4min chapter

Idea Machines cover image

Idea Machines with Nadia Asparouhova [Idea Machines #48]

Idea Machines

CHAPTER

Is Open Source Code a Public Good?

The author of a book on public goods says there are assumptions that get rolled up in the tech industry about what is and isn't a public good. Public goods have to be non-excludable, so if someone uses them it doesn't diminish another's ability to use them. But open source code can also be seen as a public good but not all companies do this because they want to exclude people from using their software. The majority of private firms don't make any money by making or selling digital products like apps for personal computers such as iPhones and iPads.

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