I’m long overdue offering a sincere thank-you to the universe.

Aside from a childhood lie story about a man sprinting through our backyard—busting through the webbing of a lawn chair I had turned into a redneck trampoline—I’ve never done anything truly original.

Pablo Picasso once said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” The supreme irony? He may have lifted that idea from T.S. Eliot, who said, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”

Either way, I’m grateful to both for helping frame my thesis: creative greatness isn’t about copying—it’s about transforming what inspires you into something uniquely your own.

Nowhere near greatness, I’ve always been fueled by underdogs and comeback stories. Any success I’ve had is stitched together from the wisdom, grit, and generosity of those who came before me. This site is dedicated to those people.

In the beginning, I stole from books and mentors. After Tim Berners-Lee and Vint Cerf gave us the internet, I graduated to message boards, blog comments, and YouTube videos. Now I’m stealing from algorithms.

Curated with code, but brought to you by caffeine, chaos, and ambition. Real stories, real breakthroughs. The hustle, hunger, and heartbreak shine through. The wisdom is deeply human—shaped by struggle, resilience, and triumph.

This is a celebration of 1,000 people you should know. People who built, risked, endured, and reinvented. Here’s hoping their stories help you create something worth stealing.