Business vs. FOSS: Six Pressure Points
The question of whether business can co-exist with free and open source software (FOSS) was settled long ago. It can, and not only successful companies like Red Hat but also the willingness of venture capitalists to fund FOSS business models proves the case.
However, the very term "FOSS business" reminds us that it is not the norm. Instead, FOSS business remains a hybrid or an alliance of interests whose values and interests can conflict as often as they overlap. To function effectively in FOSS business, you need to be aware of these potential areas of conflict so that you can avoid or minimize them in both hiring and interactions with the FOSS community.
Based on my experience and observations, here are six areas where business and FOSS sometimes rub each other the wrong way:
1) Hierarchy vs. Meritocracy
Business in general and high-tech in particular, has a much flatter structure today than it had a couple of decades ago. All the same, between titles and the power to make decisions, few people in an office environment have any doubt where they stand in relation to other people in the same company.
But in FOSS projects, the ideal is a meritocracy.
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