I think the obvious reason for this is that alcohol is an order of magnitude more fun when you're socializing with people in person, and people just do so much less of that now than even just before covid.
Instead, you're seeing people turn to "quiet night at home" types of recreational drugs.
For me, I'd rather have more in-person social time and a few beers, whatever the health effects may be. The benefits of social time always felt well-worth it.
I think a big part of this is a reflection of DHH's (understandable) frustration with Apple's App Store management, processes, and policies.
Looking back at January 2024, it seems like DHH started to reach his personal boiling point with that sort of nonsense, which seems to mark the start of the aggressive search for another suitable platform, out from under Apple's control.
While the original pursuit may have been less about seeking Windows or Linux than it was about getting away from Apple, it does seem like the end destination in Linux has been pretty satisfying. And it's great to see someone investing time and energy into promoting a cohesive linux desktop user experience that isn't just focused on feature parity to something else.