The Business Case for Contributing to Open Source Software
As a full-stack developer, I know firsthand just how much open source software has revolutionized the way we build applications. From front-end frameworks like React and Angular to back-end technologies like Node.js and Django, open source is at the heart of modern software development. In fact, the use of open source has become so pervasive that a recent survey found 99% of codebases contain at least some open source code.
But while the vast majority of companies rely heavily on open source tools, a much smaller percentage actively contribute to the open source ecosystem. According to the latest data from the Linux Foundation, only about 15% of organizations have a formal policy in place for open source contributions.
As a developer who has seen the benefits of open source participation firsthand, I believe it‘s time for more companies to start giving back. Contributing to open source isn‘t just good karma – it‘s also good business. In this article, I‘ll break down several compelling reasons why your company should start actively participating in the open source community.
Reason #1: Attract and Retain Top Developer Talent
Ask any developer what they look for in an employer, and chances are "uses and contributes to open source" will be high on the list. A 2020 Stack Overflow survey found that 65% of developers consider the ability to work on open source projects an important job factor.
Having an active open source program can be a major selling point for recruiting developers, as Facebook found when it discovered that 75% of its new engineering hires cited the company‘s open source program as a key reason for joining. Companies like Stripe and Airbnb have also used open source to bolster their recruiting efforts and attract top technical talent.
But open source participation is just as important for retaining your existing developers. Working on open source helps developers gain new skills, build their personal brand, and avoid burnout. A 2018 DigitalOcean survey found that 79% of developers say participating in open source has helped their careers. Giving your developers the opportunity to contribute to projects they‘re passionate about will boost engagement and job satisfaction.
| Reason for contributing to open source | Percentage of developers |
|---|---|
| To improve coding skills | 44% |
| To be part of a community | 31% |
| To build a reputation in the developer community | 29% |
| To learn new technologies | 24% |
Source: DigitalOcean Currents Developer Survey (2018)
Reason #2: Improve the Quality of Your Software
Open source isn‘t just about sharing – it‘s also about collaborating to build higher quality software. With open source, you tap into the collective expertise of a global community of developers to make your tools and applications better.
Many of the world‘s largest companies rely on open source software for critical parts of their infrastructure. For example, Google runs on a custom version of the open source Linux operating system, while Facebook uses open source tools like React, GraphQL and Presto to power its platform.
By contributing bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features to open source projects, your company can directly influence the tools you depend on. You can help make sure the open source software you use meets your requirements and scales to fit your needs.
The quality improvements go both ways. Contributing to open source projects exposes your developers to a wide variety of codebases and programming practices that can inform your own software development. Lessons learned from working on open source can be applied to level up your company‘s code quality and architecture.
"At Airbnb, we see open source as a way of giving back to the broader engineering community. By building an active open source culture, we‘re able to improve the quality of our own software while helping move the entire industry forward." – Melanie Cebula, Open Source Lead at Airbnb
Reason #3: Enhance Developer Skills and Knowledge Sharing
Working on open source projects provides valuable opportunities for your developers to grow their technical and collaboration skills. Open source involves working with diverse groups of programmers from different backgrounds to solve complex problems. This forces developers out of their comfort zone and helps them level up.
According to GitHub‘s Open Source Survey, the top three benefits developers get from open source are learning new skills (73%), gaining a broader perspective (68%), and improving existing skills (62%). Working on open source exposes developers to the latest tools, design patterns, and best practices that can be brought back to your company‘s own projects.
Open source also helps break down silos and foster knowledge sharing inside your organization. As developers work on a variety of projects, they build relationships with other teams and share what they‘ve learned. Many companies actively use open source to promote internal collaboration, with Netflix and PayPal even hosting internal open source "office hours" and conferences.
"Open source is a key part of our development process at Bloomberg. It allows our engineers to learn from the community, share knowledge, and solve problems in a collaborative way." – Kevin P. Fleming, Head of Open Source Community Engagement at Bloomberg
Reason #4: Boost Your Brand and Gain Exposure
Contributing to open source can be a powerful way to build your company‘s reputation as a technology leader and gain exposure with potential customers and partners. Sharing useful code and resources is a way to demonstrate your expertise while giving back to the community.
