and nobody is willing to pay for it.

FinnLobsien 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The value created vs value captured equation of OSS must be one of the most lopsided things ever.

If you’re at Google and invent Kubernetes you might still capture 0.000001% (probably less) of the economic value created by Kubernetes, but you probably enjoy very generous comp.

OSS doesn’t have any of that, besides being extremely in demand as a consultant or whatever.

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avaer 10 hours ago | parent [-]

> besides being extremely in demand as a consultant or whatever

Not necessarily. AI has significantly reduced the marketability of that angle, when people can just ask AI about your OSS project.

That is to say, it's only getting more lopsided.

	▲	FinnLobsien 10 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Sure, but I also feel like at the higher level, you’re not necessarily looking for implementation alone, but for “what should we be doing in the first place?”, which AI can’t help with

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whatever1 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

In the past it kinda worked out, because the code of OSS acted as the portfolio of the developers, who would get hired by big corps. (Today with LLMs you have no way of knowing who was the original author)

We definitely do not pay enough for the utility we get from OSS. But on the other hand do we want do copyright in code? Also when you pay for something you can hold liable the vendor if things go south (security holes etc). Do we want the devs of OSS to be in such position?

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FinnLobsien 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In a way it’s good that the equation is so lopsided. A massive part is that software can be replicated infinitely for free. This is why the scale of the value created is so giant.

I definitely do think it’s crazy that someone whose software gets dozens of millions of downloads A DAY can end up making less than someone building a mediocre SaaS app and getting acqui-hired 2 years later.

For the record, I think the VC - Startup ecosystem is incredibly valuable. But it IS crazy how essential software can go essentially unrewarded.

	▲	luke5441 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, but the software can also be replicated as binaries or as free SaaS.

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luke5441 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Wouldn't one be able to tell from basic research if a project is legit or not. E.g. looking how the developer handles support? If no HM does take OSS work into account, one other reason for publishing my code goes away. Might as well post it as freeware if I want to share it.