- Linux finally documents how to select who replaces your long-time leader
- Decades of stability masked a zero bus factor issue in kernel leadership
- A formal organizing role replaces assumptions during sudden and messy leadership gaps.
The Linux kernel community has existed for over three decades under the leadership of one individual, Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, who has been at the helm since 1991.
But after many years without a written alternative, there is now a formal process to handle a change in leadership if the current leader steps aside.
The succession plan will only be used if Torvalds suddenly leaves the void and there is no smooth handover; In this situation, the first step is to select an ‘Organizer’, a role assigned to the most recent organizer of the Maintainer Summit or the chair of the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board.
How would the replacement process begin?
Once appointed, the Organizer has a limited window to initiate structured discussions with maintainers who attended the most recent summit.
If too much time has passed since that meeting, the advisory board steps in to decide who should be invited, with flexibility to include additional maintainers when necessary.
Once discussions begin, the invited group has two weeks to agree on a path forward, and the outcome is then shared publicly via established mailing lists, keeping the broader community informed.
The process is deliberately procedural rather than personality-driven, and relies on people already entrusted with maintaining the subsystem.
This approach reflects how many Linux distributions already manage leadership changes, even though the kernel itself has remained an exception for years.
Linus Torvalds has repeatedly observed that many kernel maintainers have been active for decades, reducing the risk of knowledge loss.
At the same time, the project has long had a bus factor of zero, meaning a single unexpected event could cause disruptions.
While Torvalds previously expressed concern about the number of maintainers, he also stated that capable developers continue to emerge and gain influence over time.
The new plan does not change that dynamic, but it recognizes the structural risk more directly.
The existence of a written process does not guarantee consensus during an actual transition, especially in a community known for its strong opinions.
Nor does it identify a successor in advance, leaving uncertainty until the time comes. However, it reduces ambiguity during a crisis and prevents improvisation under pressure.
Linus Torvalds is only 56 years old; Therefore, it probably won’t be gone anytime soon, but this process formalizes the inevitable: someday it will be gone.
For a project of this scale, relying on an informal agreement may not be enough and could be a ticking time bomb.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
