Bartender is just utility app, but has permissions to e.g screen recording, so new version from new developer without prior explanation just seems shady
Similar things seemed to have happened to the ModHeader extension, newer versions now inject ads.
Trying to pull a move like this and trying to hide it away like a quiet fart? We can smell enshittification from a mile away and we already know it smells like shit in here.
The support article doesn't mention the cert change or the new owners, and instead calls it "a known issue where certain apps, including Bartender, might not receive Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions properly, despite the user granting them in System Settings."
Highly disingenuous. I've uninstalled Bartender.
But after this I'm not trusting it at all.