Asking the “Five Whys” about Open Source Sustainability at the Sustainability BoF @ NED Camp 2021

There are plenty of resources, articles, and mechanisms for funding Open Source development. I’m hesitant to rehash the past discussions; meanwhile, everyone needs to improve their dialog around contributing and helping to sustain Open Source. Frankly, it is tough to argue that a business should contribute to Open Source when they already get the software for free. Time and time again, an organization’s contribution to Open Source seems to be driven by an individual who has the authority or influence to move an organization to contribute. When I listen to podcasts about how different Open Source projects have become sustainable, persuading people to contribute is consistently one of the most critical tasks.