The Business of Open Source

Andrew Aitken, Global Open Source Leader at Wipro, joins me to discuss the benefits and challenges that come with adopting open source as a large-scale enterprise organization. In this episode, Andrew and I discuss the three stages of open source maturity from curiosity to full-scale adoption and mastery. Tune into this episode to learn more about the trigger events that cause large-scale enterprises to explore open source, as well as the barriers and legal challenges they must overcome to effectively adopt it, and most importantly - why Andrew feels it’s so important that every large-scale enterprise goes through this process. Highlights:Andrew introduces Wipro and explains what it means to be a Global Open Source Leader (00:52)The challenges Andrew helps his clients solve in the world of open source (03:16)How Andrew sees high-security companies like banks view and approach open source (04:28)Do Andrew’s clients view open source software as being more, less, or just as secure as closed source software? (07:41)The three different open-source maturity stages Andrew sees at large companies (10:47)Why Andrew feels most large enterprises would benefit from reaching full maturation in their open-source strategy (14:52)The biggest barriers Andrew sees companies run into when considering moving towards open-source maturity (17:53)Is being enterprise-ready truly a requirement for an open-source start-up? (20:52)The legalities of adopting open source as a large-scale enterprise (25:24)Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/opensourcestrategy/Email: andrew.aitken@wipro.comCompany: https://www.wipro.com/

Randy Abernethy, Managing Director at RX-M, joins me for a chat about the relationship between open source and cloud native. In this episode, Randy and I discuss how the clients he works with at RX-M are looking to cloud-native as part of their forward-thinking strategies. Tune into this episode to learn how Randy sees the C-Suite viewing open source, how he sees clients evaluate risk in open-source projects, and his views on the relationship between open source and cloud native. Highlights:Randy introduces himself and his company, RX-M (00:46)Why do companies come to RX-M for help when evaluating and implementing cloud native? (03:44)How do RX-M clients approach open source? (9:35)What are the C-Suite’s views open source (16:19)How Randy’s clients evaluate risk in open-source projects (23:34)The role CNCF plays in how companies evaluate and implement cloud-native solutions (30:31)Randy’s view on the relationship between open source and cloud native (32:39)Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyabernethy/Twitter: @randyabernethyCompany: www.rx-m.com

Ian Tien, CEO and Co-Founder of Mattermost, joins me to talk about how Mattermost went from being a video game company to an open-source messaging platform that provides collaboration for developers and other mission-critical teams. In this episode, Ian and I discuss the reality of product-led growth in open-source companies, Ian’s perspective on open source moving towards platform-based solutions, and the advice he would give to other open-source founders.  Highlights:Ian introduces himself and the Mattermost open-source project (00:45)The use cases Ian sees for Mattermost (05:17)Ian takes us through the origin story of Mattermost and how it went from being a video game company to an open-source messaging solution (08:59)The role open source played in the success of Mattermost (15:07)Ian’s perspective on open source moving towards platform based solutions (20:22)Does Ian think the product-led growth model of “If you build it, they will come” is realistic, and how can that mentality lead to success? (27:34)The advice Ian would give other open-source founders (28:33)Links:IanTwitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iantien/Company: https://www.mattermost.com

Amanda Brock, CEO of Open UK, joins me for an engaging conversation on best practices in founding an open-source company. In this episode, Amanda and I chat about the various business models available for building a company around open-source technology, the common pitfalls and crossroads open-source founders find themselves facing, and how to do open-source in a way that leads to long-term success and profitability. Highlights:What is Open UK? (00:40)The various business models for building a company around open-source technology (04:09)Which business models Amanda feels work best and why (08:07)The importance of founders prioritizing open-source communities (14:07)How and why to do open-source the right way (17:04)What is the true cost of founding an open-source company compared to traditional business models? (26:44)Who are you building for, and how do you get to profitability? (30:35)Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabrocktech/Twitter: www.twitter.com/amandabrocktechOpen UK www.twitter.com/openuk_ukCompany: www.openuk.uk

Wes McKinney, CTO & Co-Founder of Voltron Data, joins me for an in-depth conversation on how his quest to develop Python as an open-source programming language led him to creating the pandas project and founding four companies. In this episode, Wes and I dive into his unique background as the founder of the pandas project and he describes his perspective on the early days of Python, his journey into the world of open-source start-ups, and the risks and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects. Highlights:Wes introduces himself and describes his role (00:46)Wes’ role in elevating Python to a mainstream programming language (02:15)How working with Python led Wes to co-founding his first two companies (09:01)Apache Arrow’s critical role at Voltron Data and their focus on accelerating Arrow adoption (12:52)How did the team at Voltron Data decide on an open-source business model? (18:54)Wes speaks to the risk that can come from having developers work on an open-source project (22:31)Wes’ perspective on the real-world applications and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects (27:44)Links:WesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesmckinn/Twitter: https://twitter.com/wesmckinnCompany: https://voltrondata.com/

