Is Brian Kernighan A-List?
NoC
No — Brian Kernighan is currently ranked C tier — recognizable within their niche but with limited mainstream visibility.
Ranking Timeline
1969D$0.01M
Bell Labs Arrival
Joined Bell Labs and began contributing to Unix.
1972C▲$0.05M+$0.04M
Unix Development
Key contributor to the development of Unix.
1978B▲$0.2M+$0.15000000000000002M
The C Programming Language
Co-authored a seminal book on the C language.
1990B$0.5M+$0.3M
Principles Book
Authored 'The Elements of Programming Style'.
2000B$1M+$0.5M
Princeton Professor
Became a professor at Princeton University.
2026C▼$5M+$4M
Continued Influence
Continues as a respected voice in computer science through writing and teaching.
Last updated: February 21, 2026