Not "everyone should switch to Linux as their daily driver" — that's a separate argument. I mean everyone who does anything technical should have a basic working knowledge of Linux. Here's why.
Servers run Linux
The vast majority of servers on the internet run Linux. If you ever SSH into a VPS, manage a cloud instance, set up a Raspberry Pi, or do anything with infrastructure — you're in a Linux environment. Not knowing how to navigate it is like not knowing how to drive but working as a delivery driver. You'll get by for a while until you don't.
The terminal unlocks everything
The Linux command line is one of the most powerful interfaces ever built. Once you're comfortable in it, tasks that would take multiple GUI clicks and menus happen in seconds. Package installation, file manipulation, process management, log inspection, remote server management — all of it is faster and more precise in the terminal once you know what you're doing.
What basic actually means
Basic Linux knowledge isn't complicated. You need to be able to navigate the filesystem (cd, ls, pwd), manage files (cp, mv, rm, mkdir), read files (cat, less, tail), manage permissions (chmod, chown), and install packages (apt, dnf). That's genuinely most of what you need for most things.
It teaches you how computers work
Using Linux — especially at the command line — builds an understanding of how computers actually work that GUI-only environments don't. Processes, files, permissions, networking — these become concrete rather than abstract. That understanding transfers everywhere. It makes you better at debugging Windows problems, better at understanding what software is actually doing, better at everything.
Where to start
Install Ubuntu in a VM (VirtualBox is free), open a terminal, and start doing things. Don't read a book first — just get in and start navigating around. Break things. Fix them. The Arch Wiki is an excellent reference even if you're not using Arch. OverTheWire Bandit is a good game-ified introduction to Linux command line basics. An hour a day for a couple of weeks and you'll have the fundamentals.