Stephen Wilhite worked on GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, which is now used for reactions, messages, and jokes, while employed at CompuServe in the 1980s.
The creator of GIF, Stephen Wilhite, 74, died of COVID-19 last week. His obituary page notes that “even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and good man".
The GIF is still regarded as a popular and beloved mainstay of the web even after thirty five years of its inventions and after several generations of graphics and animations.