April 3, 2026
Open source, open drama
TDF ejects its core developers
LibreOffice foundation accused of booting top coders — commenters ask “who is TDF”
TLDR: A post alleges LibreOffice’s foundation pushed out key developers and overturned an election; The Document Foundation’s reply drew little attention. Commenters split between “let the coders lead” and “follow the rules,” while many asked who TDF is—highlighting a communication gap with real stakes for the world’s free office suite.
Open-source soap opera alert: a fiery post claims The Document Foundation (TDF) — the nonprofit behind LibreOffice — “ejected” long‑time core developers and even overturned an election. The internet’s first reaction? Confusion. Multiple commenters begged for plain English (“what’s TDF?”) while others explained it’s the group that steers LibreOffice. One user noted the Collabora post exploded in discussion while the TDF response “did not gain traction,” stoking the perception that the defense flopped.
The drama: the post argues coders are losing power on the board, claiming meritocracy is out and bureaucracy is in. Community mood swung between meritocracy vs. rules: builders say “let the doers decide,” while process fans point to governance and statutes. One commenter nailed the vibe with a dagger: “the tyranny of structure.” Add allegations of conflicts of interest and an over‑stayed board term, and you’ve got a governance thriller with spreadsheets. Jokes flew about how if the title doesn’t spell out “The Document Foundation,” maybe that’s the whole problem — messaging meltdown meets management meltdown. Whether you side with coders or compliance, everyone agrees: this is the kind of office drama that doesn’t need Clippy, it needs a referee.
Key Points
- •The article alleges TDF’s Membership Committee overturned the most recent election and expelled key LibreOffice contributors.
- •It claims developer representation on TDF’s board has declined significantly, alongside a drop in corporate-affiliated board members.
- •The author states the current board is overstaying its term and has lost developer members, including Eike and Bjoern, leaving Laszlo as the last coder on the board.
- •The post alleges governance issues: three TDF-affiliated directors contrary to statutes and the board chair’s relation to a staff member managed by the ED.
- •A contribution analysis tool based on git data was built to show that those affected are among top committers, acknowledging limitations (e.g., CVS-era data, Sun engineers).