The future of monetizing open source with Spencer Kimball, CEO of Cockroach Labs

In this episode of Unpack Pricing, Spencer Kimball, co-founder and CEO of Cockroach Labs joins Scott Woody, co-founder and CEO of Metronome, to discuss CockroachDB's evolution over the past 10 years and how that's impacted their business models. Spencer Kimball discusses the pivotal decisions in open-source strategy, how the company navigated competition with hyperscalers, the non-obvious transformative power of open-source, and the importance of customer focus in driving long-term success for their business. – FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE: https://metronome.com/podcast/unpack-pricing/the-future-of-monetizing-open-source-with-cockroach-labs-co-founder-ceo – Follow: Scott: X: https://x.com/l3amm  LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-woody-21677121/ Spencer: LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerwkimball/ – Check out: Cockroach Labs: https://www.cockroachlabs.com/ Metronome: https://metronome.com/ -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod – Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:59) Spencer's background and CockroachDB's origin (06:06) The evolution of open source business models (10:05) Challenges and strategies in commercializing open source (16:29) The impact of hyperscalers on open source (18:42) CockroachDB's licensing journey (21:31) Future of open source  (30:59) CockroachDB’s unified product offering (33:39) Customer reception and adjustments (35:41) Philosophical changes in tech (36:35) Cloud services and competition (40:47) Customer needs and strategic strengths (47:29) Future of cloud and AI (58:27) Staying energized as an entrepreneur (01:01:39) Wrap