Hector Martin, lead developer of Asahi Linux, has resigned from his role, citing burnout, lack of support, and harsh criticism from Linus Torvalds, the Linux kernel chief. Martin’s departure follows a lengthy feud over Rust integration into the open-source kernel.
Martin accused Torvalds of handling the integration process as a “major failure of leadership,” pointing to the criticism he received after publicly disagreeing with Torvalds on Rust drivers. The incident sparked an impassioned debate on the Linux kernel mailing list, with Martin eventually asking Torvalds to make a decision about the patch.
Torvalds publicly defended his actions and criticized Martin for allegedly abusing his position, leading Martin to resign as an upstream maintainer for Apple’s Arm Macs support. Martin argued that Linux needs the involvement of major stakeholders like himself to survive, but feels that Torvalds’ hands-off approach allows subsystem maintainers to obstruct contributors.
The controversy highlights a growing issue of burnout in the open-source community, with many developers citing verbal abuse, lack of recognition, and work overload as causes. Experts warn that this can lead to significant losses, including stagnating update frequencies and project abandonment.
Martin’s decision follows a series of personal challenges, including harassment and threats against him and his family. He believes his departure is a result of “personal betrayal” by some members of the Linux community who feigned support but secretly resented him.
The Rust for Linux project continues to operate despite Martin’s resignation, and Asahi Linux will be maintained under current team members. The incident raises questions about leadership, burnout, and the future of open-source software development.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/13/ashai_linux_head_quits