He also has always asked and worked with his community for what they want. I've been on Sync since 2014 and have nothing tying me to it, but the fact when I had issues he responded personally and got it fixed, really made an impression. I remember back when he took a break for a couple years to work on his degree, he came back swinging hard on this project.
I'll gladly leave the app if it ever doesn't have my interests in mind. However that time has not yet arrived.
It's the reason lemmy is struggling, it's mainly Linux gatekeepers and foss elitists. Along with lemmy needing a slight learning period, the community just spews toxic shit relentlessly.