View source for Examples of free software elevator pitches

Please add below the elevator pitch you use to explain to people what free software is all about. This is meant as an inspiration and resource for others to copy and use themselves.

===Elevator pitches for a general audience===

'''[https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/#miriam Miriam's] favorite elevator pitch:''' "I use libre software because I want to control the technology that surrounds me instead of the technology controlling me and I want to run software anywhere and how I like, adjust it to my needs, and share it with friends. It comforts me tremendously to know that a whole community of free software enthusiasts checked the source code of the software I use and made sure it does what it's supposed to do and nothing else. I think a free society needs free software!"

'''Jim Garrett's:''' "Is information important to your life?  What about the software that creates it, stores it, or communicates it?  Are you comfortable entrusting your critical information to big tech companies that want to make it difficult for you to leave their services, and are running a side hustle spying on you?  Did you know that there's a large community of people and institutions who care about software freedom and personal agency, who have done something about it?  This is the "Free Software" community which engendered, and includes, the open-source community, and they've developed a high-quality alternative software stack for all your needs.  Everyone who cares about software freedom and agency is welcome!"  ''Jim's comments:  I refer to the Free Software community including the Open Source community to indicate that the software and other developments created by open-source advocates is generally included in the Free Software stack.  Also, people have heard about Open Source, due to its widespread adoption by industry.''

===Elevator pitches for students and teachers===

We can only learn in freedom if the software we use is free. Free software protects the learner's freedom and let's them study the source code and learn how the software works. By choosing to use free software, schools and universities gain independence from any commercial interests and it avoids vendor lock-in. Free software licenses grant users the rights not only to use the software as they wish, to copy it and distribute it, but also to modify it in order to meet their own needs. Therefore, if institutions eventually wish to implement a particular function in a piece of software, they can engage the services of any developer to accomplish the task, independently from the original vendor.

===Elevator pitches for people working in government===

===Elevator pitches for scientists===