Jonathan Riddell, founder of the beloved Kubuntu, has announced that he is leaving KDE after 25 years. If you didn't know him, his work helped bring the Plasma desktop to millions and shaped the KDE ecosystem through both Kubuntu and KDE Neon.
Jonathan built Kubuntu to make KDE more accessible to everyday Linux users. After Canonical stopped officially supporting it, he turned his attention to KDE Neon. Neon allowed KDE to deliver the latest Plasma releases directly to users, becoming a platform for testing, development, and adoption. Through both projects, Jonathan ensured KDE remained relevant and approachable.
In his farewell, he explained why he felt it was time to move on. He described KDE’s direction as moving away from the cooperative and transparent model he valued. He cited examples like Igalia, a worker-owned open source consultancy, as a style KDE never adopted.
Instead, he saw decision-making increasingly concentrated, particularly under Nate Graham, whose approach emphasized centralized control.
Jonathan said he was increasingly sidelined. His proposals for a democratic structure in Techpaladin, the company meant to continue supporting KDE Neon after Blue Systems scaled back, were ignored. He found himself excluded from decisions on projects he had built and led for years.
Jonathan closed his farewell blog by sharing the following image and message:
But in the end I lost my friends, my colleagues, my job, my career and my family. What’s a spod who just tried to do the right thing for society to do? Dunno. For now, if you want me, you can find me surfing the endless wave whenever the sun sets over my digital nomad coliving paddleshack at the end of the world.
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Sourav Rudra
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