Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner
Encyclopedia
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner (born August 29, 1967 in Reykjavík
, Iceland
) is the founder and former CEO of Opera Software
. He and Geir Ivarsøy
were part of a research group at the Norwegian
state phone company (now known as Telenor
) where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera. The project was abandoned by Telenor, but Geir and Jon obtained the rights to the software, formed a company of their own, and continued working on it. Now known simply as Opera
, the Internet browser has become very popular despite the competition. Opera Software has grown to over 500 employees since it first moved to its present offices in Oslo
.
On Thursday, April 21, 2005, he proclaimed that if the download numbers of the browser's new version Opera 8 reached 1 million within four days, he would swim across the Atlantic Ocean
from Norway to the United States
. The million was reached, Opera Software announced that von Tetzchner will "stand by his word". On April 25 and April 26, the official Opera site described the nonserious Atlantic swim "attempt" and its quick and comical "failure". The event was reported worldwide by both technology and mainstream media.
For Tetzchner's 40th birthday on August 29, 2007, Opera Software announced that it would release the first public alpha of Kestrel, the working title of what would become Opera 9.50. His biggest birthday wish was to give the community a preview of Kestrel, which has been in development for over a year.
On January 5, 2010, Jon stepped down as CEO of Opera Software to be replaced by Lars Boilesen. He will continue to serve Opera full-time as a strategic adviser.
On June 24, 2011, Jon decided to leave Opera Software.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) is the founder and former CEO of Opera Software
Opera Software
Opera Software ASA is a Norwegian software company, primarily known for its Opera family of web browsers with over 220 million users worldwide. Opera Software is also involved in promoting Web standards through participation in the W3C. The company has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is...
. He and Geir Ivarsøy
Geir Ivarsøy
Geir Ivarsøy was the lead programmer at Opera Software. He and Jon von Tetzchner were part of a research group at the Norwegian state phone company where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera...
were part of a research group at the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
state phone company (now known as Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
) where they developed browsing software called MultiTorg Opera. The project was abandoned by Telenor, but Geir and Jon obtained the rights to the software, formed a company of their own, and continued working on it. Now known simply as Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
, the Internet browser has become very popular despite the competition. Opera Software has grown to over 500 employees since it first moved to its present offices in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
On Thursday, April 21, 2005, he proclaimed that if the download numbers of the browser's new version Opera 8 reached 1 million within four days, he would swim across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from Norway to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The million was reached, Opera Software announced that von Tetzchner will "stand by his word". On April 25 and April 26, the official Opera site described the nonserious Atlantic swim "attempt" and its quick and comical "failure". The event was reported worldwide by both technology and mainstream media.
For Tetzchner's 40th birthday on August 29, 2007, Opera Software announced that it would release the first public alpha of Kestrel, the working title of what would become Opera 9.50. His biggest birthday wish was to give the community a preview of Kestrel, which has been in development for over a year.
On January 5, 2010, Jon stepped down as CEO of Opera Software to be replaced by Lars Boilesen. He will continue to serve Opera full-time as a strategic adviser.
On June 24, 2011, Jon decided to leave Opera Software.