I don't think he wanted to even be at the last kernel summit. He booked a family holiday at the same time in Scotland. So they moved the summit at the last minute to Scotland so he could be there
But his comment on it did leave me with the impression he just didn't want to attend.
In the long term his taking a break is probably a good thing for Linux as a whole. There have been concerns about how Linux would continue if he stepped down. I guess that doing it this way, announced as a temporary break (even if it turns out to be long term), allows the rest of the community to show that things can continue just fine without him.
But it does sound like a bit of a political power struggle in the background and that is a concern. I would guess he was pushed into it. Just like any power vacuum there will be fighting behind the scenes as people vie for a more influential position.
I do hope he comes back, even with his colourful language. There are so few of the old skool technology characters left now. Most have been replaced with corporate figureheads or committed.