The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

The making of GitHub Sponsors (Interview)

Dec 1, 2019

Devon Zuegel, Open Source Product Manager at GitHub and a pivotal force behind GitHub Sponsors, discusses her journey to GitHub and the extensive research she undertook to tackle open source sustainability. She delves into various funding models and the importance of transparent financial decision-making for project maintainers. Also explored are the motivations for sponsorship, the significance of effective naming in tools, and insights on the future of community support in the open source ecosystem.

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ANECDOTE

Research-Driven Development

Devon Zuegel prioritized research, interviewing hundreds of developers worldwide before building GitHub Sponsors.
This research built credibility and ensured the team's effectiveness within GitHub.

INSIGHT

Distribution and Awareness

GitHub Sponsors improves distribution and awareness for open-source projects needing funding.
It allows users to easily discover and support maintainers within their existing workflow.

INSIGHT

Funding Challenges and Transparency

Funding can create new challenges for open-source teams, like governance and decision-making.
GitHub Sponsors encourages transparency by requiring detailed applications and providing feedback.

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Devon Zuegel is an Open Source Product Manager at GitHub. She’s also one of the key people responsible for making GitHub Sponsors a thing. We talk with Devon about how she came to GitHub to develop GitHub Sponsors, the months of research she did to learn how to best solve the sustainability problem of open source, why GitHub is now addressing this issue, the various ways and models of addressing maintainers’ financial needs, and Devon also shared what’s in store for the future of GitHub Sponsors.

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Featuring:

Devon Zuegel – Website, GitHub, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!