# Pieter Hintjens > Belgian CEO, software developer, author (1962–2016) **Wikidata**: [Q7192785](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7192785) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Hintjens) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/pieter-hintjens ## Summary Pieter Hintjens (1962–2016) was a Belgian software developer, computer scientist, CEO, and author. He was known for his work as a technology leader and writer, maintaining a public website and social media presence and being recorded in international library and identifier authorities. ## Biography - Born: 1962-12-03, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Nationality: Belgium - Known for: Work as a CEO, software developer, computer scientist, and author - Employer(s): (described as a CEO in sources; specific employers not listed in the provided material) - Field(s): Software development, computer science, writing ## Contributions Pieter Hintjens combined roles as a technology executive, practitioner, and author. He is described in sources as a CEO and as a software developer and computer scientist, and he maintained a public website at http://hintjens.com where he published material including personal notes (his blog documents a medical condition beginning in 2010). He maintained an active Twitter account (@hintjens) with recorded follower counts at multiple points in time. His authorship and professional identity are recorded in international authority files and identifiers: ISNI 0000000418910299, VIAF entry, Library of Congress authority ID nb2014001733, and national library identifiers (NL CR AUT ID vse2013784121). A public photograph file is archived under the Commons as "Pieter Hintjens at EuroPython2014" (image link provided). These concrete artifacts—website, blog entries, social media, photographic record, and bibliographic authority identifiers—constitute the verifiable public record of his outputs and professional presence. ## FAQs ### Q: Who was Pieter Hintjens? A: Pieter Hintjens was a Belgian software developer, computer scientist, CEO, and author born in 1962 who maintained a public website and social media presence and is recorded in international library and identifier systems. ### Q: When and how did Pieter Hintjens die? A: Pieter Hintjens died on 2016-10-04 in the City of Brussels. The recorded cause of death is voluntary euthanasia; the manner of death is noted in sources as suicide. ### Q: What illness did he have? A: Pieter Hintjens was reported to have cholangiocarcinoma, with the medical condition recorded as beginning in 2010. ## Why They Matter Pieter Hintjens is documented as a multidisciplinary figure combining leadership, technical practice, and authorship. The available records show a professional footprint across different forms of public and bibliographic documentation: a maintained personal website (hintjens.com), a public social media account (@hintjens) with thousands of followers at recorded points in time, an archived photograph tied to a public software conference, and formal author and identity records (ISNI, VIAF, Library of Congress, and national library identifiers). These elements indicate that his work and voice reached audiences beyond private practice, were cited and cataloged by libraries and authorities, and were accessible to the broader technology and publishing communities. The public documentation of his diagnosis and subsequent death by voluntary euthanasia is also part of his record. Without these preserved artifacts—website content, social accounts, photographic record, and authority entries—reconstructing his professional identity and public contributions would be substantially more difficult. ## Notable For - Being a Belgian CEO, software developer, computer scientist, and author (1962–2016). - Maintaining the website http://hintjens.com, which includes blog material documenting his medical condition beginning in 2010. - Presence on Twitter as @hintjens, with recorded follower counts (e.g., 6,262 at 2020-04-21; 6,096 at 2021-01-06). - Formal bibliographic and authority identifiers: ISNI 0000000418910299; Library of Congress authority ID nb2014001733; VIAF entry; NL CR AUT ID vse2013784121. - Publicly documented death on 2016-10-04 in the City of Brussels; cause recorded as voluntary euthanasia and manner of death noted as suicide. ## Body ### Personal details - Full name: Pieter Hintjens (given name Pieter; family name Hintjens). - Birth: 1962-12-03, Democratic Republic of the Congo. - Death: 2016-10-04, City of Brussels. - Sex/gender: male. - Citizenship: Belgium. ### Professional identity - Occupations recorded: software developer, computer scientist, writer, and CEO. - Public website: http://hintjens.com (referenced as his website in authority data). - Social media: Twitter handle @hintjens (account metadata and follower counts recorded in sources). ### Published and archival records - ISNI: 0000000418910299. - VIAF: entry with identifier value 4743149068495265730006. - Library of Congress authority ID: nb2014001733. - National library author identifier (Czech/NL CR AUT ID): vse2013784121. - Freebase ID: /m/0dfrfr. - These identifiers confirm his authorship and cataloged presence in multiple library and authority systems. ### Public documentation and media - Image: Photograph file available on Wikimedia Commons titled "Pieter Hintjens at EuroPython2014 (cropped).jpg" (URL provided in structured data). - Blog: His website contains blog entries; one source references his noting of cholangiocarcinoma beginning in 2010 on his site. ### Health and death - Medical condition: cholangiocarcinoma, start time recorded as 2010. - Cause of death: voluntary euthanasia (source: his Twitter and other references). - Manner of death: recorded as suicide in the provided structured data. - Death was publicly referenced in social media and external announcements dated around 2016-10-04 / 2016-10-05. ### Bibliographic and language presence - Wikipedia-related metadata: described on Wikipedia with the title "Pieter Hintjens" and Wikidata description "Belgian CEO, software developer, author (1962–2016)". - Commons category: Pieter Hintjens. - Wikipedia language presence indicated: arz, commons, en, fr, nl (sitelinks/language coverage recorded). (End of entry.) ## References 1. Virtual International Authority File 2. [Source](https://twitter.com/hintjens/status/783254242052206592) 3. [Source](http://techrights.org/2016/10/05/pieter-hintjens-swpats/) 4. [Source](http://hintjens.com/blog:109)