mold 2.42.1 is likely the last C++ release, and mold 3.0 is a Rust rewrite aiming to replace GNU ld

Sources: release, report, HN discussion
Summary: Rui Ueyama, author of both lld and mold, states 2.42.1 is likely the last C++ version of the linker unless another patch release is needed, and that the 3.x series is a rewrite in Rust. He states the 3.x goal is adoption as /usr/bin/ld, which requires the linker script features mold still lacks for linking kernels and firmware. He also states AI-assisted coding made a rewrite at that scale more practical, without removing its risk.
Why it matters: Becoming the system linker moves mold from an opt-in build speedup to the default path for kernel and firmware links.
Follow-up: Whether mold 3.x lands the linker script coverage that linking kernels and firmware requires.