attestation-findings/output/timeline/meta_timeline.md
2026-03-14 05:57:07 +00:00

9.4 KiB

Meta / Linux Research -- Correlation Timeline

Generated 2026-03-11 | Task 5.1 Synthesis

Summary

  • Total events: 19
  • Event types: 9
  • Temporal correlations (within 30 days): 2

Events by Type

Governance

  • 2019-03-13: Presto Foundation established under the Linux Foundation with Meta (Facebook) as founding member. (Linux Foundation Members) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2019-11-06: GraphQL Foundation established under the Linux Foundation, stewarding the Meta-created GraphQL specification. (Linux Foundation Members) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2022-09-12: Meta donates PyTorch to the Linux Foundation, establishing the PyTorch Foundation as an LF project. Meta retains significant governance role in the new foundation. (Linux Foundation Members) -- Meta Platforms Inc

Licensing Change

  • 2017-09-22: Facebook relicenses React to MIT: After sustained community backlash and the WordPress departure, Facebook relicenses React (and Jest, Flow, Immutable.js) from BSD+Patents to the MIT license. Engineering VP Sophie Alpert announces the change. This represents a capitulation to community pressure and sets a precedent for Facebook's li (Facebook Engineering -- Relicensing React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable.js) -- Meta Platforms Inc

Licensing Controversy

  • 2017-04-18: Apache Software Foundation bans BSD+Patents license: The Apache Software Foundation adds Facebook's BSD+Patents license to its Category-X list, effectively banning its use in Apache projects. ASF declares the patent retaliation clause incompatible with the Apache License. This forces major projects to reconsider their React dependencies. (Apache Software Foundation -- Resolved License Questions) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2017-07-16: WordPress announces move away from React: WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg announces that WordPress will stop using React due to the BSD+Patents license. Given WordPress's market share, this is a significant blow to React's adoption trajectory. (Matt Mullenweg -- On React and WordPress) -- Meta Platforms Inc

Licensing Decision

  • 2014-10-28: Facebook introduces BSD+Patents license for React: Facebook releases React under a BSD license with an additional 'PATENTS' file granting a patent license that is automatically revoked if the user sues Facebook for patent infringement. This is the 'BSD+Patents' license model. (React PATENTS file (original)) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2019-03-01: Facebook releases PyTorch under modified BSD license: PyTorch is released under a standard BSD-3-Clause license without the patent rider, reflecting lessons learned from the React controversy. This positions PyTorch for broad adoption in the AI/ML community without licensing friction. (PyTorch LICENSE file (GitHub)) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2023-07-18: Meta releases Llama 2 with custom 'open' license: Meta releases Llama 2 under a custom license that allows free use and redistribution but includes restrictions: commercial users with >700M monthly active users must obtain a separate license from Meta. The license is not OSI-approved and has been criticised as 'open-washing' -- marketing proprietar (Meta Llama 2 Community License Agreement) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2024-04-18: Meta releases Llama 3 with updated custom license: Meta releases Llama 3 under an updated community license that maintains the 700M MAU commercial threshold and adds acceptable use restrictions prohibiting certain applications. The license continues to be criticised as 'source available' rather than truly open source. Meta brands it as 'open' while (Meta Llama 3 Community License Agreement) -- Meta Platforms Inc
  • 2024-07-23: Llama 3.1 release maintains restrictive license: Meta releases Llama 3.1 (405B, 70B, 8B) under the same custom community license. Despite being marketed as the largest 'open' model release, the license remains non-OSI-compliant. The Open Source Initiative continues to object to Meta's use of 'open' terminology for models with usage and commercial (Meta AI Blog -- Llama 3.1) -- Meta Platforms Inc

News Mention

Patent Filing

Personnel Move

  • 2023: Roman Gushchin: Meta -> Google (cgroups/memory contributor) -- Roman Gushchin
  • 2023: Kirill Shutemov: Intel -> Meta (memory management developer) -- Kirill Shutemov
  • 2024: Josef Bacik: Meta -> Anthropic (Btrfs maintainer) -- Josef Bacik

Standards Audit

Strategic Analysis

  • 2025-01-01: Industry discussion: potential closed-weights pivot: Industry analysts and open-source advocates discuss the possibility that Meta may further restrict model weights in future releases, moving from 'available weights' to fully closed or API-only access. Drivers include competitive pressure from OpenAI/Google, safety concerns, and potential regulatory (SemiAnalysis -- Industry analysis on Meta AI strategy) -- Meta Platforms Inc

Chronological Timeline

Date Type Description
2014-10-28 Licensing Decision Facebook introduces BSD+Patents license for React: Facebook releases React under a BSD license with an additional 'PA...
2017-04-18 Licensing Controversy Apache Software Foundation bans BSD+Patents license: The Apache Software Foundation adds Facebook's BSD+Patents licen...
2017-07-16 Licensing Controversy WordPress announces move away from React: WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg announces that WordPress will stop usin...
2017-09-22 Licensing Change Facebook relicenses React to MIT: After sustained community backlash and the WordPress departure, Facebook relicenses...
2019-03-01 Licensing Decision Facebook releases PyTorch under modified BSD license: PyTorch is released under a standard BSD-3-Clause license witho...
2019-03-13 Governance Presto Foundation established under the Linux Foundation with Meta (Facebook) as founding member.
2019-09-18 Patent Filing Patent US11119931B1: Data pipeline for microkernel operating system (expired)
2019-11-06 Governance GraphQL Foundation established under the Linux Foundation, stewarding the Meta-created GraphQL specification.
2021-05-04 Patent Filing Patent US20210286628A1: Operating System With A Single Kernel Stack Per Processor (abandoned)
2022-09-12 Governance Meta donates PyTorch to the Linux Foundation, establishing the PyTorch Foundation as an LF project. Meta retains sign...
2023 Personnel Move Roman Gushchin: Meta -> Google (cgroups/memory contributor)
2023 Personnel Move Kirill Shutemov: Intel -> Meta (memory management developer)
2023-07-18 Licensing Decision Meta releases Llama 2 with custom 'open' license: Meta releases Llama 2 under a custom license that allows free use a...
2024 Personnel Move Josef Bacik: Meta -> Anthropic (Btrfs maintainer)
2024-04-18 Licensing Decision Meta releases Llama 3 with updated custom license: Meta releases Llama 3 under an updated community license that main...
2024-07-23 Licensing Decision Llama 3.1 release maintains restrictive license: Meta releases Llama 3.1 (405B, 70B, 8B) under the same custom commun...
2025-01-01 Strategic Analysis Industry discussion: potential closed-weights pivot: Industry analysts and open-source advocates discuss the possibil...
2026-03-09 News Mention [Phoronix] There's Hope That At Least Colorado's Age Attestation Bill Could Exclude Open-Source
2026-03-11 Standards Audit OpenXR extension audit completed: Meta has 76 of 265 extensions (28.7% of total)

Temporal Correlations (within 30 days)

Days Apart Event A Event B
2 News Mention: [Phoronix] There's Hope That At Least Colorado's Age Attesta Standards Audit: OpenXR extension audit completed: Meta has 76 of 265 extensi
12 Licensing Decision: Facebook releases PyTorch under modified BSD license: PyTorc Governance: Presto Foundation established under the Linux Foundation wit