Interview With Malcolm Matalka: Co-Founder, Terrateam Ben Rometsch chats with Malcolm Matalka , co-founder of Terrateam , to discuss the company’s inception and its eventual shift to open source. Together, they discuss how his frustrations with the click ops approach prompted Malcolm to create his own team to disrupt the system and pave the way for much more innovative methods. He opens up about the challenges they faced due to the licensing changes of HashiCrop and how it led to the creation of...
Feb 25, 2025•51 min•Ep. 74
With almost every transaction being done through the internet, your personal information and finances must be protected at all costs from hackers and scammers. Therefore, cybersecurity is important now more than ever. Leading the charge in keeping the digital world safe and secure is OWASP , a non-profit organization working mainly on software security. Joining this episode is Sam Stepanyan from the OWASP London Chapter who emphasizes why cybersecurity must be accomplished at the start of develo...
Feb 11, 2025•53 min•Ep. 73
Interview With Chris Villa: Co-Founder, Puck & Measured Puck, an open-source project, has exploded in popularity, becoming a major focus for Chris Villa and his team. But how do you balance a runaway open-source hit with the demands of running a consultancy? Join Ben Rometsch as he sits down with Chris Villa, co-founder of both Puck and Measured , to dissect this very dilemma. Chris reveals the fascinating origin story of Puck, its meteoric rise, and the overwhelming "pull" from the communit...
Jan 21, 2025•50 min•Ep. 72
Joining this episode is James McLeod, Open Source Program Lead at NatWest Group. He looks back on his career journey, from his role at the Linux Foundation, his efforts in scaling the FINOS project, to the creation of London.js. Reflecting on the many lessons throughout his professional life, James stressed the importance of proper data documentation and education to make open source more accessible to the public. He also explained what it takes for engineers to fully embrace their roles in the ...
Jan 07, 2025•57 min•Ep. 72
This episode features Moritz Klack and Christopher Möller, Co-Founders of xyflow . They look back on their career journey leading to their current company, from developing webkid , creating Datablocks , and launching React Flow. They discuss their transition from agency work to open source, their pricing strategies, and the importance of community feedback. Moritz and Christopher also bare their plans for the future and what trends in the digital space they are most excited about....
Dec 10, 2024•35 min•Ep. 71
With their keen eye for innovation and their knack for spotting the next big thing, Runa Capital is at the forefront of the tech revolution. In this episode, Ben Rometsch delves into the world of open-source software with Konstantin Vinogradov , General Partner at Runa Capital. Konstantin reflects on the founding principles of Runa Capital and its commitment to investing in open source and AI technologies. He also discusses the potential for open-source endowments to provide long-term support fo...
Nov 05, 2024•44 min•Ep. 69
Ivan Burazin proudly presents Daytona , a secure open-source development environment manager that allows developers to tailor their environments according to their specific needs. Ivan looks back on how their company started as an enterprise product before becoming an open-source project for individual developers. He breaks down its most important features, particularly those that assure ease of use, clarity, and simplicity. Ivan also explains how automation and AI tools could further improve Da...
Oct 15, 2024•50 min•Ep. 68
Buckle up for a journey into Shepherd! In this episode, Chuck Carpenter, the founder of Shepherd Pro and host of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, joins Ben Rometsch to delve into Shepherd and Shepherd JS, an influential open-source library for creating interactive guides in JavaScript. Chuck shares his deep involvement over seven years as a maintainer, highlighting Shepherd’s evolution from its origins at HubSpot to becoming a robust tool with broad community adoption. Don’t miss Chuck’s insights on She...
Aug 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 66
Managing a modern application landscape can be a balancing act. Enter Prometheus , an open-source champion for monitoring and alerting. In this episode, Julius Volz , co-founder of Prometheus and founder of PromLabs , joins Ben Rometsch to discuss the origins and evolution of Prometheus. Julius traces its inception to his early days at Google and SoundCloud, where the need for a robust monitoring system inspired Prometheus. He explains how Prometheus revolutionized monitoring with its pull-based...
Aug 13, 2024•54 min•Ep. 66
Moderne is a pioneer in the field of mass-scale automated code refactoring, and it has some pretty interesting origins. In this episode, co-founder Jonathan Schneider talks about the genesis of Moderne, how he started his open-source journey from being an engineer at Netflix, and their current initiatives, including some interesting developments at Openhaus. Tune in for more details!
