We (https://sheetjs.com https://sheetjs.com) maintain some reasonably popular projects (our most popular, https://github.com/SheetJS/js-xlsx/ https://github.com

We (https://sheetjs.com https://sheetjs.com) maintain some reasonably popular projects (our most popular, https://github.com/SheetJS/js-xlsx/ https://github.com/SheetJS/js-xlsx/, has over 15K stars and sees millions of downloads per month). It's important to remember why you are involved in open source. If those circumstances change, you should ask why you continue to remain involved. As soon as you lack a satisfactory answer, it's your cue to stop. Many large open source projects start out as a passion project or a solution to a specific problem that the original developers faced. Over time, other people face similar issues and rally around your solution and it is really easy to fall into the trap of bearing their burdens. This is a bad response. Other people using your open source offerings do not create any sort of obligation on your part to care or respond to their concerns. If someone really cares enough, they will incentivize your continued effort (like money or other considerations). It is unfortunately cultural taboo to ask some of the more vocal critics to pay, but setting up that dialogue at least shuts down most of the comments. IMHO the origin of most of these issues comes from the very thing that drives many people to open source in the first place: personal branding. If you remove your personal identity from the equation, it's a lot easier to "turn off notifications". Rants and criticisms are directed at this mystery character, not you personally. Since you are not personally tied to the project, working on open source feels like a distinct activity and is judged on its merits. You don't feel the same sense of obligations since you don't personally feel like you are disappointing the user base.