Bonum Certa Men Certa

What Happened to the Linux Foundation?

Jim Zemlin has gone as far as using LF events (not his personal platform) to promote his personal political agenda, e.g. praising the Clinton Foundation, which is close to (overlaps) the Gates Foundation

What Happened to the Linux Foundation?



Summary: The abject amorality/immorality and the loss of direction at the Linux Foundation -- a subject which attracted several media responses earlier this month -- can be traced back to personal interests; like in rogue charities, those who nowadays manage the Linux Foundation become millionaires by compromising the integrity of the entities they're entrusted to maintain

Since we started this series we have received a lot of additional input. There's also positive feedback. Nothing negative yet. Yesterday I saw a comment at FOSS Force which said, "The Linux Foundation is no friend to user freedom. They are a “corporations only” club looking out for the bottom line. I’m very interested in the attention they are now receiving from techrights.org." Our articles have already become a catalyst of several other articles in the media (although they do not explicitly acknowledge that).



We seem to have struck a nerve; as a result, people get in touch. They open up. Whether there's any progress on this or not, we have a lot to say ourselves. But it would be better to present a more diverse set of opinions, from different people and groups. They have a lot to say about Zemlin's PAC -- something they're too timid to say out loud for understandable reasons. Reprisal is the primary reason.

To me, personally, the structure of the Linux Foundation resembles that of a corporation or a mainstream political party (groupthink). The Zemlin PAC has a Board of patent maximalists; it's a rather major problem as some aren't just proponents of software patents but also aggressors who use patents against Linux. They're opponents not only of Linux but of Free/Open Source software (FOSS) in general as these patents are inherently incompatible with FOSS. Is "Linux" a company now? Like Mozilla Corporation? They already have a dotcom domain, linux.com. It often mirrors what's on the LF's site. They're almost indistinguishable. The LF also has its own "news sites" (selling access/articles/PR), which it links to. LF staff are at their Board/editorial team. They hire journalists and give them PR assignments, thereby corrupting them.

It's all about money. All. About. Money.

It's not true that since this PAC attracts more money than the FSF or the OSI this PAC someone "won" the battle. It is cheating in the sense that it monetises the sellout or the handover of volunteers' code to the hands of few wealthy corporations -- those that can afford to "buy access" at the PAC (e.g. Board seats).

Look for a moment at the events of the PAC (many advertised in recent days -- a subject of a future article). It's a hefty tax to attendees -- a tax that is imposed to limit participation. Law firms do exactly the same thing in events about patents which they prefer to be dominated by patent maximalists. Same thing, different domain. Community members, who are already relatively poor, must pay a duty (fee) to participate, only to be added to the coffers of LF (the PAC), whose key members actively rob this community.

Corporate actors don't really pay anything substantial; it's usually the employer which pays for it (the money goes around in circles, in circulation), so it's a form of gatekeeper, wherein only the big corporations with deep pockets can participate but, in theory, anyone can attend. Speaking especially in keynote positions/slots requires big sponsorship only big businesses can afford. This is a very convenient institutional structure -- convenient to those looking to dominate with money.

On Zemlin himself, one reader told us, "it's seldom his actions and the interests of the kernel line up. They did so more when he first started though but not completely. What is the governance structure of LF and to whom is Zemlin officially answerable?"

"The Board," I told the reader. "Members [are] listed in the LF's site."

"It's like a rogue's gallery with Oracle, VMware, and Microsoft present," the reader responded after checking, echoing words we had heard before. As we shall show in EUIPO/EPO corruption stories (coming soon), there's also an element of nepotism there. Once a single proprietary vendor is allowed inside, it then invites others like it. It's a gradual takeover of the Board and thus the direction.

