Richard Stallman is a prominent computer scientist and activist known for founding the GNU Project and advocating for free software. He believes that software should be freely accessible and modifiable, which has led to the development of the GNU General Public License (GPL), a widely used free software license. Stallman's work has significantly influenced the tech industry and the way software is developed today. He is also the founder of the Free Software Foundation, which promotes the importance of software freedom and educates users about their rights in the digital world.