This is the Nazi Bar problem. If you promote or even allow anyone who is openly not inclusive, your community will become non-inclusive. It’s just a matter of time. DHH especially is on record with his non-inclusiveness. So the question is simple: do you want a Nazi bar? If so, take the easy route, remain “neutral”. If not, the work is harder, you must take a stand.
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We are Tommi and Fraxinas, Framework Linux Community Ambassadors since September 2024.
We apprehensively followed the developments and the debate concerning Framework’s endorsement and support of Omarchy. We have no direct experience with this Linux distribution, its community, nor with the political environment around it. We did not speak up before now because learning about all of it and keeping up with all the commentary would have been a full-time job. Unfortunately we do not have the time to read every single comment on the dedicated forum thread.
Despite our admittedly limited and superficial understanding of this matter, we believe we have witnessed and read enough to make an informed decision and take a clear position.
The statements from Framework and from Nirav Patel (its CEO) made it very clear for us that Framework is not a company we feel represented by any more, and surely not a company that we want to represent as Ambassadors.
To be frank, it is not even necessary to dive into the petty drama about the recent events in order to provide an explanation of our decision. We are deeply disappointed by a company that is self-proclaimed as the resistance of the tech industry, the good David that intends to stand against the big tech Goliaths that are devouring it. Framework’s behaviour brought to surface an embarrassing and absurd inability to take an explicitly political position, blinded by the Western patriarchal narrative that technology in itself is not political. By trying to keep everyone happy (or at least not to make anyone mad) inside a fictitious “big tent”, the company proved to be no better than any of its Silicon Valley peers, dismissing comments about DHH, and comments about fascism and racism as not strictly related to the main mission.
We were proud to be ambassadors because we believed that Framework not only made products that empowered those who purchase them to fully own and repair their devices, but most importantly because we wrongly expected that this would imply changing the paradigm and the narrative about tech companies altogether.
We were offered the possibility of having a 1:1 conversation with Nirav Patel. We did not take it, because it is self-evident that our opinions are in contrast with the statements that he already made. Too bad, Framework is going to lose much more business than it would have if it simply acknowledged a mistake, took a deep inward look, and questioned its own values and stance.
In a world that is burning, thorn by conflict and greed, it is not enough to be less evil, to be radical only in some cases, and be moderate in others. We wanted to be ambassadors of a company that does not see fascism and proprietary software as two distant topics, but that recognised the entanglement of politics and technology, of capitalism and authoritarianism. It seems that this is not the case.
Farewell, Framework. We will miss the shining brave idea we had of you.
This statement was cross-posted on the Fediverse.
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To make this hard choice, I found it enlightening and decisive to read The Californian Ideology (1995) by Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron.
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As a Framework user and customer, I’m equally saddened by this situation, and I admire the stand that you’ve taken. This reflects my personal knowledge of your own values and mission, which is more than I’ve now seen in the organisation I’ve purchased from. I know that you are incredible Linux and Open Source advocates who want to help to change the world. Thank you.
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Good luck on your future endeavors. I hope Framework sees the silver lining and finds a good replacement who truly loves Linux more than political activism.
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When the simple fact of your existence is politicized by others, political activism becomes necessary for survival.
People who don’t care about political activism either don’t understand that (no shame in that, if they’re willing to learn!), or don’t care about the survival of targeted groups.
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Thank you both for taking this stand. I know it can be difficult to come to terms with an organization that you care about having compromised its values in unacceptable ways. The Linux community clearly needs more people like y’all who understand that all tech is political, and fewer who think that value neutrality is desirable (or even possible).
Framework has made it clear that they don’t care to stand up for people like me, so I’m switching from being free advertising to condemning the company and telling everyone to boycott them.
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Framework has done nothing wrong.
Almost my whole life I didn’t care about someone’s politics. It is really sad seeing politics used to divide everything. Complete waste of time and a massive drag to technology and innovation.
My framework computer(s) and OS of choice (Omarchy) are not hurting anyone or anything.
Framework is a net positive in the tech world.
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Stepping down as Framework Linux Community Ambassadors was a great post. I seriously disagree with trying to bury it in this hellthread. Can you undo that?
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The moderators made that choice. I agree with their decision. Leaving that thread separate would only re-create this thread.
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If this company goes under it’s going to deal such a blow to repairable electronics that we’re probably going to have to be buying hardware every 6 months to support the profits of big tech companies. I’m not ready to go back to that nightmare. If Framework dies as a company I’m giving up on software freedom altogether and buying a Mac.
