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The Linux Foundation’s “My Life as a Linux Kernel Developer and Maintainer with Sasha Levin” is a free LF Live mentorship session recorded April 8, 2026. Sasha Levin is the featured speaker, with Linux kernel developer and maintainer Shuah Khan moderating. The event page describes a discussion of kernel-maintainer work and a question-and-answer session, but does not provide a transcript, so the specific advice and answers cannot be confirmed from the page alone.

What the session is—and who is speaking

LF Live is the Linux Foundation’s free virtual mentorship series for open-source maintainers and community leaders. Its sessions cover Linux kernel and other operating-system development, with interactive discussion as part of the format. The April 8, 2026 session pairs Levin with Khan, a Linux Foundation Fellow whom the event page identifies as a kernel developer, maintainer, and contributor.

The Linux Foundation identifies Levin as a Distinguished Software Engineer at NVIDIA and a co-maintainer of the Linux stable and long-term support (LTS) kernel trees. Its event biography says he has contributed to the kernel since the early 2000s and previously worked with Oracle’s Ksplice team, Microsoft, and Google. Those career details are the Foundation’s account.

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What the event page says the discussion covers

The Linux Foundation describes the session as covering Levin’s experience, audience questions, and the technical and interpersonal skills and mindset that can help maintainers stay engaged over time. That is the advertised scope—not a verified summary of what he says in the recording. Without a transcript or checked video, particular recommendations, anecdotes, and attendee answers should not be attributed to Levin.

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Why stable-kernel maintenance involves careful review

Stable maintenance is not simply a matter of copying any useful change into an older kernel. The kernel’s documented stable rules set eligibility and process requirements: a fix, or an equivalent fix, must already be in mainline; it must be obviously correct and tested; it must follow patch-submission rules; and it must address a real bug or add a device ID. The rules also cover patch size and how to request or defer stable consideration. See the stable kernel rules.

The kernel development-process documentation says a patch considered for a stable update must already be merged into mainline and fix a significant bug. It identifies the stable team, including Greg Kroah-Hartman and Sasha Levin in the current text. The documentation also notes that a maintainer’s needs and available time inform whether a release is selected for long-term support. These process details explain the demands of the role; they should not be presented as lessons specifically taught in this webinar unless confirmed in the recording. See The Linux kernel development process.

Workload and release cadence: what the sources establish

The Linux Foundation event biography says Levin oversees review and backporting of roughly 100 patches per day across multiple active release branches. This is the Foundation’s approximate description of his workload, not an independently audited throughput figure.

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The Linux Kernel Archives say stable releases are issued as needed, usually about once a week. The archives list LTS branches, their maintainers, and projected end-of-life dates; those assignments and dates can change, so consult the kernel release archive for the current list rather than relying on a fixed branch lineup.

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Linux Kernel Development
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Where to find the session and supporting details

The Linux Foundation LF Live mentorship series page is the primary event source for the session’s advertised format, participants, and themes. It does not publish a transcript. To learn Levin’s exact advice, examples, or responses to questions, watch the recording and distinguish his spoken statements from the event page’s biography and description.

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