Episode 247: Chad Whitacre on the Open Source Pledge

Guest Chad Whitacre Panelists Richard Littauer | Eriol Fox Show
Notes In this episode, host Richard Littauer and co-host Eriol Fox
interview Chad Whitacre, a key figure in the open source community
and Head of Open Source at Sentry. Today, they delve into the
challenges and strategies related to sustaining open source
projects, focusing on Sentry's efforts to fund open source through
various initiatives, including the ambitious Open Source Pledge.
The discussion covers the history of Sentry's commitment to open
source, the creation of a comprehensive funding program, and the
launch of the Open Source Pledge. The pledge aims to encourage
companies to contribute financially to open source by establishing
a social norm. Chad also touches on the broader impact and
potential of open source foundations and platforms in allocating
funds and supporting maintainers, highlighting the importance of
making open source a core part of company culture and brand
identity. Press download now to hear more! [00:01:50] Chad provides
a brief history of Sentry, its evolution from an open source
project to a start-up, and its commitment to support open source
projects. He discusses Sentry’s open source funding program, its
growth over the years, and the company’s budget plans for the
current year. [00:04:04] Chad talks about the importance of other
companies joining Sentry in funding open source projects and
mentions the launch of the “Open Source Pledge.” [00:05:05] Chad
explains that funding open source is part of Sentry’s brand
marketing, similar to how large companies sponsor events for brand
visibility. [00:07:48] Richard asks about the potential dilution of
Sentry’s brand by encouraging other companies to join the funding
efforts. Chad explains that the “Open Source Pledge” requires
companies to contribute a minimum of $2,000 per developer annually
and share their contributions publicly. [00:11:37] Eriol expresses
concerns about the focus on developers, noting the importance of
other roles like designers in the open source ecosystem. Chad
acknowledges the different roles in open source and discusses how
Sentry focuses on funding dependencies critical to their tech
stack. [00:14:56] Chad talks about the role of open source
foundations, especially in light of new European regulations (CRA),
and their potential to steward funds more effectively. [00:18:55]
Richard questions how foundations can pay developers under U.S.
law, leading to a discussion on the need for potential changes in
how foundations operate. [00:21:48] Eriol appreciates the “Open
Source Pledge” for providing a vocabulary and structure to involve
organizations and companies in supporting open source. [00:23:06]
Chad talks about the upcoming media campaign to promote the pledge
and the aim to establish a new social norm around funding open
source. [00:25:13] Richard asks how the pledge ensures that funds
given are truly no-strings- attached to which Chad responds that
platforms like GitHub Sponsors typically enforce a
no-strings-attached culture, and the pledge doesn’t directly handle
funds but incentivizes companies to contribute through established
platforms. [00:27:56] Richard seeks clarification on how the pledge
ensures contributions don’t come with expectations of ongoing
development work from maintainers. Chad emphasizes the need for
adding more financial support to the open source ecosystem and
fostering collaboration among platforms, foundations, and
maintainers. [00:33:49] The conversation concludes with a brief
mention of Fair Source, another initiative Chad is involved in.
[00:34:14] Find out where you can follow Chad and his work online.
Spotlight [00:34:56] Eriol’s spotlight is a project called,
Cofacts. [00:35:45] Richards’s spotlight is his high school
advisor, Rob Kyff. [00:36:25] Chad’s spotlight is Kim Coggin, a dry
stack stonewaller. Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (email) (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org)
richard@theuserismymom.com (email)
(mailto:richard@theuserismymom.com) SustainOSS Discourse
(https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Eriol Fox X/Twitter
(https://x.com/EriolDoesDesign?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
Chad Whitacre LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadwhitacre/)
Chad Whitacre Blog (https://openpath.chadwhitacre.com/) Chad
Whitacre X/Twitter
(https://x.com/chadwhitacre_?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
Sentry (https://sentry.io/welcome/) The Future of FOSS Foundations
by Chad Whitacre
(https://openpath.chadwhitacre.com/2024/the-future-of-foss-foundations/)
Open Source Pledge-GitHub
(https://github.com/opensourcepledge/osspledge.com) Open Source
Pledge (https://osspledge.com/) Fair Source (https://fair.io/)
Cofacts (https://github.com/cofacts) Rob Kyff
(https://www.creators.com/author/rob-kyff) Rob Kyff-The Word Guy
(https://www.creators.com/features/rob-kyff-word-guy) Kim
Coggin-Laurel Stoneworks (https://www.laurelstoneworks.com/)
Credits Produced by Richard Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/)
Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound
(https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by DeAnn Bahr
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Special Guest:
Chad Whitacre.