Jul 30, 2024•43 min•Ep. 65
Ever wondered how the backbone of streaming giants like Netflix or gaming consoles like Sony PlayStation ticks? Dive deep with us in this episode as we unravel the legacy and impact of FreeBSD, one of the unsung heroes of the tech world. Join us in an insightful conversation with Deb Goodkin , the Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation , as we explore the history, evolution, and significance of FreeBSD. From its roots in Berkeley UNIX to its integral role in modern technology, Deb sheds li...
Jul 16, 2024•47 min•Ep. 64
Success is not just about focusing on the grind. It is also about applying yourself every single day and letting your efforts compound over time. In this episode, open source consultant Eddie Jaoude shares how he applied this mindset in his own career path. Joining Ben Rometsch, he explains how he successfully built a strong online following through his edutainment content about the open source industry, especially on Twitter. Eddie also opens up on how he takes care of his mental health as he d...
Jun 11, 2024•51 min•Ep. 63
In this episode of The Craft of Open Source, Ari Zilka describes his transition from his previous projects to founding a new company that aims to improve control over observability data in IT. He identifies issues with current observability tools, such as high costs and lack of flexibility, and propose using OpenTelemetry to offer a more customizable and manageable system. This new approach gives DevOps teams better tools for handling large amounts of data, ensuring security, and optimizing cost...
Jun 04, 2024•44 min
Ben Rometsch sits down with Birk Jernström , who shares the genesis story of Polar , a creator platform for developers. He explains how he established his company using his experiences and expertise gained from Tictail and Shopify. Birk discusses how he changes the status quo for open-source developers in terms of working on their passions full-time and independently. He also talks about the power of changing your perspectives and how he handles the needs of every single person down the dependen...
May 14, 2024•40 min•Ep. 62
These past few years, open-source has been on the fast track to dominating the software market. It might sound contradictory to many people, but open-source is big business. A project’s source code may be free, but the products generated from that source code can certainly be commercialized. If you’re a project developer, therein lies the potential for economic benefit, if only you had the financial backing and business know-how. Heather Meeker, Founding Partner at OSS Capital returns to the sho...
Apr 09, 2024•55 min•Ep. 61
Join us in this episode, where we take a deep dive into the story of Pulumi with its CEO and Founder, Joe Duffy . From its inception in 2016 with the ambitious goal of simplifying cloud infrastructure management through the creation of a new programming language, Joe takes us on a journey into the team’s evolution that helped Pulumi become what it is today. He talks about the intricacies of Pulumi Cloud, insights product, and the strategic alignment of Pulumi’s business model with the community'...
Feb 20, 2024•37 min•Ep. 60
Jenkins, an open-source stalwart and a foundational project of the Continuous Delivery Foundation, underwent a transformative journey towards independence within the foundation. In this conversation with Oleg Nenashev, Governance Board/Core Maintainer, we navigate through the significance of feature flags in continuous integration and delivery, culminating in excitement about the potential standardization through the open feature project. Shifting gears, the conversation delves into WireMock, a ...
Jan 09, 2024•37 min•Ep. 59
With the digital world evolving nonstop, keeping your data secure must be one of your top priorities at all times. Shauli Rozen of ARMO explains how they help end-users and developers address their Kubernetes security needs through Kubescape . In this episode, he explains how their software applies security remediation without breaking the application, bringing DevOps and security together. Shauli also shares the various projects they studied and gathered ideas from in developing Kubescape and h...
Dec 18, 2023•33 min•Ep. 58
OpenBB stands at the crossroads of innovation, uniting open-source spirit with financial prowess to empower every individual. In this episode of our podcast, Didier Lopes discusses OpenBB, a revolutionary platform aiming to democratize access to financial data. From its inception to its evolution into a versatile financial data hub, Didier shows how OpenBB thrives as a bridge connecting financial data for everyone. Join us as we explore the potential future directions for OpenBB, envisioning an ...
Nov 28, 2023•45 min•Ep. 57
Positioning for open source startups is directly connected not just to their free resource but also their commercial strategy. How should business leaders approach this to yield the best results and maintain a well-performing team? In this episode, Positioning Strategy Consultant for open source startups Emily Omier talks about keeping teams in alignment and in the same feedback loop. She explains how this approach can help them navigate through the complex mind games involved in these projects ...
