The fact remains that the sale wasn't announced and many users found it inadvertently. Many more may still be unaware that the apps they believe to be open source have turned into spyware/deceptiveware. The author seems to have sold the privacy of unsuspecting users to a spyware company. The situation isn't as simple or innocent as 'I wrote most of the code so I have the right to do it.
It's extremely annoying when open source software terms are changed and the authors downplay the impact like this. It also applies to other cases like browser extensions and cloud software. Besides privacy, they also disregard the contributions and promotions others make.