Many influential open source projects we use today were originally created by companies to solve internal challenges, from Airbnb‘s data visualization tool Superset to LinkedIn‘s streaming platform Kafka to Facebook‘s build system Buck. By open sourcing internal tools, these companies were able to showcase their technical prowess while providing value to the broader developer community.
Perhaps no company exemplifies the brand benefits of embracing open source better than Microsoft. Once squarely opposed to open source, the tech giant has transformed its image in the developer community through extensive open source contributions in recent years. Microsoft is now the top corporate contributor to open source in the world. This has greatly improved Microsoft‘s developer relations and helped drive adoption of its Azure cloud platform.
"Our open source initiative has been key to building trust with the developer community and demonstrating our commitment to being a good OSS citizen. This has directly resulted in more companies using Azure and partnering with us on open source projects." – Jeff McAffer, Director of Open Source Programs Office at Microsoft
Publishing helpful open source projects, contributing to existing ones, and sharing knowledge through blog posts and conference talks can all help raise your company‘s profile as a technology leader. You may even end up attracting new customers along the way.
Measuring the ROI of Open Source Participation
Despite the benefits, some companies still hesitate to invest in open source due to concerns over how to measure the return on investment. While the impact of open source participation can sometimes feel intangible, there are both qualitative and quantitative ways to track its effectiveness.
Some metrics you can use to gauge the ROI of your open source program:
- Number of developers recruited or retained due to open source participation
- Improvements in code quality and velocity from open source learnings
- Reach and engagement of your open source projects (stars, forks, downloads)
- Leads or partnerships generated through open source thought leadership
- Employee satisfaction and sentiment around open source support
For a real-world example of open source ROI, look no further than the database company MongoDB. As detailed in this presentation, MongoDB was able to save an estimated $4.3 million in marketing costs in 2019 alone through organic traffic generated by its open source software and community resources. The company has built a thriving business by offering paid support and enterprise features around its open source database.
Best Practices for Corporate Open Source Programs
Sold on the benefits of contributing to open source at your company but not sure where to start? Here are some best practices for building an effective corporate open source program:
-
Secure executive buy-in: Ensure you have the support of engineering leaders and other key stakeholders. They can help champion open source and ensure it aligns with business priorities.
-
Define your open source strategy: Determine which existing open source projects are critical to your company and where you can add the most value. Decide if you want to open source any internal tools.
-
Create contribution guidelines: Establish clear policies around what projects your developers can contribute to, IP considerations, approval processes and time allocation. Document these in an internal wiki or handbook.
-
Appoint an open source lead: Consider creating a dedicated role to oversee open source strategy and execution. This person can manage the contribution process and be an interface between your developers and the community.
-
Provide training and support: Offer resources to help your developers contribute effectively, such as guides on submitting pull requests or technical writing. Consider hosting office hours or brown bags to share open source knowledge internally.
-
Reward and recognize open source work: Make open source contributions part of your developers‘ goals and performance reviews. Celebrate open source successes and promote them both internally and externally.
"At Indeed, we‘ve made open source a core part of our engineering culture. By putting clear contribution processes in place, providing training resources, and rewarding open source work, we‘ve been able to build a thriving OSS program that has delivered huge benefits both for our developers and the community at large." – Duane O‘Brien, Head of Open Source at Indeed
It‘s Time to Embrace Open Source
When it comes down to it, contributing to open source is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do from a business perspective. By giving back to the open source community, you can boost your ability to attract and retain top talent, improve the quality of your software, level up your developers‘ skills, and build your brand. The organizations that will thrive in the coming years are those that learn to not just leverage open source, but to be active participants in it.
As a developer, I‘ve seen firsthand how contributing to open source has helped my team and my company. I‘m a better programmer today because of what I‘ve learned collaborating with the open source community. Our software is more reliable and performant thanks to the battle-tested open source tools we leverage. And we‘ve built a strong technical brand through the useful projects we‘ve shared.
So if your company isn‘t yet active in open source, I urge you to get involved. Create a strategy, put the right policies and incentives in place, and start empowering your developers to contribute. Trust me, you won‘t regret it – the benefits you‘ll reap in terms of productivity, recruitment, and innovation will more than justify the investment.
The open source movement is one of the most exciting developments in the history of software. Don‘t just stand by and watch it happen. Be part of the action and see where the power of community, collaboration, and openness can take your business. Your developers – and your bottom line – will thank you.