# Open Source Governance

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2023-05-30
- Length: 1h 25m
- Episode: 15
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/9099835a

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=0) Introduction and Context: The Rust Leadership Chat and Recent Controversies
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=400) The Evolution of Open Source Governance: From BDFL to Modern Expectations
- [19:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=1160) Implicit vs. Explicit Power: The Core Problem in Rust Governance
- [29:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=1778) Technical Contributions vs. Leadership Skills: The Failure of Meritocracy in Management
- [43:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=2630) Conflict Resolution, Restorative Justice, and the Economics of Governance
- [55:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=3300) Communication, Vision, and the Tyranny of the Idle in Global Projects
- [1:13:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance#t=4432) Corporate Influence, NDAs, and the Need for Structural Rules

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Rust (other)
- Rust Foundation (company)
- Node (other)
- Linux (other)
- Mozilla (company)
- Elixir (other)
- Redox OS (other)
- System76 (company)
- Oxide Computer Company (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 43 - Collaboration in Open Source](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-08-28-ep-43-collaboration-in-open-source) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [Kickstarter, Open Source RC & Modelsource - Facinorous Financial Foulness](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-10-22-kickstarter-open-source-rc-modelsource-facinorous-financial-foulness) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep. 21 - Incorporating Community Feedback](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2024-05-30-ep-21-incorporating-community-feedback) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [523: Bad Experience With Donuts](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-04-02-523-bad-experience-with-donuts) (Embedded.fm)
- [479: Make Your Voice Heard](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2024-06-13-479-make-your-voice-heard) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-30-open-source-governance. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.