The Linux Foundation published their annual report for 2025, and it’s clear from that report that much of the funds that they receive do not go to the development of the Linux kernel, as many people would probably expect. From their own report, of about $311,343,021, only $8,410,114 actually got spent on the Linux Kernel Project. That’s only about 2.7%! The rest went to other ‘expenses’ of which 60% went to “funding diverse community members”. If this doesn’t convince you of what a huge scam this is, nothing will.

Linux Foundation Scam. Linux Foundation Annual Report 2025 page 58.

The Linux kernel was created by Linus Torvalds as a free, open-source operating system kernel. As Linux grew in popularity, organizations like the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG) were formed to support Linux development and standards. OSDL focused on funding and supporting Linux kernel development while FSG worked on standardizing Linux to run consistently across distributions. Then in 2007 the OSDL and FSG merged to form the Linux Foundation with the goal of supporting Linux development. Linus Torvalds was ‘hired’ by the Linux Foundation so he could continue leading Linux kernel development full time.

But as time went on, what clearly happened is that the Linux Foundation got infiltrated and co-opted, with its primary goals and funds now being directed in completely different efforts. This is typically what happens in the open-source world, but also in many other sectors where foundations, non-profit and charity organizations get formed. Whenever power, money and influence get concentrated somewhere, sociopaths and psychopaths arrive to try to work their way into t0p positions and eventually completely take over.

The same thing also happened to the Mozilla Foundation, where much of their funding is not spent anymore on the development of the Firefox browser and they recently started going more into ads and selling user data — the complete opposite of their original mission. There, Brendan Eich, who founded the Mozilla Foundation was eventually forced out and others took over. They did the same thing with Richard Stallman at the Free Software Foundation (FSF). And you can read a similar story on the GrapheneOS website.

They also tried to eject Linus Torvalds from the Linux Foundation back in 2018. But Torvalds capitulated and decided to change and play along, basically allowing them to castrate him. Either they had some dirt on Torvalds to manipulate him to go along, or Torvalds probably decided that the salary he got from the Linux Foundation was much more important to him than his principles. This is what happens when you maneuver yourself into a position of (financial) dependence. The Linux Foundation became a trap. Torvalds probably got too comfortable with his lifestyle and couldn’t let go of the salary and other benefits he receives from the Linux Foundation. What a shame.

This is why I wrote about always living your life in a way where you have nothing to lose. That’s a very important lesson to learn from this. Another important lesson to learn here is that you should never organize anything in such a way where you end up with a concentration of power. Always organize in a free, loose and distributed away to minimize and isolate corruption. Avoid becoming part of a group; don’t lose your freedom, your own identity and individuality. Don’t let others gain influence and control over you.

And when it comes to donations or other contributions, it’s best to never donate to any foundation, non-profit or charity organization. If you want to help, donate in such a way where you are certain the funds reach individuals working on the actual cause. For example, by sending money directly to an individual developer working on an open-source project that you like. Or by giving directly to a family in need, instead of giving to a charity organization.