Why?

Guys, is it fraud to take money from VC bros—who would never "invest" in an open-source project, because ROI is only measured in dollars—and turn around and donate said money to an open-source project? Seriously... I'm really struggling to understand how this works.

Fucking booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

Reading the comments on this makes me wonder how we can do a better job of explaining what a sponsorship is. I understand that people get anxious with controversial sponsors, but the only way FOSS projects can avoid getting these is by having a shit-ton of individuals donating. Kinda hard to solve.

Fuck's sake. Why the hell would anyone take the environment wrecking, copyright violating, slop generating machine as a backer?

a lot of people are now learning where the biggest FOSS projects get their funding

What the heck are you guys doing!! This is so bad. Anyone but them!!!

The quotes are peak bluesky content Also, if you're not among these 7587 individuals and haven't even supported the project - lol, lmao even, keep bitching about receiving free shit all this time

OK, To everyone worried, Blender are not Collaborating with this AI company, The Company is just giving them money. OK No need to panic

i’m fucking killing myself

Hey quick question , is this an out of season april fools joke?

The replies here need a diaper change. It's not the end of the world if a company you personally dislike donates to a tool you use. The tool won't get cooties. Grow the fuck up.

I regret to inform that today apparently Blender is being cancelled

this might be one of the worst room-reads in history wow

Strike one and done. Permanent uninstall and salt the earth. Fuck you, you cowardly shits.

This AI enshittification needs to STOP, Blender is by FAR one of the most popular rendering tools used across the entire planet for all creative endeavors, this is an insult & disgrace to EVERYONE, i wanted to get into Blender as well. Backlash against this or or just start sailing the seas for it.

Oh no is gonna be crushed

Bruh no

gross but this doesnt mean anything for the direction of blender necessarily, and its far from the first company like this that have donated to blender (netflix have as well)

REALLY hope this is nothing more than reputation laundering (which is also gross given the harms these AI companies are causing/enabling) but I don't blame anyone for being sketchy of any association with these companies, always best to assume the worst intentions until proven otherwise.

time to stop using blender 😔

WELP. Looks like I'm moving back to Blockbench.

On the one hand I think it's silly to say "Welp guess we gotta find an alternative" just for them taking money with no strings attached On the other hand I support giving backlash to things like this because it's a pretty effective warning to say "Hey you better not take any step further than this"

ugh really? just as i was getting started to use this program 🫠

Well, shit. That's a wrinkle. Supposedly Anthropic will have no say in Blender development, but you start taking the devil's money and those "supposedly"s go away eventually. Still, that's the danger of huge applications that are free, open-source software- eventually SOMETHING'S gotta be sold.

I... I want to d13.

Now I have no way to find an alterntive... Autodesk Maya is expensive for whatever reason...

Claude, generate a strong 3D Army man with the most fucked up possible topography

Well, bye

Well, now i'm DEFINITELY not learning to use blender

Guess I'm going to learn how to use nomad sculpt

não gostei

Don't

This is a big mistake blender!!

No... Just no...

oh fuck this

Can we just fucking NOT? #AIBullshit

Let us be clear: Your users DO NOT WANT you to partner with an AI company. Your users DO NOT WANT MCP integration. And most of all they DO NOT WANT you to add generative AI. You tech-bro idiots.

Get utterly rekt.

no

Fuck off

FUCK. THIS. SHIT.

Ho look, yet another creative brand associating with AI, fun times

gen ai/llm companies carry such vile pr baggage that blender is aware of yet they still took the money. it's quite obvious you're being donated to for tax writeoffs. come on.

ugh... So much for Blender, a slap in the face to Artists. More reason to move away from 3D and Digital work.

Remember: bullying corporations works. You should always bully genAI sellout corporations, it is always morally correct

Well. Fuck Blender, I guess. Going to keep an eye on this. If it's just taking money, cool. Fine. Rob them. If it leads to gen AI tools or slop Claude programming (since Anthropic makes Claude), then I guess I'm finding a fork or new program.

Well fuck. This isn’t good news guys…

Everybody hated this

Quoting this to add to the ratio but also good lord did y’all even bother to try reading the room

This doesn't change anything btw. If you're worried about them adding AI stuff, this is something they've already discussed publicly at blendercon. They are adding AI features and it has nothing to do with where they get their funding

Doesn't matter if Blender states that this funding won't directly affect how the program itself works, that's not the problem here. When corporations fund open-source projects or donate or set up non-profits, etc., there is always an ulterior motive to somehow keep control, change narratives, etc.

Too damn deep into using Blender to really bow out of it, but I'm as sure as s*** not gonna update it now. Sticking strictly to the versions I got now if they stay with their 'sponsor'.

lowkey expect a downfall lol. I'm gonna stop my donation, enjoy the AI cash

One would think that art related programs and sites would learn from adobe and deviantart about stabbing the back of their user base, but nope, they are that dumb it seems

"Blender sucks now"

oh so it's that desperate already that we're getting donations to popular foss tech in order to advertize yourself

NO BLENDER, DON'T GO TOWARDS AI. COME BACK.