Frankly, I'd be more worried about his untimely demise. We're talking billions and billions of dollars here. That's real money, and people will kill for it.
Valid point. But I would posit that they don't have to.
Without getting into the whole "Linux" vs. "GNU/Linux" kerfluffle, I would also note that while the name "Linux" has become synonymous with the operating system, not just the kernel, Old Man Stallman is having a hell of a time keeping -his- head above water, despite his crucial role in not only creating GNU but pushing the free-and-open-source movement.
By my reckoning, TPTB won't have to kill Torvalds outright. All they have to do is play off his famous penchant for abusive language and attitude, some politically incorrect statement, or some sexist/racist/etc. act in a past decade, and BINGO they cancel him.
That way he not only gets pushed aside, his legacy gets tarnished and he becomes an Enemy of The Party, and ultimately a Non-Person. Stallman, via his tone-deaf comments, is well on the way to that fate -- it's not hypothetical.