1Password pledged $300k to a Linux project. Then came the backlash.

Sponsoring open source usually gets you quick praise, unless the project's creator advocates for ethnic deportations.

1Password pledged $300,000 to the Omacom Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Omarchy Linux distribution, reports The Verge. The trouble? Omarchy is built by Basecamp co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), who recently wrote blog posts calling for ethnic deportations in Europe. The donation triggered immediate anger, driving users to seek alternative password managers while 1Password employees pushed back inside the company's Slack.

Why it matters: 1Password claims it backed the foundation because Omarchy grew into its second most-used Linux distribution among customers. CEO David Faugno insisted the funding goes to the nonprofit rather than DHH directly, but writing checks to a project so closely tied to a controversial founder leaves 1Password trapped between user metrics and corporate ethics.

Know this: 1Password management told staff it plans to address the internal fallout further during an upcoming all-hands meeting.

Turns out, funding customer-favorite software gets complicated when the creator comes with heavy baggage.