That is a very interesting point actually. That Microsoft is a sponsor of the Linux foundation is not just a plus point in this discussion, but also a motivator for the Foundation to report positively.
The Linux Foundation is a joke. Hell, even Oracle is a 'platinum member', and there's no company on earth as aggressively hostile towards FLOSS than Oracle.
I'm really surprised this thread is so heavily upvoted here and on reddit.
The Linux Foundation is literally a lobbying agency for major coporations, why does it matter what's their opinion?
I mean The Linux Foundation president doesn't even use linux on his machine lol [1].
This should say everything you need to know about the foundation really.
LWN publishes regulator "kernel development statistics" which counts commits on a per-company basis and Oracle shows up consistently. Membership in the Linux Foundation seems entirely justified.
I've worked for a non-profit in a controversial space (interaction of faith and science). While my colleagues always strived to tell what they saw as truth, there was always an acknowledgement—unstated—that donors' reactions informed our approaches to addressing issues. Not that we compromised our values, but we couldn't operate in a vacuum.