It's time to fix open source

Summiz Holo

Corporate financial accountability for open source contributions and transparency

• Large companies benefit from open source software without adequately contributing back financially, exemplified by Elastic Search's use on AWS without any monetary return.
• Sentry has initiated The Open Source Pledge, encouraging companies to fund the open source projects they rely on.
• The Open Source Pledge requires a minimum contribution of $2,000 per year per developer in a company, aimed at scaling contributions based on the number of developers.
• Companies are encouraged to publicly report their contributions, enhancing transparency in funding open source development.
• The initiative seeks to create a culture of paying open source maintainers, recognizing their significant impact on productivity despite minimal financial input from companies.

Sentry's Open Source Pledge for Sustainable Maintainer Funding

• The concept of the open source pledge was initiated by Sentry to give back to open source on behalf of its employees, driven by the desire to support maintainers directly and sustainably.
• Sentry's approach includes direct funding to open source maintainers, based on various inputs like dependency graphs and project popularity, rather than relying on donation matching due to varying employee participation.
• The open source pledge aims to address the sustainability challenge faced by open source projects, contrasting the actions of venture-backed founders who often only discuss the issue without measurable contributions.
• The initiative hopes to financially recognize the hard work of maintainers, ensuring they are compensated for their contributions to the ecosystems relied upon by many companies.
• Sentry's commitment involves a minimum contribution of $2,000 per engineer employed each year, demonstrating a scalable model for other companies to follow.

Open source funding impact, brand reputation, and industry commitment

• Open source software generates significant impact despite modest funding compared to digital advertising expenditures.
• Companies can achieve returns on investment through brand marketing and supply chain improvements by supporting open source.
• Supporting open source encourages maintainers to continue their work, fostering a positive tone for future contributions.
• Companies that align with open source can attract customers who value such contributions, enhancing their brand reputation.
• The sustainability of open source relies on the commitment and support from industry players, as demonstrated by Sentry's involvement.