Seldo's proposal: make package registries charge companies to fund open source

tristanbob · x · 2026-09-15

Seldo published a 23-minute essay arguing that after a decade of failed sustainability models, open source needs to be funded by force: package registries/distributors should charge companies a fee for downloading open source software, with money flowing to maintainers. He frames the problem with evolutionary game theory (hawks vs doves ESS) and claims this could yield more stable software, fewer supply chain attacks, and fair rewards. Supporters call it the closest thing to a mass-market solution yet; skeptics question if it can actually work.

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