While you are right that Libera is ran by former freenode operators, it's not 100% the same software. When you connect to freenode the server tells you it's running ircd-seven-1.1.9, while libera tells you it runs on solanum-1.0-dev. OTC says hybrid-7.2.2+oftc1.7.3.
This is not true, many are moving to OFTC. But the obvious answer is, Libera is run by the ex-freenode staffers, and runs on the same software. (Unlike OFTC)
So Libera is basically Freenode's spiritual successor with a different name.
Libera is effectively the spiritual continuation of freenode, managed by the former freenode operators. Freenode on the other hand is now under control of new management, which has in very short time already managed to prove itself inept and abusive.
Luckily the threshold for switching to libera for non-channel-owners is pretty damn low. Just update your config to point towards libera instead of freenode. Even if you only lurk that's probably not too much to ask.
Libera is an IRC network too! It's run by the same people who used to run Freenode! I agree it shouldn't have happened, but everything is intact except for the name "Freenode." It's not like they moved to Discord or something (well, there is also a very large Python Discord, but the IRC channel is around too).
Freenode's management changed. Libera.Chat is a new organization with new servers not associated with Freenode -- but many organizations that had previously maintained IRC channels on Freenode are moving to Libera.Chat.
Summary: Essentially this is an attempt of freenode.net to redirect people who type in libera.net instead of libera.chat. Libera.chat is a fork of freenode.net that formed in response to a controversial change in leadership in May 2021.
rasengan took it over, fucked up multiple times since, basically. This is why Libera is what freenode was, and the current freenode is just rasengan's.
I wouldn't say it was a 1:1 identical experience; registering was a pain as there was no process to take over user registrations or channel registrations from freenode.
But, assuming you did those things smoothly then it was pretty identical and as simple as changing your client config to connect to libera instead of freenode.
As the maintainer of one of the more popular IRC server implementations I know a giant chunk of the Libera Chat (formerly freenode) staff pretty well and whilst we may disagree frequently on technical choices they're decent people who were appointed based on technical merit. They pretty much didn't have any say in rasengan seizing control of freenode as Christel sold out the project and lied to the other staff about what what had happened for several years. After Christel was ousted they reorganised and elected teams internally and after the network switch have developed a governance system which requires strong consensus to avoid this ever happening again.[1]
OFTC and Libera Chat aren't as different as you seem to think. There is also a lot of cooperation between the two projects which has been going on for years. Solanum is being developed as a joint project and some staff members are involved with both networks.
Freenode was in the process of migrating to Solanum but this was one of the projects that Lee halted (and in a very underhanded way too). So it makes sense that Libra runs Solanum
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