But thankfully it seems like some high-profile people (outside LF) are becoming fed up with Zemlin. They think he corrupted the LF, but dare not say so in public. He's just enriching himself and his close friends (again, there's an element of nepotism) by straining the "Linux" trademark. People don't want to say so out loud. It's similar to what Battistelli and nowadays António Campinos do at the European Patent Office (EPO). Millions in fees end up landing in their personal bank accounts (and their friends' accounts, too). We know where the money comes from and how it can be seen as a form of reciprocity if not corruption/bribery. Several times in the past few weeks the LF's Web site linked to (promoted) very old Oracle articles. Here's the latest example, linking to this (there are more such examples for Oracle and some for Microsoft too).

Remember that Oracle attacks FOSS (e.g. Oracle v Google). Somehow it also has a seat at the Zemlin PAC Board. That is apparently fine, but a few people expressing controversial opinions may run afoul of the Code of Conduct (CoC). Remember that this CoC is a firing/expulsion facility that breeds obedience/conformity. Jim Zemlin is bossed by the Board i.e. Microsoft, Oracle et al. Torvalds is in turn bossed by Zemlin, whom Microsoft bosses (it paid for this position). So don't expect Torvalds to speak out against Microsoft anymore. Money buys speech. It also buys silence.

The Linux Foundation is not about Linux anymore. It is the "Vegetarian Meat Society". People notice that, but few say anything (certainly among the high tier, i.e. people who have the most to lose by voicing their opinion).

"And one more for today," wrote to us a reader this morning, linking to this old Information Age article titled "Linux Foundation causes uproar by quietly removing community representation from its board" (that was several years ago).

Things have only gotten worse since. People must talk about it.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Michael “Monty” Widenius: It Started in 1983 With Richard Stallman (RMS)
The other co-founder of MySQL is a bit notorious for confronting RMS rather viciously
For the Second Time in a Few Weeks Microsoft Lunduke Makes False Accusations Against Senior Red Hat Staff to Incite a Despicable 'Troll Army'
Nothing that Microsoft Lunduke claims of says can be trusted
su lisa && rm -rf /home/ibm/power
Novell was ruined by another person from IBM, Ronald Hovsepian
A Record Demand at Microsoft: Demand to Cancel
What we're witnessing is a very ungraceful destruction of XBox
Richard Stallman is Going to Finland to Give a Talk Next Thursday
A day later he speaks in Sweden
 
