Bonum Certa Men Certa

Linux Foundation Revenue Plunges ($18,000,000 Decrease in One Year) and Jim Zemlin's Wife Has Her Company Sued for Securities Fraud (Class Action)

The fraud that the Linux Foundation has become isn't quite what it seems or what it's called; nor is the company of Sheela Microsoft (Zemlin), where she is Chief Revenue Officer, defrauding a lot of people

Sheela Zemlin: SEC form
Source page from the SEC



Summary: The Linux Foundation is truly struggling during this pandemic and the business of its chief's wife not only collapsed; it seems like a fraud and there are major lawsuits

LATELY we have been writing about the Zemlins a great deal in light of the fact that the company of the wife, closely connected to Microsoft, had collapsed. Upon close inspection the company isn't only in financial trouble but also in serious legal trouble.

But we'd like to begin this post by talking about the Linux Foundation. We shall revisit this subject another day as we're still trying to locate the original (PDF) copy from the IRS. Once we have it we'll make a local copy of it and annotate the relevant bits.

Want some spoilers?

Revenue of the Linux Foundation is down by $18,000,000 but salaries increased 10% in the same year!! Jim Zemlin now gives himself a total salary of nearly 1.2 million dollars for the year (i.e. that salary nearly doubled in just a few years).

Is the Linux Foundation a "fraud"? That certainly depends on which formal definition of fraud one chooses. In our eyes, for a number of different reasons, Mr. Zemlin is what many casually dub "charlatan and fraud", lying about his credentials to advance in life and sell scams.

"Revenue of the Linux Foundation is down by $18,000,000 but salaries increased 10% in the same year!!"Does one charlatan and fraud attract another charlatan and fraud? Seems probable. Such people can relate.

Who does it favour if a charlatan and fraud runs the Linux Foundation? Foes of Linus (and Linux), obviously. They want hostile actors in charge of the person and the project, flexing their muscles every now and then (whilst openly rejecting Linux). Maybe Mr. Zemlin thinks Microsoft is a puppy that is loved by us. Maybe his wife tells him that. But he's wrong. They're both wrong. They are harming Linux while promoting stuff like Microsoft's GitHub, which is not only an attack on Linux but also an attack on Git and on Open Source/Free software in general.

Microsoft "pisses off and/or stabs in the back everyone eventually," an associate said today, "at least anyone that pays attention will notice either or both events gaming has been one of the ways that Microsoft marginalized Apple in addition to blocking desktop GNU/Linux. If it weren't for an addiction to top titles, which are Microsoft-only, many would have drifted away starting 20 years ago increasing over time. The inability to play games has been used repeatedly as an excuse especially in the business community, which should be ironic as hell."

Jim Zemlin is still not using Linux and he does not seem to think that this is a problem. In the meanwhile he's emptying the coffers of goodwill, giving himself massive salaries (he created nothing himself!) to the point where these coffers are a net loss. According to the latest IRS filing (that we caught a glimpse of but cannot download), the coffers lost almost 20 million dollars in revenue in just one year. What does Sheela Microsoft, a "Chief Revenue Officer", have to say about this massive loss of... revenue?

Earlier today we wondered, if when Jim Zemlin and Microsoft Sheela started dating GNU/Linux had already been very mainstream (and she disliked it back then) we cannot assume she has changed her mind since then, so she will reinforce bad policies in "pillow talk". Remember that she has worked for several consecutive companies that are closely connected to Microsoft.

"Remember that she has worked for several consecutive companies that are closely connected to Microsoft."So the wife of Jim Zemlin is a Microsofter and she never really liked Linux. "She would not change her mind and might even work harder to subvert and damage it," an associate told us today. In fact, from Jim Zemlin's stories (told several times both in text and video), it's clear he was the one wooing her and she was impatiently just looking at her watch while they dated, looking for a way out. She is judging people by nothing except money, just like her (soon) husband. This is not compatible with the ideals of the Linux development community, especially not its users.

As we noted here some days ago, the company where she is an executive managed to fall from $50+ per share (post IPO) to almost nothing (quick slide downwards to about $2 within weeks or months). The Chief Revenue Officer probably has a 7-figure salary and we know at whose expense.

She nowadays 'hides' her twitter account, whereas her husband deleted all of his tweets last year (strange behaviour unless one hides from his/her own words).

Looking deeper into the company of Sheela Microsoft, it turns out they're in trouble and one can find evidence of that in the public domain. About the IPO, an associate said that "it's a religion of sort," as "IPO are mostly when the company's principals decide to bail and cash out. Many companies have no purpose (and no result) other than an IPO spike like Bakkt demonstrated. It's a handout for those that got in prior to the IPO and were in a position where they were able to sell in hours. Those chumps in the company that had stocks which they were forced to retain got taken to the cleaners."

