"f#ck off, it's free" is possibly an acceptable response if you're also working for free. If maintaining that free software is your job that you are getting paid good money to do, you really should hold yourself to higher standards.

Hm, depends on who is paying you, I think. If some philanthropist is paying you to make good free software, yes. But if you’re paid by stakeholders that want your maintenance to make sure they can use the free software themselves, you’re only really accountable to their opinions.

It is really closer to the latter (Linux Foundation = the megacorporations LUG), but Linus seems to treat it as the former - in a good way.

I assume he takes advice/feedback i.e. the famous ESR post and the concerns from that contributor from intel and others to heart. Or at least has forced himself to learn how to do so.