When Linus Torvalds built the first version of Linux he said that it was "just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu". Linux now runs on over 90% of cloud infrastructure today. While it may not have started out with such grand goals, it was still an ambitious project. How many developers today would attempt to write a kernel, even one with a drastically limited set of features?
Ambitious projects change the world in some way. They have some impact on the world and the world is never the same again. The Linux kernel, Google search, Facebook, and Bitcoin are some that had a massive impact on the world. But there are also projects like Raspberry Pi, Mastodon, and so on that made an impact in a niche market.
I love learning about projects like these. In the past few years, I learned about these projects which are quite ambitious — Ladybird Browser, Playbit, RISC-V, and Metaverse. They're solving complex problems, creating new paradigms, and are pushing the boundaries of what's possible with technology.
When I hear about projects these, I get inspired. It makes me want to start building something that I would be obsessed with for a long time. It also reminds me of my lack of knowledge in advanced technical topics and how much I would have to learn to get there. I get anxious. But I remember how intimidated I was by the things I know today, before I started my career as a software engineer.
We can't predict where we will be or what we will think of as trivial in 5 years. We have to take that leap of faith and start building.
You've got to work on something dangerous. You have to work on something that makes you uncertain. Something that makes you doubt yourself. You shouldn't feel safe. You should feel, "I don't know if I can do this." That's what I mean by dangerous, and I think that's a good thing to do. Sacrifice something safe.
– Stephen Sondheim