Frankly at this point I’d be willing to contribute to a strongly copyleft, privacy focused browser even if it meant yet another fucking ‘subscription’

Drag them too long and you may find your feet shackled. Plus you could potentially move back later on, depending on how things shake out. Stay safe!

Not only is 88 considered auspicious in his native culture, he was also born in 1988. Normally, yes, be wary of the 88 dog whistle, but without further evidence it looks like a nothing-burger in this case.