That may well be true. But still, this story influences my _guess at the likelihood_ that this author would do so in the direction of "more likely."

Likelihood that the authors/owners of software are willing to cooperate, and capable of cooperating, with adversaries is an important metric for comparing options. Very high profile open source maintainers are less capable, due to the oversight of the community. Anarchist- or security-absolutist type personalities are less likely. The author and his project don't fit either bill.

I'm not arguing that this is the only metric that matters when considering one's options. But it does matter.

My understanding is that he may not have a choice. With a combination of an NSL and the all-writs-act, the US government can likely compel any non-FAANG domestic entity to do nearly anything short of murder.