Nirav please just say something. At the rate we’re going we’re going to have to go back to laptops where literally everything is soldered on.
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Nirav please just say something. At the rate we’re going we’re going to have to go back to laptops where literally everything is soldered on.
Agreed, this is so painful to watch.
To paraphrase Churchhill, Framework is the worst laptop company, except for all the others. It’s so weird they aligned themselves with such a divisive, gimmicky and stupid distro but the bigger shame is how badly they’ve handled getting called out on it.
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I don’t think selling the company would solve any problems. More often companies that get sold to larger ones end up betraying all their values, not just the ones that are controversial right now. Imagine if HP bought Framework just so they could outright destroy it, or turn it into just another laptop brand with soldered mainboards. Or drop support for Linux entirely. Buyouts almost never work out for the consumer.
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I mean if the company’s values are We will fund fascists; it probably would be a good thing to betray.
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That thread was off to a great start. Almost everybody was communicating well.
Leaving that thread separate would only re-create this thread.
Who can say? If it turns into a big tent of sea lions then, sure, shut it down. But please don’t prematurely silence people genuinely trying to communicate. To me, that says more about Framework’s character than giving money to DHH or whoever.
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Legitimately what even is going on anymore?
The Framework discord server has been on shutdown for nearly a month, the Linux ambassadors have quit, and all three of the headlines in “general discussion” are about the Omarchy glaze being a bad thing; why have they still not said anything of substance?
Nirav tweets “I like minorities, actually” and then it’s radio silence regarding Omarchy, meaning they know about the accusations (how could they not at this point, to be fair) and like, are doing nothing? I’m not even implying that the company holds these values - because I still genuinely don’t think they do - but like what the hell is that strategy?
We aren’t allowed to call anyone on this thread a racist/far-righter/fascist (fair enough), but at this point you would have to be blind to not internally portray some of the peoples on this thread as such. This is the people who the “big tent” approach benefits, to the detriment of everyone else. Framework sure has made its bed, but seeing as they’ve stopped posting about Omarchy I’m not sure then even like lying in it.
Honestly? I’m starting to feel like me still thinking that “they don’t even stand by DHH” is a cope, they obviously at best do not care at the very least.
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Someone in another thread was pointing out a job posting for a social media person is still up. It would be fantastic if that person is currently on round seven on interviews and Framework has hired private investigators to look into their past for baggage only to find they’ve never made an enemy in their life, so they arrive and manage to put all of this in the company’s rear-view mirror somehow. I’m not asking for purity (despite those jokes on Twitter- tee hee hee). The responses have been so off putting, at this point I just want to be served some decent, half-assed copium.
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True, but let’s be honest, if Framework laptops weren’t repairable and didn’t support Linux anymore, would it even matter if they donated like 90% of profits to progressive charities? I certainly wouldn’t. The product would be pointless if it were a piece of junk and it’s only reason for existing is making a political statement. Same reason why no one sensible even in the right wing buys the Freedom Phone or Trump’s sneakers.
Framework’s entire identity has always been championing right to repair and FOSS software. If they decided to give up on those things in favor of supporting something else, it would be like asking the NAACP to stop working for racial justice because a bunch of people decided LGBTQIA+ advocacy was more important. Sure, Framework can and should definitely stop supporting controversial figures like DHH. But it would be a pyrrhic victory if they lost all their other values as a result.
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I suppose it’s nice about ThinkPads, but Lenovo is the single computer brand I have entirely vowed to never touch ever again after two separate products I bought from them (a laptop and tablet) were respectively dead or EOLed in a mere two years.
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Unfortunately, this issue has apparently still continued without @nrp providing a good statement and acknowledging that the “big tent” doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes, and acknowledge “I wasn’t aware of those” and retract monetary and/or visibility support for projects/people that socially, the general wider community generally decides shouldn’t be supported.
It’s one thing to reply and help out users who install or use whatever distro/software, I would expect that. But actively promoting and giving money to people/projects that are (once someone does a little research) are KNOWN to have major issues, and in some ways actively act counter to inclusive support of folks, that’s something we can’t support.
In short…I had hoped to buy the next FW16 mainboard after the next AMD release to upgrade…but I’m afraid I can’t/won’t give Framework any more money until there is some level of new leadership and acknowledgement of general guidelines of what/who the company will official sponsor/support/highlight.
I’m afraid this means the probable death of Framework, and that is incredibly sad.
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