Linus Torvalds apologizes for unprofessional behavior, will take a break

In an e-mail to the Linux Kernel Mailing List on Sunday, Linux founder Linus Torvalds issued an apology for his years-long unprofessional behavior and his "lifetime of not understanding emotions". Torvalds is known for attacking others, often in a flippant and sometimes even in a personal way. He says he's going to take some time off to seek assistance "on how to understand people's emotions and respond appropriately".

This week people in our community confronted me about my lifetime of not understanding emotions. My flippant attacks in emails have been both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made it personal. In my quest for a better patch, this made sense to me. I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry.


I am going to take time off and get some assistance on how to understand people’s emotions and respond appropriately.