Open Source Governance
Ashley Williams, a former member of the Rust core team and instrumental in setting up the Rust Foundation, joins Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal to discuss the governance crises within the Rust open-source project. They analyze the failure of the Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL) model, the dangers of implicit power structures, and the challenges of transitioning from a volunteer-based hobby project to a corporate-funded enterprise. The conversation highlights specific issues such as the lack of clear vision, the weaponization of NDAs, and the difficulty of managing conflict in a global, consensus-seeking community.