top of page

Contact Us

Catchy Agency Logo

Who Pays for the Open-Source Lobster?

  • Writer: John Thackray
    John Thackray
  • 10 hours ago
  • 3 min read

John Thackray, Senior Designer


TL;DR:


  • Open source is everywhere: 96% of organizations increased or maintained OSS use in 2025, largely for cost efficiency—yet most contribute little to its upkeep.

  • Funding is lagging far behind value: OSS drives trillions in global economic impact, but a third of maintainers are unpaid, and many work alone.

  • A €350M EU tech fund is on the table: Proposed to support OSS infrastructure, but it's unclear how it’ll be funded—or how fast it can move.

  • Sustainability is now urgent: Without new funding models and corporate accountability, OSS risks collapsing under its own success.



Everyone’s ordering lobster, but only paying for salad


If we all order the lobster thermidor, but only pay for the side salad—how is the restaurant supposed to stay open?


That’s the question haunting open source software (OSS) right now.


Once a grassroots effort of developers building for developers, open source has become the backbone of digital infrastructure. It underpins everything from AI models to cloud platforms to critical national services. And it’s growing fast.


According to the OpenLogic 2025 State of Open Source Report, 96% of organizations maintained or increased their OSS usage last year. Of those, 26% significantly increased it.


Why? The top driver is cost efficiency.


But while companies are scaling their OSS use like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet, most are still only contributing at salad-price levels.


OSS is infrastructure. So why don’t we fund it like roads and bridges?


In July, Felix Reda, GitHub’s Director of Development Policy, put it plainly:

“Open source software is open digital infrastructure that our economies and societies rely on. Nevertheless, open source maintenance continues to be underfunded, especially when compared to physical infrastructure like roads or bridges.”

Reda’s team at GitHub commissioned a study from OpenForum Europe, Fraunhofer ISI, and the European University Institute. Their goal? Understand how Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund could scale up into an EU-wide initiative with €350 million earmarked for OSS sustainability.


It’s a bold proposal. But there’s still no clarity on how this €350 million would be funded. If the money comes from the EU itself, bureaucratic delays are almost guaranteed. If it relies on outside investment, it might move faster—but risks diluting the open ethos of the ecosystem.


And the need is urgent. According to Reda’s blog post, We need a sovereign tech fund:

  • One-third of OSS maintainers are unpaid

  • One-third are the sole maintainer of their project


The numbers paint a clear picture


Let’s look at the data:


Open source is a victim of its own success


Open source is thriving—but fragile. It’s delivering trillions in economic value while relying on volunteer labor and minimal funding. And the disconnect is widening.


This is the paradox: Open source is celebrated for being free and open to all, but that very framing makes it harder to fund sustainably. When something feels “free,” we struggle to assign value to it—until it breaks, disappears, or becomes critical at scale.


Where do we go from here?


The EU’s €350 million proposal is a start. But real sustainability will require more than a one-time injection or top-down mandate. We need:

  • Non-governmental investment models that don’t compromise openness

  • Corporate contribution standards tied to OSS usage volume

  • Incentives for maintainers beyond recognition and burnout

  • Clear funding pathways for essential-but-unsexy maintenance work


And we may be seeing the beginning of that shift. Open SaaS—where open source powers commercially viable, community-backed products—could be part of the next chapter. But it’s not a silver bullet.


The open source community built the internet. Now it needs internet-scale support in return.


bottom of page