaker at PMWC 2026, and he continues mentoring entrepreneurs and advocating for tech education |
 Evan Williams |
Co-founding Twitter - creating Blogger - coining the term “blogger” | Co-founder of Obvious Ventures (venture capital) and he continues as major investor in tech and sustainable companies; estimated net worth of US$2 billion as of 2025 |
 Rasmus Lerdorf |
Creating PHP scripting language | PHP remains relevant in 2025-26 with over 2 million developers using it worldwide; Lerdorf’s legacy continues through The PHP Foundation ensuring the language’s evolution |
 Thomas Knoll |
Creating Photoshop (with brother John) | Adobe Fellow & continues leading development on Camera Raw plug-in. Remains architect of Adobe’s image processing technology. Inducted into International Photography Hall of Fame (2016) alongside brother |
The Decentralist: Tim Berners-Lee’s Second Act
Since giving away the web to the world, Berners-Lee has become the internet’s most outspoken critic of Big Tech. The inventor of HTML didn’t just step back after creating the World Wide Web—he’s actively fighting to reclaim it.
In 2025, the 70-year-old computer scientist published his memoir, This is For Everyone, a reflection on how his revolutionary invention has been weaponized by tech giants. Rather than resting on his laurels as a Turing Prize recipient, Berners-Lee now serves as CTO and co-founder of Inrupt, a startup building the Solid platform—a technical infrastructure designed to break Big Tech’s stranglehold on our data.
His vision is radical: individuals, not corporations, should control and own their personal data. The World Wide Web Foundation and the Open Data Institute—both co-founded by Berners-Lee—continue pushing for this vision globally.
The Venture Capitalist Empire: Marc Andreessen in 2026
From Netscape pioneer to venture capitalist kingmaker. Andreessen Horowitz has ballooned from a 2009 startup to one of the most influential investment firms on Earth, with particular dominance in AI.
In 2024, Andreessen became an advisor to Donald Trump, signaling his broader influence beyond tech. Recent highlights: in July 2025, a16z led the largest seed round in history—US$2 billion—for AI startup Thinking Machines Lab, valuing the company at US$12 billion at inception. The firm also closed its London office in January 2025 to refocus on crypto and U.S. AI markets, though it maintains a strong scout network in Europe investing in companies like Mistral AI and Black Forest Labs.
Andreessen’s approach hasn’t changed fundamentally—he’s still betting on founders and disruptive technology—but the scale has grown exponentially.
The Apple Ambassador: Steve Wozniak’s Continuous Relevance
At 75, Wozniak remains one of tech’s most authentic voices. While most tech founders disappear into semi-retirement after life-changing exits, Wozniak has instead become a conscience figure for the industry.
He continues as an employee of Apple in a ceremonial capacity since stepping down in 1985, and in October 2017 co-founded Woz U, a postsecondary education platform focused on software engineering and tech development. He was scheduled to speak at Lehigh University on January 29, 2026, discussing AI’s future impact on society and has maintained a nuanced stance on superintelligence, supporting calls for pauses on giant AI experiments.
Wozniak’s philosophy remains unchanged: fun and genuine curiosity drive innovation far more than profit motive. He spends his time mentoring, speaking at conferences, and building small projects with Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards—the modern equivalent of his garage engineering days.
The Blogging Pioneer: Evan Williams’ Investment Empire
Evan Williams quietly built one of the most valuable personal fortunes in tech without the ego of his contemporaries. After stepping down as Twitter CEO in 2010 and leaving its board in 2019, Williams founded Obvious Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on long-term, mission-driven investments.
With an estimated net worth of US$2 billion as of May 2025, Williams has invested in everything from Beyond Meat (sustainable food) to AI companies. Unlike many early tech billionaires, he’s remained relatively low-profile, focusing on building rather than self-promotion. His medium.com platform continues to serve as a publishing platform for long-form writing.
The Silent Architects: Rasmus Lerdorf and Thomas Knoll
Some pioneers remain committed to their creations without the spotlight. Rasmus Lerdorf, creator of PHP, watched his language power the entire web backend for over 30 years. In 2025-26, PHP remained relevant with over 2 million developers using it as their primary technology, ranking in the top 5 programming languages globally. The language turned 30 in 2025, and The PHP Foundation now ensures its continued evolution beyond any single corporation.
Thomas Knoll, co-creator of Photoshop, took a different path. He’s now an Adobe Fellow who continues developing the Camera Raw plug-in and serves as the architect of Adobe’s image processing technology. In September 2025, he and his brother John participated in a live discussion at Lucasfilm’s San Francisco headquarters, revisiting Photoshop’s origin story alongside Adobe executives. Together with John, they were honored with a Scientific and Engineering Award at the 2019 Oscars for their foundational work.
The Pattern: Building, Then Pivoting
What’s striking about these 2026 snapshots is how differently they each evolved. Some became capitalists reshaping industries; others became advocates fighting for what they created; still others stayed committed to core technologies. None followed a typical retirement path.
The original 2009 article asked: “Where are they now?” The 2026 answer is more nuanced—they’re everywhere, pulling the levers of tech in ways both visible and invisible. Whether Berners-Lee fighting for decentralization, Andreessen backing the next generation of AI companies, or Wozniak mentoring the next wave of makers, these pioneers haven’t disappeared. They’ve simply evolved beyond their original inventions.
The tech landscape they created—for better or worse—continues to bear their fingerprints.
Help Us Update This
This list represents just a fraction of the brilliant minds who’ve shaped technology. Who did we miss? If you know what your favorite tech idol is doing in 2026, let us know in the comments—especially if their story has taken an unexpected turn.
We may very well have missed your absolute favorite “tech idol,” so please feel free to add your own heroes in the comments, especially if you know what they are up to these days!
- Photo sources: From Wikimedia Commons: Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Wozniak, Niklas Zennström, Shawn Fanning, Rasmus Lerdorf, Jeff Hawkins. By Joi Ito: Marc Andreessen, Brian Behlendorf. From Governo de Minas Gerais: Vint Cerf. Evan Williams (CC) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com and bub.blicio.us. From MemeCentral: Richard Brodie. By David Sifry: Dave Winer. By Marco Bellucci: The question mark statue. Marcin Wichary from San Francisco, Calif., CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
