The Business of Open Source

Sam Bhagwat, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Gatsby, joins me for a conversation about his work. Gatsby is an open source project using React with a focus on building web sites, and not just web apps. As CSO Sam tracks the trends in the modern web development space and helps Gatsby to stay on the innovative edge. From the origin of the open source project in 2015, to the establishment of the company in 2017, Sam and Gatsby’s contributions have only grown exponentially since then.Sam talks about the history of Gatsby’s rise to prominence and their shift from open source into a proper business. Sam dives into how and why they’ve leaned on investment into the company to help them better address the needs of the web site development ecosystem. From the first service they charged money for, Sam’s take on open source and commercial crossing paths, to Gatsby’s global focus, Sam offers up a lot for consideration! Highlights:Introduction to Sam and Gatsby (00:00)Moving from purely open source into a business (03:20)Sam’s perspectives on open source and commercial offerings (08:20)Open source as not only a DevTool (12:03)Building websites and brining multiple parties on board (15:16)Sam’s advice to others starting open source projects (21:06)Where to find Sam (25:40)Links:SamLinkedInTwitterhttps://www.gatsbyjs.com/

Avi Press, CEO and Co-Founder of Scarf, joins me for an in depth conversation about Scarf and the work they are doing in transparecny in open source maintainers. Avi’s career and the tools he built lead to a decision to capitalize on his tools. Now Scarf is an extension of his work into a commercial opportunity to change the open source ecosystem. Avi addresses the general maintaner issues that Scarf wishes to solve. Avi expands on his processes that have landed on a data forward approach and the importance of making that data is a viable capital value. Avi also breaks down the uses of Scarf for maintainers and the suite of tools they are implementing. Importantly so, Avi talks about the ways that the open source space can change to stay innovative and relevant. Highlights:Introduction to Avi and Scarf’s work (00:00)Shaping his own tools for use (03:50)Scarf’s suite of tools and engaging with the metrics (06:14)Some highlights and information for Scarf users (12:41)Areas where Scarf is building (17:00)How Scarf is working to guard privacy (22:12)Making registry lock in a conversation (27:30)Avi discusses the open source world and some changes that can be made (30:00)Links:AviLinkedInTwitter: @avi_pressScarf

Alex Chircop, CEO of Ondat.io, joins me to talk about his company and their recent rebrand to reflect their shift to focus on some fundamental changes in the industry. With a changing persepective that mirrors the changes happening in cloud data and its uses, Alex and the teams at Ondat.io are staying ahead of the curve and implementing some institutional changes.In this episode Alex goes into the details of their rebranding, and he discusses how they are shifting to answer what Alex calls the “infrastructural dilemma.” With the massive shift to cloud native that developers are making, and the requirements that are demanded by the adoption of these infrastructural demands, Alex and his team are staying in step with the larger community. Alex also discusses the “why” behind their drive to rebrand, and their determination to maneuver the concept of storage as server based into data services that are application centric.Highlights:Alex’s introdcution and the rebranding of Ondat (00:29)What was happening inside Storage OS that drove them to rebrand (05:00)What it took to follow through a succesful rebranding (09:33)The feedback from the rebranding and branding as a personal choice (14:10)The teams coalescence around the new brand and landing on a name (18:57)Some advice for others who are looking to rebrand (22:33) What is next for Ondat and thier coming services (24:30)Links:AlexLinkedInTwitterwww.ondat.io

Matt Yonkovit, Head of Open Source Strategy at Percona, joins me for a conversation about Percona’s work and their robust history in open source. Percona has been at it for 15 years now and Matt’s work there is both prolific and sets him up to be very well informed about open source strategy at large.In this episode, Matt discusses what exactly his job means within the context of Percona, and how he covers down to help both the higher echelons of the company, but also the community. Matt provides an excellent bird's eye view of what is going on in the world of open source. His experience highlights many of the challenges that the open source model is currently facing, and can expect to face in the near future. Highlights:Introduction to Percona and the work Matt does there (00:00)Open source strategy and Matt’s take on its role in an organization (04:20) Choosing where to place priorities and where open source is going (08:00) The ins and outs of pricing models/Percona’s contributions (12:00)Who doesn’t fit the Percona mold? (17:09)Maintaining integrity and staying malleable (21:30) “Shooting [the] sacred cows” of growth (30:45)Links:Connect with MattLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myonkTwitter: https://twitter.com/myonkovitPercona: https://www.percona.com

Dawn Foster, Director of Open Source Community Strategy at VMware, joins me to chat about open sourcing and the potential risks to consider. With 20+ years of experience in business technology, Dawn lends great insight not only as a leader in the realm of open source, but as a champion for measuring project health.In this episode, Dawn discusses key risks to consider when open sourcing a project and what startups and small companies should think about as they embrace open source technologies. We also explore trust as a currency of open source, donating to neutral foundations, the CNCF Project Health Measurement Guide, and more.Highlights:What companies should consider when open sourcing a project. (00:24)Risks associated with open sourcing and the advantage of contributing projects to foundations. (03:59)Dawn explores the interrelation between using and contributing to an open source project. (07:26)  A discussion about evaluating and prioritizing a large number of projects - and why smaller companies should be deliberate about the open source technologies they embrace. (11:49)  A look at contributor risk with examples of how the risks can vary depending on the project. (17:09)  The value of trust in the open source - and Kim’s final thoughts on measuring project health. (22:35)  Links:Connect with Dawn:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnfoster/Twitter: https://twitter.com/geekygirldawnFast Wonder Blog: https://fastwonderblog.com/VMware: https://www.vmware.com/

