Open Source's Corporate Capture: A Subtle Power Play

This article explores the reality of large-scale corporate involvement in open-source software. Initially conceived to attract commercial interests, corporations largely leverage open source to reduce costs rather than contribute back. The Heartbleed vulnerability highlighted the under-resourcing of open-source projects. While corporate investment has increased, it's channeled through employee contributions, creating power imbalances. Corporate employees, with more time and influence, skew project priorities, potentially leading to relicensing. The article proposes updating open-source governance models, diversifying funding for maintainers, rejecting projects with relicensing risks, and establishing a shared definition of open governance to build resilience against corporate capture and ensure a more equitable ecosystem.