Contribute: Beyond the Code

Open source gave us Linux, the cloud, and the foundation of modern software. Can it do the same for AI before the window closes?In this episode, Nithya Ruff, Linux Foundation board chair and one of open source's most influential voices, makes the case that the principles that made open source work for 30 years are exactly what AI governance needs right now. Transparency. Distributed power. Broad access. But time is running out.We cover:Why open source is cultural infrastructure, not just codeWhat "open" actually means when AI models have weights, data, and training algorithmWhy opacity is AI's biggest trust problem — and how openness fixes itThe sovereign AI tension: how do countries build AI that reflects their own languages and values without fragmenting the ecosystem?What contributing to open source means in 2026 — and why it was never just about the codeThe governance lessons from 30 years of open source that AI desperately needsNithya on LinkedInArticles mentioned in the episodeLeading Tech Coalition Invests $12.5 Million Through OpenSSF and Alpha-Omega to Strengthen Open Source Security Ingress NGINX Retirement: What You Need to KnowShoutoutsShuah Khan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shuah-khan/Deb Nicholson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denicholson/Ruth Suehle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthsuehle/Dawn Foster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnfoster/Subscribe for more conversations about the human side of open source, AI, and the communities building both.Learn more about Punch Tape: https://www.punch-tape.comGet in touch: [email protected]#OpenSource #AIGovernance #OpenSourceAI #TechLeadership #ArtificialIntelligence

Open source has won. So why are the people building it still struggling to pay the bills?In this episode, Patrick Masson, Executive Director of Apereo Foundation, makes the case that the open source sustainability problem isn't a funding problem. It's a mindset problem. And until foundations stop acting like charities, nothing changes.We cover:*Why guilt-tripping companies into donations doesn't workThe "code is free, skills don't have to be" model for self-sustainabilityHow Moodle quietly built one of the best funding models in open sourceWhy there are too many foundations doing the same things independentlyWhat foundation leaders actually need to build something that lastsPatrick on LinkedInThe Apereo FoundationFrom GitHub: What to expect from open source in 2026Open Source Endowment🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about the human side of open source.#FOSS #OpenSourceSustainability #TechPodcast #devrel

Your OSPO will only be as strong as the internal case you've built for it. Our guest, Dawn Foster, has been in open source for decades and in this episode, she breaks down what it actually takes to build an OSPO that lasts: where it should sit in your org, how to survive budget cuts, and why the best OSPOs are obsessed with internal enablement, not external visibility. If you're building, running, or fighting for an OSPO, this one's for you.Your OSPO will only be as strong as the internal case you've built for it. Our guest, Dawn Foster, has been in open source for decades and in this episode, she breaks down what it actually takes to build an OSPO that lasts: where it should sit in your org, how to survive budget cuts, and why the best OSPOs are obsessed with internal enablement, not external visibility. If you're building, running, or fighting for an OSPO, this one's for you.Dawn's Blog with great OSPO contentSign up for the free OSPO virtual event on April 9thEmma Irwin's OSS Wishlist#OSPO #OpenSource #OpenSourceProgram #EngineeringLeadership #CTO #TechLeadership #CloudNative #Developer #TechPodcast #OpenSourceCommunity #Software #DevRel

I recently sat down with Amanda Brock, CEO of OpenUK, for the first episode of the #contribute Beyond the Code podcast. Her insights were sobering, necessary, and frankly, a wake-up call for everyone involved in #opensource.#opensourcesoftware #foss #devrel #opensourceai