1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux project
1Password has come under fire from customers and its own staff after pledging $300,000 to Omacom, the foundation behind the Omarchy Linux distribution created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the Ruby on Rails and Basecamp creator who has published racist blog posts calling for the deportation of ethnic minorities in Europe. Critics accused the password manager of effectively endorsing DHH's views, with one viral post claiming the firm "supports the ethnic cleansing of Europe," while others urged customers to switch to rival password managers.
The Verge reported that 1Password's leadership responded internally, with CEO David Faugno insisting the company does not endorse "hateful, dehumanizing, or exclusionary views" and stressing that the donation went to the Omacom Foundation rather than to DHH personally, though he acknowledged Omarchy has become the second most-used Linux distribution among 1Password users. Cofounder Roustem Karimov took a softer line in an internal Slack message, telling staff that opinions differ and warning against "ostracising" colleagues who disagree. DHH's July blog post likened immigrants to "wolves" and called for deportations, echoing past controversies that saw Duke University Libraries drop Basecamp in 2023. Omacom's other backers include Stripe's Patrick Collison, Michael Dell, Jack Dorsey and Shopify's Tobias Lütke; 1Password did not respond to requests for comment.
In short
- 1Password donated $300,000 to a Linux foundation linked to DHH
- DHH has published racist posts calling for deportations in Europe
- Backlash sparked internal staff dissent and customer boycott calls
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporting the grant, a thoughtful advocate could argue that funding Omacom supports an open-source Linux project used by 1Password customers, rather than endorsing its creator’s political views or giving money to him personally. They may also see it as fair to distinguish a foundation’s work from an individual’s statements and to allow colleagues to disagree without ostracism.
The case against
Opposing the grant, a thoughtful advocate could argue that a large donation lends money, visibility and legitimacy to a project closely associated with a creator who has advocated deporting ethnic minorities. Even if the funds went to a foundation, they may see the association as inconsistent with the company’s stated rejection of dehumanising views and as a reasonable concern for staff and customers.
Explained simply
Linux is a free operating system used on computers, and Omarchy is a version of Linux developed by David Heinemeier Hansson, known as DHH. Its users can choose from many password managers, including 1Password, which stores and fills in login details.
The Omacom Foundation supports Omarchy and has received backing from several technology figures and companies. The debate centres on whether funding a project also lends support to the views of its creator, who has published posts about immigration that critics describe as racist.
For 1Password, the issue touches on how customers and staff understand the company’s values and its decisions about sponsorship. It also reflects a wider question about how organisations should relate to projects whose creators hold controversial public views.