The Strategic Benefits of Contributing to Open Source: Business & Individually

For more than a decade we've been highlighting, showcasing, and if we're being honest, at times begging people to understand the value proposition and benefits of contributing to open source. And we mean this from a business perspective as well as an individual perspective.

Today open source is everywhere - it comprises 80-90% of the code in a typical application, it powers tweets and internet searches, and it is in automobiles, planes and satellites. And more companies are realizing the tremendous benefits of contributing and being involved every day.

This meetup was chosen and is being hosted to highlight and discuss these benefits and answer this core question - "Why would my company, or I as an individual, want to contribute to and participate in open source? What is the value?".

Speaker:
Our speaker for the session will be Tobie Langel, Principal at UnlockOpen (https://unlockopen.com). Tobie has worked for and currently works with some of the most well known companies in the world to help them realize the benefits of contributing to and participating in open source. Tobie will be joining us from Europe, hence the early start time.

Abstract: Why Contribute to Open Source?

The first open source practitioners were fueled by passion and a sense of purpose. As open source has both professionalized and become more mainstream, this has obviously changed. While the open source ethos and the desire to contribute to the commons may still be very much alive, there are also much more pragmatic considerations at play.

And that’s OK.

In this talk, we’ll look at how—both on an individual and organizational level—contributing to open source can be tied to career and business objectives while still being aligned with community values and culture. We’ll consider the positive impact that open source can have on individual careers, how this impact is still very unevenly distributed, and what important role employers can play to correct this. We’ll then dive into the more strategic benefits that building a strong open source culture can provide to corporations, and how what once appeared to be the realm of hackers, tinkerers, and activists can now also be a huge competitive advantage leveraged by companies of every size across all verticals.

Note this session will start at 12 noon ET. Tobie will present for 45 minutes or so, then we'll move to a 15-20 minute Q&A session. *The session will also be recorded and will be available for playback. We hope you can schedule an hour to be with us live, but if not, know it will be available post-event.

Also, this session will be part of the "Foundations" series we're beginning in the next 30-45 days (more coming soon). We consider understanding of this topic to be very important and almost a prerequisite to getting companies and organizations involved in open source.

Finally, we'll be giving away t-shirts, stickers and hats to a number of attendees. Join us and find out how!

Contact us directly with questions at info@allthingsopen.org.