Nov 14, 2023•47 min•Ep. 56
Data is the name of the game in today’s world. But with the amount of data sources today, how do you sift through and get the data you want? A data pipeline is the answer, and within that pipeline is a data orchestrator. Today’s guest, Pete Hunt, is the CEO of Elementl, the company behind the open-source orchestration platform, Dagster. He joins Ben Rometsch to tell us all about Elementl and Dagster as well as his career journey that took him across Facebook, Instagram, Smyte, and Twitter. In th...
Oct 31, 2023•44 min•Ep. 55
Celebrating the unsung heroes of open source, Fastly is shaping a future where technology meets kindness, collaboration, and a better internet for all. In this episode, we interview Hannah Aubry who shares how they are doing these things by undergoing significant innovation and a rebrand to become Fast Forward . She sheds light on the incredible contributions of the most skilled individuals behind open-source technology and how organizations like theirs are stepping up to empower them. Hannah al...
Oct 17, 2023•26 min•Ep. 54
In web development, we're not just crafting code; we're shaping the digital world's future. In this episode, we interview Misko Hevery , co-founder of Builder.io , about the landscape of web development and the cutting-edge Qwik framework. Misko starts by diving into Builder.io. Discover how it aims to bridge the gap between visual web content creation and developers' expertise, creating a win-win situation for both parties. Moving on to the world of Qwik, Misko expounds on its unique approach o...
Oct 03, 2023•43 min•Ep. 53
It takes great effort to build something with the fastest star growth count. And with Cal.com, they have the greatest domain, mission, and product that made that growth possible! In this episode, Peer Richelsen , the Co-Founder of Cal.com , takes us into the scheduling infrastructure they’ve built to help everyone focus on their meeting, not making meetings. Peer also touches on what he needs to qualify as an Open Scheduling. Meet Cal.com today and make booking easier for you....
Sep 19, 2023•43 min•Ep. 52
Do you spend so much time building and running your pipeline? That doesn’t have to be the case anymore. In this episode, Darko Fabijan , the co-founder of Semaphore , shares the efforts Darko and his team went into improving Semaphore products to serve their clients. Through the development of their products, it minimizes the time spent in running your pipeline with CI/CD Solutions. Darko also explains how Semaphore On-Premise functions as your team grows. Join us in this episode and learn how S...
Sep 05, 2023•35 min•Ep. 51
When it comes to technology, having reliable monitoring is crucial to ensuring a positive user experience and the seamless operation of an app. Dynatrace is a company that specializes in enhancing the digital environment of organizations with their cutting-edge solutions, unlocking the full potential of digital intelligence. Their innovative platform has the power to propel your business to new heights. In this episode, Alois Reitbauer , the Chief Technology Strategist at Dynatrace, dives into h...
Aug 22, 2023•38 min•Ep. 50
From passion projects to corporate powerhouses, open source has evolved into a force that shapes the tech industry's future, driven by the collective efforts of passionate individuals and visionary companies. In this episode, we interview Justin Abrahms, the Principal Architect/Governing Board of OpenFeature, to discuss the diverse landscape of open-source development and its impact on the tech industry. He discusses the early days of open source, when companies like Google and eBay were just be...
Aug 08, 2023•35 min•Ep. 49
Tea is the catalyst that shifts open source from a labor of love to a sustainable revolution, ensuring that the creators behind our digital infrastructure receive the funding they deserve. In this episode, we sit down with Max Howell, the visionary mind behind the Tea Package Manager, and explore his journey from building the widely popular Homebrew (Brew) to embarking on a mission to fix open-source remuneration. With passion and determination, Max shares his vision for Tea, a groundbreaking so...
Jul 25, 2023•44 min•Ep. 49
For the longest time, financial services organizations have largely been consumers of open-source technology, and they haven’t been very keen in moving towards the contribution side. But things are starting to change as a lot of organizations in the space are beginning to give more weight to the idea of using their resources to help maintain and improve the open-source projects that they use. FINOS leads the way in promoting open innovation in the financial services industry. Joining us on the p...
Jul 11, 2023•39 min•Ep. 47
Many of us struggle with where to start whenever we embark on a new journey. For developers contending in such a fast-paced and ever-growing environment, it can be confusing to figure out what to learn next. This episode’s guest is breaking down this barrier. Kamran Ahmed created roadmap.sh to help developers find their path and help them learn and grow in their careers. Kamran joins us to share his remarkable journey as the founder of this great resource project. Initially met with mixed respon...
Jun 27, 2023•39 min•Ep. 46
