You can do all the privacy measures in the world, but if the people you talk to are using spyware then it’s all out the window. (literally Windows, get it?)
This video breaks down some of the basic reasons to switch to Linux so you can convince your friends: https://video.simplifiedprivacy.com/why-linux-beats-windows/
He’s a capitalist and one of the richest people in the world. Nothing about him fits the bill of a leftist. I think you’re coming at this with the US’s perception of the left, like the democratic party, which wouldn’t be considered left almost anywhere else in the world.
Linus Torvalds is a bit more of a leftist, and the whole ideology of Linux is pretty fitting for the left.