Joe Bignell, the Kubernetes recruiter at InterQuest Group, joins me for an interesting conversation about the current job market in the Kubernetes space and his role and vision as a talent seeker.In this episode, Joe and I go into the rabbit hole as we explore the global talent shortage and its impact on the Kubernetes ecosystem. Joe shares invaluable insight and perspective on recruiting for startups, what founders can do to attract talent, and why transparency from all sides (company, recruiter, and candidate) is vital. We also discuss remote work and its increased value and how companies can leverage their Kubernetes talent.Highlights:What is Joe’s responsibility as the Kubernetes recruiter? (00:19)The current hiring challenges in the Kubernetes talent space. (01:00)Joe’s perspective on recruiting best practices - and his thoughts on companies that seek Kubernetes experts. (06:30)A look at the founder/recruiter relationship, how founders can enhance their recruiting positioning, and the evolution of remote work. (12:31)The pros and cons of recruiting for a startup – and why certain hires can ruin a startup. (19:33)What companies can do to create Kubernetes experts and the role InterQuest plays in closing the talent market gap. (23:06)Links:Joe’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joebignell/?originalSubdomain=ukJoe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/joe_bignellDevOps for Everyone: https://www.meetup.com/DevOps-For-Everyone/InterQuest Group: https://www.interquestgroup.com/

Jonathan Ellis, CTO and co-founder of DataStax, has always had a startup mindset. In this episode, Jonathan joins me to discuss his journey and entrepreneurial roadmap thus far.In our conversation, Jonathan shares how he became involved with the Apache Cassandra project and his transition to founding DataStax. He also shares insight on the importance of hiring a go to market team, why hiring executives proves to be more challenging than engineers, building a company based around an open-source project, and more.Highlights:Jonathan’s views on his identity as a founder and scratching his coding itch through art. (00:23)A look at Jonathan’s journey from Mozy to the Apache Cassandra project. (05:40)The history of DataStax - and Jonathan explores the benefits of building a company around open source. (11:33)  Lessons learned: the importance of implementing a go-to-market team, DataStax Kubernetes adoption, and why hiring executives is a challenge. (15:58)Jonathan’s advice to technical founders - and his perspective and insight on remote work. (27:39)Links:JonathanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbellis/Twitter: https://twitter.com/spycedDataSTax: https://www.datastax.com/

Guy Podjarny, co-founder and President of Snyk, has seen the world of startups through the lens of an employee and as a founder. With two companies under his belt, Guy has excelled as an entrepreneur as Snyk proves to be a leader in developer security. In this episode of Cloud Native Startup, Guy shares insight on his first startup, Blaze (acquired by Akamai), and his current company, Snyk. He lends perspective on key traits to master when building a successful company and why it’s an exciting time to be an entrepreneur. We also explore why there are major gaps in security, what it will take to fix them, and how Snyk is helping close the gap by decentralizing security. Highlights:Guy’s interesting evolution from working at startups to finally founding his own. (00:14)Exploring the differences between two worlds: security and DevOps. (05:40)Why Guy sold his first company, Blaze - and lessons learned along the way. (10:27)  Guy’s perspective on embracing Snyk’s “failures” - and he reflects on the journey towards identifying their opportunities within the market. (17:27)A discussion about major gaps in security and how Snyke aims to be a solution. (27:39) Links:GuyLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/guypo Twitter: https://twitter.com/guypod Podcast: The Secure DeveloperSnyk: https://snyk.io/ 

For Vidya Raman, technology has always been close to her heart. As an investor at Sorenson Ventures, Vidya is guided by this passion and plays an impactful role in helping technical founders build and grow successful businesses. Vidya serves as a leader in early-stage startup investing and thrives on optimizing companies.In this episode of Cloud Native Startup, Vidya talks about her transition from engineering to venture capital investing, important criteria to consider when evaluating companies, what founders should look for in VCs, her lessons learned, and more. Highlights:A look at Vidya’s background and the journey that lead to her leap into venture capital investing. (00:11)Exploring Vidya’s role, her passion for partnering deeply with founders, and misconceptions that founders often have about VC. (05:37)What to identify when evaluating companies - and how Viyda measures good fit. (10:41) From the lens of a founder, Vidya shares top criteria founders should consider when seeking VC. (18:58) A discussion about conflicts of interest and managing disagreements between investors and companies. (23:09)Vidya shares her top three lessons learned. (29:23) Links:VidyaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidya-raman/Twitter: https://twitter.com/veenormous Sorenson Ventures: https://www.sorensoncapital.com/ 

Glasnostic is a cutting-edge observability solution that enables DevOps, SRE and security teams to effectively control emerging disruptive behaviors. In this episode of Cloud Native Startup, I chat with Glasnotic’s co-founder and CEO, Tobias Kunze.As a trailblazer in the world of cloud-native technologies and a two-time startup founder, Tobias brings a wealth of insight. Prior to Glasnostic, Tobias founded Makara, which was later acquired by Red Hat Open Shift. In our conversation, we explore his journey from Makara to Glasnostic and his shift from engineering to entrepreneurship. We also discuss why sales and people management are core skills needed to become an entrepreneur, the importance of actively stepping out of your comfort zone, and the staggering pace of technology.Highlights:A look at how Tobias shifted his focus from engineering to entrepreneurship. (00:15)Tobias’ perspective on applying lessons learned from his first startup the second time around – and the similar challenges he faced with both companies. (09:00)A discussion about the first dollar and why it is important to step outside of your comfort zone as an entrepreneur. (14:16)Why sales and people management skills are core traits of a successful entrepreneur and startup founder – and why these skills are more difficult for engineers to cultivate. (18:19)Tobias uses air traffic control to illustrate his journey towards founding Glasnostic – and shares insight on current challenges in the technology sector. (26:31)Links:TobiasLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkunzeTwitter: https://twitter.com/tkunze Glasnostic: http://glasnostic.com/