AOSP on a diet plan as Google halves Android code drops

This feels like another step in Google's slow retreat from the "open" in AOSP. Combined with the developer registration requirements that threaten F-Droid, it's becoming clear that Android's openness is more of a legacy brand than a current reality.

As someone who's been using custom ROMs for years, this is disappointing but not surprising. The question is whether alternatives like FuriOS can mature fast enough to become viable for regular users.

Android users who get the updates in quarters where Google intends to not drop code should be able to legally request the open source code, no? In other words, couldn't e.g. the FSF be able to force Google to release code quarterly anyway?

[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46517193