[$] The selfish contributor revisited
Open source is often described as a "gift economy"—an
ecosystem where contributors are motivated by a desire to make the
world a better place. That is, sometimes, true. However, James
Bottomley used his main
track slot at https://fosdem.org/2025/
,
on February 1, to make the case that it is better to bank on the
selfish motivations of individuals to drive community success than to
rely on their altruism.