Oxide and Friends

Shootout at the CNCF Corral

24 snips
May 1, 2025
Rachel Stephens, an analyst at RedMonk, and Adam Jacob, co-founder of Chef and venture partner at System Initiative, share their insights on the recent turmoil in the open-source landscape. They discuss the implications of the NATS trademark controversy and its impact on the CNCF. The conversation blends humor with critiques of project governance and financial scrutiny within industry consortia. Additionally, they reflect on the balance between community autonomy and foundation authority amidst trademark disputes, shedding light on the future of open-source collaboration.
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INSIGHT

NATS-CNCF Dispute as Messy Divorce

  • NATS project wants to leave CNCF to relicense and regain control but CNCF resists.
  • This leads to a messy dispute resembling a 'divorce' with unclear ownership and intentions.
INSIGHT

CNCF's Misaligned Focus

  • CNCF focuses more on corporate sponsorship than supporting project contributors.
  • This causes frustration as projects lack necessary help like documentation and community nurturing.
INSIGHT

CNCF as Industry Consortium

  • CNCF acts as an industry consortium masquerading as an open source foundation.
  • Their business model prioritizes control and membership fees over true open source stewardship.
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