Ray Paik

Recently, several open source companies attracted a lot of attention after their announcements of license changes. Not surprisingly, these shifts sparked backlash from open source enthusiasts, prompting some to create community-driven forks under open source foundations.

Now there is growing skepticism toward (single) company backed open source projects, with many arguing that open source projects should be run by neutral foundations to prevent future bait-and-switch tactics. In this session, we'll explore if a foundation is always the right model for open source projects. 

Inclusiveness is vital for strengthening the sense of belonging. Community recognition thus needs to be more inclusive so that all community members, regardless of their background, interests, and skillset feel appreciated. Traditional recognition in open source tends to emphasize contributions in project repositories (or code), and we often miss valuable contributions from non-developers.

Ray will share his experience finding different contributions, community recognition examples (both good & bad), and feedback he received on community recognition programs over the years.

At first glance, it may seem impossible to build an open and authentic community for a company-based open source project when you need to balance the needs of the company with those of the community. In this talk, learn how to build a thriving community by understanding the intrinsic motivations of community members while providing opportunities for them to grow and have a voice in the community. There will also be a discussion on how diverse viewpoints and being responsive to contributions is beneficial to both  the community and the company.