> Ha. I don't work for GitHub tho! I'm just a guy writing about my feelings

And this is exactly the problem. GitHub uses you as a free writer to promote its making money goals, instead to pay somebody. You are just another case of "working for the exposure". You in fact were working for Github, you just not realized it, and weren't paid.

Open source in late 90's was not about making a personal brand -> to make merits -> so the companies will hire you -> so you don't need to do open source anymore. Some people maybe, but the majority were driven by personal hobbies and "I'll fix it because I can, in a context of mutual benefit, and feels good helping somebody like me somewhere".

Now the mutual benefit in both parts feel much more unbalanced.

I didn't claim you did. Why would GitHub (read: Microsoft) "amplify your voice" in a way that doesn't benefit them? They want people locked into GH via their non-Git offerings.