Linus is too old. Satoshi I assume was in his 20s. These type of things are created during the peak of one's life.
The peak of one's life is different for different things. In your 20s you just can't see all the possible difficulties, cobwebs and outcomes in questions regarding lives of others and even your own life for that matter. Creation of a completely new type of money rightly belongs here because it can dramatically change your whole life...