This is exactly what happened there. And her husband gloated about her career there only months ago, in public.

"It's not special in any way, not even in its catastrophic failure," the associate said. "That is part of a common, established pattern."

From a recent comment: "So this one also typical pump and dump down from 50 without bad news this is not a correction but 15-16 might me good opportunity to buy we shall see..."

That's an understatement ("we shall see") about what soon becomes a penny stock.

There's this lawsuit and investigation, proceeding rapidly.

"Looking deeper into the company of Sheela Microsoft, it turns out they're in trouble and one can find evidence of that in the public domain."A lot of real money (not the fake currencies they've been flaunting) gets lost and and there's a "Securities Fraud Lawsuit" building up. According to this, it's a class action. "The deadline to join the class action suit passed more than a month ago," our associate noted.

So it is moving forward already. Regarding the Linux Foundation, we've decided to wait for a bit and gather more information, though it seems crystal clean, based on the Linux Foundation's own admission, that it lost a lot of revenue. It's not in the IRS site yet, but there are ways around it, revealing that the Linux Foundation's revenue fell by nearly 20 million dollars. "The IRS has provided extracted financial data for this filing, but has not yet released the source documents," it says.

"In a future part/post we'll hopefully have the full IRS statements."At Bakkt, the revenue is 39 million dollars and net income is -183 million dollars, i.e. the losses are far higher than any revenue.

"At the end of the day there is unlikely to be anything special about Bakkt," our associated cynically noted, "it might be a garden variety pumpanddump undergrad business school project."

In a future part/post we'll hopefully have the full IRS statements. "If showing salaries," an associate said. "please be sure to compare the salaries of the deadweight to those that actually bring home the bacon."

As noted above, Jim Zemlin's salary went up sharply while the Foundation lost a lot of revenue. Shades of Mozilla, whose CEO seems to be undermining Firefox for Google's gain.

"Maybe some background about the original purpose of OSDL / Linux Foundation is in order," the associate said. "Also, what is its current charter. Don't let anyone assume anything based on the name."

"Finally, at least for the time being, please stay tuned because we might find a way to bypass the absence of a PDF."The Linux Foundation's loss of revenue (also reputation loss) harms the idea that people should confide in this current strategy. Based on recent developments, they nowadays replace events with diploma mills (especially these past 2 years) and then bribe publishers to promote the scammy "diplomas". Last week they promoted these with the controversial World Bank (WB). The IRS disclosure happens to validate what we said about them turning to diploma mills.

Finally, at least for the time being, please stay tuned because we might find a way to bypass the absence of a PDF. The Bill Gates-bribed ProPublica outsourced its tool to proprietary software of Microsoft (MSFT), so short of playing with GitHub GUIs and mazes we cannot quite put the data together for neat, formal presentation. This is part of a disturbing pattern; the Linux Foundation itself outsources far too many things to Microsoft and "clown computing". It's good that they still have kernel.org, but that's about it. Its presence online, including its site, has been outsourced to proprietary software. That's clearly not compatible with its original mission.

IRS LF
What are the diclcosure obligations? Why is it taking so long? "IPO are mostly when the company's principals decide to bail and cash out," an associate said, and one must remember that Sheela Microsoft had also worked for other Microsoft partners -- ones that are paid to lie for Microsoft and the EPO.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Too Hard for IBM to Keep Everybody Silent About How the Company Has Gone South
IBM is busy trying to keep disgruntled or ex workers silent using NDAs
 
