Linux

It's nice of this poster to ignore the $181m spent on "other projects" and conclude this is some kind of scam. If we include the Linux Kernel with the other projects part, that's about 67%, or two thirds, of their expenses are paying for various and assorted open source projects. Among them the kernel. So if you're a "cash and cash alone" person, then 2/3rds of your money is still going as cash to software projects.

And if we include things like community tooling and project services, which may help a project in ways beyond just cash that becomes about 78% in total, or over three quarters.

That's pretty good, I think, but to each their own.

Well yeah only 3% go to the kernel. Most of the rest seems to be going to everything else required for a functional OS. The kernel alone is fairly useless.

Mhm, I think this is more complicated than it looks. The LF today isn't a direct Linux kernel funding body and more an umbrella for open-source governance (infrastructure, events, certification, security work, to name a few). So the other 97% are not necessarily wasted. Also, many kernel developers are paid outside of the LF by companies like Red Hat, Google, AMD, SUSE, Microsoft. So in reality there is alot more cash flowing towards Linux kernel development. A better/sharper criticism would be that the LF has become an industry consortium for "enterprise open source" or so, rather than a Linux-centered foundation. The counterpoint on the other Hand is that this founded infrastructure is exactly what allows large-scale open-source projects to function in the first place.

Corpos doing what corpos do better.

12% to AI

Yikes

The linux foundation does not care about linux. They don't even use it.