Links 02/10/2025: 'Open' 'AI' Resorting to Gimmicks and Fake Funding, Europe’s ‘Drone Wall’ Discussed
Links for the day
Links 02/10/2025: Brave Passes 100M Users Milestone, Kodak Selling Its Own Film Again
Links for the day
Microsoft is Losing Europe
Hence all the "support" and "discount" offers that are limited to Europe
The Free Software Foundation Starts Fund-raising for 40th Anniversary
New pop-up 2-3 days ahead of the 40th anniversary event
Systemd Breaks Networking in Debian and Microsoft Staff Rushes to Make Face-Saving Excuses in LWN
Microsoft's bluca is already there in the comments, his Microsoft money pays for LWN to let him leave comments early
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 01, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 01, 2025
What the End of XBox Will Look Like: a Fiery Crash
XBox is the next Skype. It won't last much longer. Expect many more layoffs.
Gemini Links 02/10/2025: SMTP Pipelining and End of ROOPHLOCH 2025
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Plagiarism, Fake Articles, and FUD About Linux
not a day goes by without Google News feeding FUD from slopfarms
Gemini Links 01/10/2025: Chat Control and End of Life
Links for the day
Links 01/10/2025: Long Covid Risk Reiterated, "Bitcoin Queen" Caught
Links for the day
Links 01/10/2025: EA $55 Billion Deal is Debt and Slop "Raises Vishing Risks"
Links for the day
Bluewashing at Red Hat Means Redundancies
The man who sold Red Hat to IBM meanwhile became a Microsoft Mono booster
After Killing OpenSource.com, IBM ('Red Hat') and OSI Told Us OpenSource.net Would Replace It (But That Didn't Happen)
Now it's time to move on, perhaps tarnishing the "Open Source" label some more (for whatever sponsor wants this)
Linux is Not a Community Project, It's a Wall Street Product
The core goal should be freedom
Bad Actors Abusing the Free Software Community, Vandalising It Using Rogue Politics and Old Tactics
Oil giants have long attempted to do this; now, the digital equivalent of Big Oil does this in technology
Social Control Media Isn't the Future, The Federation or Fediverse Isn't Growing, People's Accounts Vanish for Good
users' accounts will get deleted, not just become inactive
IBM is Failing, This Helps Show Wall Street is Entirely Detached From Actual Commercial Performance
IBM is unable to grow, it's just constantly shrinking
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Clerical Aspects of Publishing and Development
In Free software, the management aspects are considerably reduced
Slopwatch: Fake Articles and Google News Promoting "Linux" Spam or Bot-Generated Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt (FUD)
These slopfarms help misplace blame
Third Wave of Microsoft Layoffs in September, This Time Many in Liverpool Affected
Be ready for more waves of layoffs ahead of the so-called "results" in late October
Gemini Links 30/09/2025: Motorcycling in Central Oregon, Protocol Styles and the Flag of Sark
Links for the day
Links 30/09/2025: Death Sentences, Internet Censorship, and Internet Shutdowns
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/09/2025: Social Control Media and ROOPHLOCH
Links for the day
Richard Stallman About to Give More Talks in Europe, Some Confirmed Already
In Göteborg
Links 30/09/2025: CERN in "Have I Been Pwned" and More Windows TCO Blunders
Links for the day
Microsoft Canonical is Selling Mass Surveillance and Back Doors as "Security for Ubuntu"
If you are looking for a GNU/Linux distro to use, just remember that Microsoft has Ubuntu in the bag
Justice for Wildlife
animals cannot speak to humans who hate animals
Cowboys Gonna Be Cowboys (on the Internet, They're Not a New Problem)
Boys will be boys
Cowboys of the "Left" and Cowboys of the "Right"
Don't believe the lie that this is some "leftist" thing
When Codes of Conduct Serve to Protect Criminals From Much-Deserved Scrutiny
CoCs are typically unfit for purpose because enforcement lacks context and suitable understanding of the full background (the "full story")
It Took the Open Source Initiative (OSI) 4+ Years to Address the 'Data Breach' or Data Protection Violation Reported to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) in March 2025
We may never know the dialogue or its nature
Even Microsoft's Biggest Boosters (and Media Operatives) Are Turning Against Microsoft
Expect many more layoffs before the fake "results" next month
GNU Was Right 42+ Years Ago
Since then the abusive, user-hostile technology has spread like mushrooms
Old Isn't Always Inadequate
How many gadgets manufactured today (in 2025) will still work in 2075?
The Monkey Business of Rust People
Compatibility won't matter
Almost Half of the FSFE's Money (the Fake 'FSF', Misusing the Brand) Comes From Vodafone
That money always comes with strings, even if they're invisible to most of us
Microsoft Lunduke Spreads Deliberate Lies to Incite Online Mobs
Has he lost his reading comprehension skills?
Our 19th Birthday (in Just Over 5 Weeks From Now)
We meanwhile have ongoing, solid plans to cover patent-related issues when the FSF turns 40
British GNU/Linux Distro FydeOS Tops DistroWatch
That seems like a decent site and decent effort to keep an eye on
We'll Soon Have 75,000 GemText Pages
avoid many perils of today's Web
Google Used Free Software to Build a Monopoly. Now Google Kicks Free Software to the Curb
The "G" in "Google" does not stand for GNU. It never did. It's just another greedy company.
Gemini Links 30/09/2025: Retro Hardware, Federated Fragmentation, and Nex Server Written in C
Links for the day
4 More Days Till "4 decades, 4 freedoms, 4 all users"
We are now just 4 days away from the rare anniversary
Two Months After Merging to Hide GitHub Losses Microsoft is Doing It Again (This Time Windows)
Merging those two together is not a sign of strength but a tightening of budget
Speculations About the Next Large Wave of IBM/Red Hat Layoffs
the mass layoffs are likely to happen on week 3 or 4 in October
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 29, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 29, 2025