SLAPP Censorship - Part 34 Out of 200: The Necessity of Transparency, Illuminating Garrett's and Graveley's 'Tag-Team' Act, Misusing the British Docket (From Far Away in America) in Efforts to Hide Bad Behaviour
Transparency is paramount
Red Tape at Red Hat (IBM)
Now the guiding principles are the whims and moods of people who peddle buzzwords to manipulate IBM's share prices
The So-called 'AI' (Slop) Companies Will Have the Plug Pulled
It can vastly accelerate this bubble's implosion
Dr. Andy Farnell on a "Technology Plan B"
based around Free software
Windows Lows Across the Mediterranean
Judging by this month's data from statCounter
The Future of the Net is 'in Space'
Gemini Protocol is growing and GemText remains the same, so it's made to endure
Linux Foundation Profits From Scams, Fraud, and Grifting
Don't be misled by the name "Linux Foundation"
Microsoft Transmits Malware and Back Doors to GNU/Linux Servers, Media Points the Finger at Everyone But Microsoft's Servers
Is Microsoft too poor to vet and check what it hosts and transmits?
Gemini Links 04/04/2026: "Fuzz Guy", "Reusing Old Computers with Arch Linux and DWM", and Bubble v10.0 Released
Links for the day
Links 04/04/2026: eBay Scam, "Music Publishers’ X Copyright Lawsuit Officially on Pause"
Links for the day
Links 04/04/2026: Social Control Media Verdict and Bans, Whistleblower (Axel Rietschin) Explains How "Microsoft Vaporized a Trillion Dollars"
Links for the day
Reaching the End/Event Horizon of LLM Slop
Are we moving towards a post-LLMs world?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 03, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, April 03, 2026
Gemini Links 04/04/2026: STXGE and Computer Relationships
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 33 Out of 200: Garrett Sued by My Wife and I, Then His Microsoft Acquaintance Files Another Lawsuit and Our Webhost Receives Legal Threats Too
Today we also show how our solicitor Mark Lewis responded to it
Good Friday, Leaving IBM for Good
Even on holidays
Links 03/04/2026: Rejection of More Software Patents and Social Control Media in Several Continents
Links for the day
Malware in Proprietary Software - Latest Additions by Rob Musial
Original published yesterday in gnu.org
Visual Evidence/Documentation of IBM Dying Like the Dinosaurs
IBM has many of these giant white elephants lying around, with some getting demolished
Links 03/04/2026: USPTO’s Latest Greenwashing and Internet Blackouts Impact Journalists in War Zones
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 32 Out of 200: Garrett Made Spurious Requests (Later Withdrawn) the Same Week Someone He Later Spoke to by E-mail Sent Threats to Our Webhost
The "plot thickens" because there's a multi-party tag-team act, as confirmed by Garrett after he had sworn on the Bible
IBM is a Dying Company, Nowadays It Kills Red Hat With Slop
when your last day is a national holiday in IBM's country
"Independence Drives" and Community-Run Sites
Independence in reporting is a much-valued trait
When Charlatans Are Only Good at Losing Money and Storytelling (e.g. About Investment in Them)
Wait till a a barrel of oil costs $300
What Apple Fans Are Missing
Apple is a bad company
The "Pale Blue Dot" Moment Had Returned
To many people, the "bitter-sweet" observation of how small we are
Saudi Arabia Does Not Rely Much on Microsoft/Windows
Putting aside politics, this is good for Free software
Almost 12 Years of Exposing Corruption in Europe's Second-Largest Institution
The "unready" President is now an abandoned President
Easter Moon Mission and Its Reminder of IBM's Demise
A lot of NASA operations now rely on GNU/Linux
When Power is Scarce and GNU/Linux Has Power
In Cuba, GNU/Linux has long enjoyed high adoption rates
Don't Totally Dismiss the 'Survivalists'
'Survivalists' or similar terms are used to describe a particular mindset of people who prepare for some really awful scenarios
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 02, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, April 02, 2026
A Much Better Use of Fuel Than Slop
Something positive for a change
Hoping for Peace
There are still many things to be enjoyed, including nature and kind people
Gemini Links 03/04/2026: "Slide Rule Triple Multiplication" and End of "Picture Pages"
Links for the day
Rumours of Microsoft Layoffs This Season
Just how much trouble is Microsoft in at this point?
GNU/Linux Measured at All-Time High in Sweden
Can 'influencers' have played a role
SLAPP Censorship - Part 31 Out of 200: Speaking About 20+ Years of Alleged Harassment/Defamation and High-Profile 'Targets' of Garrett
attempts were made to settle (in effect end the case) by the person who started the case almost half a dozen times along the way
In Asia, Windows is in Its Teens (Below 20%)
On a global scale, Windows is down to about 26%
GNU/Linux Becoming More Universal
It seems likely the end of Vista 10 coinciding with a sharp rise in memory prices (and now energy prices) will benefit GNU/Linux and therefore give us more to write about
Low Morale at IBM and Perception of Destructive Management
IBM is going nowhere, fast
Gemini Links 02/04/2026: Super Mario Galaxy Movie and New Antenna Instance
Links for the day
It Seems Like Google News Cracked Down on (Omitted, Delisted) a Lot of Slopfarms
There's no justification/point in spending so much energy just to plagiarise things poorly
Can Economies Like the American One Hang On?
The coming weeks will be "interesting" unless wars end
Steam Survey for Last Month Says 5.33% Use GNU/Linux
big leap for GNU/Linux
Links 02/04/2026: Science News, Energy Scarcity, Oil Sold in Yuan
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2026: Apple Turns 50, Efforts To Ban VPNs
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2026: Kubernetes With FreeBSD, OFFLFIRSOCH, and Great Circle Distance
Links for the day
Dr. Andy Farnell on Microsoft Silencing or Deplatforming Opposition in the UK and Elsewhere
Microsoft as a king or a kind of "religion" one cannot question
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 01, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 01, 2026