Braden Hancock, Co-founder and Head of Technology at Snorkel AI, joins me to talk about his path from academia to start-up co-founder and his vision to make AI more accessible to both traditional and no-code development. In this episode, Braden and I explore the journey he and his co-founders took to go from having an interesting idea to forming a company and the strategic business decisions they made along the way, such as why they opted not to use an open-source business model and the educational marketing strategy they’ve adopted. Highlights:Braden discusses his role as co-founder of Snorkel AI. (00:25)An introduction to Snorkel Flow, Snorkel AI’s data-centric AI development program and the challenges they solve for. (01:49)Snorkel AI’s relationship with open source. (06:30)Why Snorkel AI decided not to use an open-source business model in order to lower the barrier to entry. (09:01)Snorkel AI’s trajectory coming from academia to the world of start-ups. (12:50)The unexpected challenges of building Snorkel AI. (17:50)Taking an educational approach to the marketing at Snorkel AI. (22:27)Braden discusses the meaningful applications of AI as well as where he sees AI being used as more of a buzzword. (27:27)Links:BradenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradenhancock/Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradenjhancockCompany: snorkel.ai  Snorkel AI Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnorkelAI

Anna Filippova, Director of Community & Data at DBT Labs, joins me to chat about the fundamental role community plays in the world of open source and her role helping to create a thriving community. In this episode, Anna and I dive into the concept of a community: why it’s essential for open-source development, how to create business value through community, and how to track community health above and beyond user count. Highlights:Why community is mission critical at DBT Labs (02:07)The fundamental role open source played in creating DBT Labs as its known today (05:57)The approach DBT Labs uses to create business value through community (08:13)Anna’s framework for the three buckets of communities (09:42)Why measuring and tracking community health is a more valuable metric than just user count (11:34)What do people get out of communities, and why are they so valuable?  (19:06)Common misconceptions around building communities as a business strategy (24:19)Links:Anna LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annafilippova/Twitter: https://twitter.com/anna_filDBT Labs: getdbt.com/communityCoalesce Conference: https://coalesce.getdbt.com/

Highlights:Open source software at the department of defense (1:36)Is there risk associated with using open source software in the department of defense? (5:30)Does the public sector contribute to and participate in open source communities? (9:13)Rob’s background and work experience (14:25)What led Rob to found Defense Unicorns (16:35)Rob’s focus on a specific niche in the founding of his company (17:33)How working with a fixed budget affects an open source company (19:33)Links:RobLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcslaughter/Company: https://www.defenseunicorns.com/

Ricardo Mendoza, founder and CEO of Pantacor, joins me for a chat at the Open Source Summit in Austin. Ricardo shares why he started Pantacor and describes the differences between IoT, edge, connected, and embedded devices. I ask him how Pantacor fits into the edge continuum, and he explains how Pantacor helps bring embedded devices into the future. Ricardo talks about the open source arm of Pantacor’s strategy, we discuss Pantacor’s unique interest in hardware versus primarily dealing with software, and Ricardo wraps up by sharing his advice for aspiring business owners! Highlights:Why Ricardo started Pantacor (1:19)Difference between IOT edge devices, connected devices, and embedded devices (2:17)How Pantacor fits into the edge continuum (4:49)Why are embedded systems lagging behind and how does that manifest? (6:22)How open source is part of Pantacor’s strategy (9:40)How aware are manufacturers of their operating systems and how Pantacor could help them? (13:35)Pantacor’s relationship with hardware  (16:45)What was the inspiration for the founding of Pantacor? (20:11)The difference between cloud developers and their relationship with open source versus the relationship between embedded devices and open source (22:46)Is there a disadvantage to being based in Europe? (24:51)Advice for someone who wants to start a company or work with embedded devices (26:28)Links:Pantacorhttps://pantacor.com/https://pantavisor.io/Twitter: @pantahub

Live from the Open Source Summit in Austin, I sit down with Jeff Shapiro, the License Scanning Manager for the Linux Foundation. Jeff begins by explaining what he does at the Linux Foundation, including ensuring that open source licenses are compatible and compliant. We discuss what license issues start-ups should be aware of, how to educate yourself on open source licensing, and when you should consult an expert. Jeff clarifies some confusion around dual licenses and explains the challenges of changing licenses on an open source project. Finally, we discuss the possibilities of disallowing specific uses through licensing and who can write a license. Highlights:Jeff talks about the legal and business risks of non-compliant open source licenses (3:09)License issues start-ups should be aware of (7:16)DCO (Developer certificate of origin) and understanding where code comes from (12:10)Educating yourself and others about open source licenses (13:04)Jeff talks about when you need to consult an expert (15:36)Jeff explains how he got into licensing as an engineer (17:23)Jeff discusses dual licenses (18:18)How hard is it to change licenses on an open source project (20:23)Jeff explains if it’s possible to disallow specific uses with your license (23:39)Links:JeffLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcshapiro/Company: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/