The Outer Join Podcast (E01): An Intentional Approach to Open-Source with Abby Kearns, former CTO at Puppet Labs
Listen to the episode here:
Venrock partner Ethan Batraski interviews Abby Kearns, most recently the CTO at Puppet and previously CEO at the Cloud Foundry Foundation, about her experiences building in open-source, open-source licensing, separating open-source projects from commercial product strategies, and more.
- [00:01:12] Abby’s career journey and what turned her to tech
- [00:05:23] What’s happening in open-source right now
- [00:09:38] Where it makes sense to have a commercial open-source model
- [00:16:30] Choosing between an Apache-like or Elastic-like license
- [00:19:17] Starting an open-source project with intent to commercialize
- [00:23:08] The biggest risk of starting with an SSPL or BSL license
- [00:27:47] Rapid fire questions
Here is a quick summary of our conversation:
The Importance of Intentionality
Abby highlighted the importance of being intentional when it comes to open-source projects. She advised companies to be clear about why they are open-sourcing and what value it brings to their company. Abby argued that building a community around an open-source project takes intentional effort and investment. It’s important for companies to avoid conflating open-source projects and commercial products. Companies must have separate strategies for managing projects and products.
The Need to Reevaluate Licensing
The conversation also touched on the evolving state of open-source licensing. Kearns suggested that the industry needs to reevaluate how it approaches licensing and the relationship between open-source projects and commercial products. She noted that the SSPL and Elastic licenses are examples of after-the-fact fixes. Companies should think about licensing choices from the outset of a project. Kearns emphasized the importance of understanding what problem the company is solving, who it’s for, and what value it brings to the community.
Competing with Free
Kearns spoke to the challenges of competing against free when it comes to open-source projects. She noted that it can be difficult to differentiate against a project that has been invested in by a community and a set of contributors. Kearns advised companies to have a clear strategy when it comes to building and managing open-source projects. They must think about the problem they are solving, what skillsets they have, and be transparent about their intentions when open-sourcing a project.
Having a Clear Strategy
The conversation highlighted the importance of having a clear strategy when it comes to building and managing open-source projects. Kearns advised companies to think about the problem they are solving, what skillsets they have, and to be transparent about their intentions when open-sourcing a project. Kearns emphasized that building a community around an open-source project takes intentional effort and investment. Companies must be clear about why they are open-sourcing and what value it brings to their company.
Overall, the conversation provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of open-source projects and the importance of having a clear strategy when it comes to building and managing them. The industry needs to reevaluate how it approaches licensing and the relationship between open-source projects and commercial products. With the rapidly evolving nature of open-source licensing and the increasing importance of building open-source communities, it is clear that companies must have a deliberate and intentional approach to leveraging the power of open-source technologies for their business.
