How Eleventy Survived: Funding, Growth, and Open Source Reality

Eleventy started as a side project. Now it’s a critical infrastructure for thousands of websites.TL;DR: Open source isn’t broken. But the way we fund it often is. Let’s talk about what actually works.In this episode, we sit down with Zach Leatherman, creator of Eleventy (11ty), to talk honestly about what happens after open source succeeds. From nap-time coding and nights-and-weekends maintenance to venture capital pressure, burnout risk, and the reality of funding long-lived developer tools, this conversation digs into the cultural and financial tradeoffs behind modern open source.We cover sustainability, community expectations, funding models that don’t rely on hockey-stick growth, and why “free forever” only works if the people behind the project can stay whole humans.🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode🧠 How Eleventy grew from a side project into a widely depended-on tool⚖️ The maintainer’s dilemma: growth, responsibility, and personal sustainability💸 Why venture capital and hockey-stick growth often fail dev tools🔥 Burnout, boundaries, and being accountable to a global user base🏡 Balancing family life with open source maintenance🔁 Different funding models: donations, sponsorships, Pro tools, and tradeoffs🌱 What sustainable open source can look like long-term🔮 What’s ahead for Eleventy and its next chapter⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Introductions and why open source sustainability matters01:47 – Eleventy’s early days and unexpected adoption04:32 – When a “side project” becomes critical infrastructure06:42 – Corporate usage, expectations, and hidden pressure10:08 – Family life, burnout risk, and personal boundaries14:17 – Funding models: donations vs. sustainability18:45 – Venture capital, acquisitions, and hockey-stick growth myths23:33 – Lessons from Gatsby, Astro, and the dev tools ecosystem26:25 – Why sustainable open source must tie to real value30:26 – A healthier path forward for maintainers and communities33:20 – What’s next for Eleventy🔗 Links & ResourcesEleventy (11ty)Font AwesomeWeb Awesome🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm🎥 Video support by Isaac ChaseStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!