The Open-Source Evolution of Python with Wes McKinney

Wes McKinney, CTO & Co-Founder of Voltron Data, joins me for an in-depth conversation on how his quest to develop Python as an open-source programming language led him to creating the pandas project and founding four companies. In this episode, Wes and I dive into his unique background as the founder of the pandas project and he describes his perspective on the early days of Python, his journey into the world of open-source start-ups, and the risks and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects. Highlights:Wes introduces himself and describes his role (00:46)Wes’ role in elevating Python to a mainstream programming language (02:15)How working with Python led Wes to co-founding his first two companies (09:01)Apache Arrow’s critical role at Voltron Data and their focus on accelerating Arrow adoption (12:52)How did the team at Voltron Data decide on an open-source business model? (18:54)Wes speaks to the risk that can come from having developers work on an open-source project (22:31)Wes’ perspective on the real-world applications and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects (27:44)Links:WesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesmckinn/Twitter: https://twitter.com/wesmckinnCompany: https://voltrondata.com/