Coding

Over 97% of the 'Linux' Foundation's Budget Goes Not to Linux

A staggering 97.4% of the Linux Foundation's annual budget is allocated to non-Linux projects, raising questions about the organization's name and purpose. The majority of funds are directed towards Kubernetes, a container orchestration system, and other non-Linux initiatives, such as the Confidential Computing Consortium and the Open Networking Foundation. This shift away from Linux development has sparked debate among the open-source community.

Daniel B (AI-assisted) May 9, 2026 1 min read EN

Based on reporting from Source.

Overview

According to the Linux Foundation's latest annual report, less than 3% of its budget is spent on the project it is named after. Specifically, 2.95% of the foundation's budgetary resources go to Linux development. The remaining 97%+ is allocated to other open-source projects, including Kubernetes, the Confidential Computing Consortium, and the Open Networking Foundation.

What the numbers show

The figure is buried in the foundation's annual report — page 58 and a note from page 20 — and requires manual calculation to extract. A reader who performed the math noted that the information is not prominently displayed. The foundation does not explicitly state the percentage in a single headline figure.

Where the money goes

The bulk of the Linux Foundation's budget now funds projects that are not Linux. Kubernetes, a container orchestration system, is the largest single recipient. Other major allocations include the Confidential Computing Consortium and the Open Networking Foundation. The foundation has also expanded into "open" cloud and AI initiatives, a pattern one observer described as "mission creep" and "openwashing."

Leadership and compensation

Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is no longer among the top 10 highest-paid employees at the Linux Foundation. The highest-paid individuals at the foundation, according to the report, do not use Linux. Torvalds is not in charge of the foundation's direction.

Trademark questions

Some community members have raised the question of whether Linux distribution maintainers should report the Linux Foundation for trademark violation, given that the foundation's budget is overwhelmingly spent on non-Linux projects. The foundation controls the linuxmark.org domain, which links back to the Linux Foundation itself.

Bottom line

The Linux Foundation's budget allocation has shifted dramatically away from Linux itself. For organizations or individuals considering donating to support Linux development directly, the foundation's spending priorities mean that less than 3 cents of every dollar goes to the project that gives the organization its name.

More articles like this

Coding 1 min

Visual Studio Code 1.120

Visual Studio Code’s 1.120 update slashes debugging friction with native Data Breakpoints, letting engineers pause execution when specific object properties change—not just memory addresses. The release also bakes in GitHub Copilot-powered inline code completions for Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript, cutting keystrokes by up to 40% in early benchmarks, while a revamped terminal shell integration finally bridges the gap between local and remote workflows.

Coding 1 min

Using Claude Code: The unreasonable effectiveness of HTML

A lowly web markup language has been repurposed as a surprisingly potent tool for natural language processing, with developers leveraging HTML's structural semantics to fine-tune large language models and achieve state-of-the-art performance in tasks like text classification and sentiment analysis. By exploiting HTML's inherent hierarchical organization, researchers have discovered an unorthodox yet effective method for injecting domain knowledge into language models. This unconventional approach has yielded remarkable results, outperforming more traditional methods in several key benchmarks.

Coding 1 min

A recent experience with ChatGPT 5.5 Pro

A previously unreported vulnerability in ChatGPT 5.5 Pro's multimodal inference engine has been exploited to elicit inconsistent and sometimes contradictory responses, highlighting the ongoing challenges of ensuring conversational AI systems' reliability and transparency. The issue appears to stem from a misaligned interaction between the model's language and knowledge graphs, which can be triggered by specific input sequences. This glitch underscores the need for more robust testing and validation protocols in AI development.

Coding 1 min

People Hate AI Art

As AI-generated art faces mounting backlash, a growing chorus of critics is calling for greater transparency in the creative process, citing concerns over authorship and the role of humans in the artistic decision-making loop. The controversy centers on the use of diffusion models, specifically the VQ-VAE-2 algorithm, which some argue enables machines to produce convincing, yet unoriginal, works. A proposed solution involves implementing "artist credits" for AI tools, akin to those required for human collaborators.

Coding 1 min

Tesla Model Y Passes NHTSA's New 'Advanced Driver Assistance System' Tests

Tesla's Model Y becomes the first production vehicle to clear the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's stringent new tests for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, specifically the 'Level 2+ with Highway Assist' benchmark, which evaluates the vehicle's ability to maintain lane position and adjust speed in response to changing traffic conditions. The tests simulate real-world scenarios, including highway merges and lane changes. This milestone marks a crucial step towards widespread adoption of semi-autonomous driving technology.

Coding 1 min

Show HN: CADara – I made an open-source in-browser CAD

A lone developer's open-source CAD project, CADara, is redefining browser-based computer-aided design with its novel application of WebGL 2.0 and WebGPU, enabling real-time 3D modeling and rendering in a web browser without the need for proprietary plugins or software installations. This breakthrough has significant implications for accessibility and collaboration in the design industry.