1 Billion Dollars for Open Source Maintainers
A presentation at State of Open Con in in London, UK by Tobie Langel
1 Billion Dollars FOR OPEN SOURCE MAINTAINERS Tobie Langel, UnlockOpen tobie@unlockopen.com Tobie Langel (@tobie) Principal, UnlockOpen
! 1 billion dollars per year! That sounds like a lot… but is it?
” Who am I? ” Tobie Langel # Jazz drummer → open source dev → consultant $ UnlockOpen, consulting firm ♻ & sustainability & supply chain security advocate before it was cool
’ We need a mindset shift ( Money ) Maintenance * Beyond the “open source way” ❌ Who’s going to pay for this? , Every project is different; this won’t always be a good fit
MONEY CHAPTER 1 Tobie Langel, UnlockOpen tobie@unlockopen.com Tobie Langel (@tobie) Principal, UnlockOpen
! 1 billion dollars per year! That sounds like a lot… but is it?
Let’s do the math!
. How many developers in the world?
/ 16 million pro developers worldwide Source: IDC 2022
. Average dev salary worldwide?
0 Average dev salary worldwide $60,000 - $77,000* * Loaded salaries can be up to twice as much! Source: Statista 2024
16 million × 65,000 = ?
16 million × 65,000 = ~1 trillion
0.1% of 1 trillion = ?
0.1% of 1 trillion = 1 billion
1 trillion dollars Spent on software development yearly 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1 = 1 Billion Dollars
1 trillion dollars Spent on software development yearly 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112 1 = 1 Billion Dollars $1B for open source!
76% of code is open source 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111112222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 1 = proprietary 2 = open source Source: Synopsis OSSRA Report 2023
$1T spent on software dev 76% of code is open source 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111111111111111111111111112222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 feel is Share of the money we ink about absurdly high to even th Part of the stack we’re responsible for
3 So… does 1 billion dollars per year still sounds like a lot?
MAINTENANCE CHAPTER 2 Tobie Langel (@tobie) Principal, UnlockOpen
4 So I hear you all thinking… “Money would kill open source!”
“[P]art of the reason much of open source is so good, and often so superior to closed-source commercial projects, is the natural boundary of constraints. If you are not being paid or otherwise compensated directly for your work, you’re less likely to needlessly embellish it. You’re solving the problems for you and your mates, likely in the simplest way you could, so you can get back to whatever you originally intended to do before starting to shave the yak.” —DHH, The Perils of mixing open source and money, Nov 12, 2013.
5 The “open source way” is an incredible innovation engine
) …but maintenance is not innovation!
) Open source maintenance today ) “I have 14 features to maintain. I’m burning out!” 6 “Here’s $10K for this new feature.” ) “Thank you!?” ) … ) “I have 15 features to maintain. I’m burning out!”
7 We suffers from featuritis*
- also know as “Shiny Object Syndrome” or SOS 8
♻ Project lifecycle
♻ Initial Dev → Growth → Maturity → Sunset
♻ Initial Dev → Growth → Maturity → Sunset / )
9 BDFL → open governance / )
: Genesis → Custom built → Product → Commodity* / * Wardley Maps )
; Agile → Lean → Six Sigma / )
< Pioneers → Settlers → Town Planners / )
= Craft → Industrialization / )
Hard skills → Soft skills / )
? Maker’s schedule → Manager’s schedule / )
@ “Open source way” → / ) ???
Beyond the “Open Source Way” CHAPTER 3 Tobie Langel (@tobie) Principal, UnlockOpen
How we think about “today” ❓ FUNDED A Dev/Maintainer VOLUNTEER
What “today” actually looks like G H E Sales Events Policy C Legal F Marketing I Research D Dev/Maintainer Community management J Infra FUNDED A K Security VOLUNTEER
Mindset shift G H E Sales Events Policy C Legal F Marketing I Research D Dev/Maintainer Community management J Infra FUNDED A K Security ) / Maintainer Developer VOLUNTEER
Tomorrow Support software maintenance without disrupting the open source innovation engine G H E Sales Events Policy C Legal F Marketing I Research D Community management J Infra FUNDED K Security ) / Maintainer Developer VOLUNTEER
L $1B/year is enough to hire ~10’000 maintainers
C Legal entities M Existing open source foundations < Existing fiscal hosts + funding platforms N New entities focused on maintenance O Open source stewards P Combination of the above
Q Team organization ; Develop dedicated practices R Training for maintainers G Proper management & career path ⅕ Fractional maintainers for smaller projects ( Share resources across projects
S Focus & Security support & training N Tooling & infrastructure T Bug triaging 5 Release engineering U Documentation C Compliance
) Benefits for maintainers $ Part time opportunities G Proper management support V Healthcare W Better separation between work & play ( Fund development through maintenance, not maintenance through development
✅ We know this model works!
✨ Recap ( $1B is pocket change compared to the impact of open source ) We should consider dev and maintenance separately * We can shape a better future for open source and maintainers ❓ We still need to figure out how to pay for this! P Every project is different; this won’t always be a good fit
Z Thank you! Tobie Langel, UnlockOpen tobie@unlockopen.com Tobie Langel (@tobie) Principal, UnlockOpen
#stateofopencon #soocon24 #openuk
#stateofopencon #soocon24 #openuk
Worldwide, we spend over 1 trillion dollars per year for the loaded cost of software developers.
If every company spent just 0.1% of that amount to fund open source maintainers, we’d unlock a billion dollars per year to fund the maintenance of open source.
That would pay the full time salaries for thousands of maintainers, their managers, security training, etc.
That seems fairly cheap for software that accounts for 70% to 97% of our software stack depending on how you count. And just imagine the positive impact it would have on the security of our software supply chain!
We’re way overdue making a clear distinction between open source developers and open source maintainers and professionalizing the latter.
In this talk, we’ll look at the current solutions to support open source software maintenance and their limits, the negative impact of feature-driven open source sponsoring, successful example of professionalizing maintenance in an adjacent field (Open Web Docs), what this could concretely look like for open source, and the benefits it would have for the community, the contributors, the users, and the end-users.
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Resources
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