Workshop

Commercial sponsor models in open source projects

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 @ 11:00 - 11:55

From foundation donations to single-vendor dominance, commercial sponsor models have shaped the success—and struggles—of open source projects for decades.

In this interactive session, Amanda Brock dives deep into the many faces of open source sponsorship:

• Why do companies donate code, and what’s in it for them?
• What happens when trademarks, governance, and money collide?
• Is there still room for foundations, or is the single-vendor model taking over?
• Why did Syadia pull NATS from the CNCF, and what does that mean for everyone else?
• What are the options for the future?