Is it the new cool thing for Linux maintainers to step down?

Third time I’ve seen it recently…

It’s demographics. Linux contributors & maintainers skew heavily to the older end of the spectrum (and, although not relevant to this point, also skew heavily male).

People who can contribute time to a project for free tend to be older because they are financially and career settled by the time they hit 50s. Raising a family tends not to leave a lot of spare time.

Bingo.

Contributing and/or maintaining a FOSS project < not getting murdered by my wife for “playing on my computer instead of spending time with my family.”

It could be some of the most mission-critical work imaginable, but she’d still see it as goofing around because I’m not getting paid, and she requires attention. And I love the hell out of my wife, so happy wife indeed equals happy life.