Most people running open source projects are mortal. Recent history shows us that they will all eventually die, or get bored, or win the lottery, or get sick, or get conscripted, or lose their minds.
If you’ve ever visited a national history museum in a foreign country, I guarantee you’ve read this short excerpt:
King Whatshiface was a wise and great ruler who brought peace and prosperity to all the land.
After his death, his successors waged a bloody war for proper succession, which plagued the country for a hundred years.
The biggest selling point of democracy is that it allows peaceful transition of power. Most modern democracies have made civil war almost unthinkable. Sure, you may not like the person currently in charge, but there are well-established mechanisms for limiting their power and ousting them if they abuse. If they die in office, there is a clear and understood hierarchy for those who follow them.
Most open source projects start out small scale – just someone in their spare room working for fun. Unexpectedly, they grow into a monster that now takes over half the world. These are mini-empires weakThe most popular form of governance is the benevolent dictator for life model, Project founders control EverythingBut, as I said before, BDFL only works if D is actually B, Otherwise FL becomes FML,
The last year has seen many BDFL behaving like Mad Kings. They become tyrannical autocrats and attack their own volunteers. They take over community projects. They demand duties and tithes. Like dragons, they are quick to anger when their fragile egos are tested. Spineless courtiers follow illusory orders while looting the treasury.
That’s why I am delighted The Mastodon project has shown a better way to behave.
In “The Future We Create – Together” he describes Correct! How to transfer power gracefully and peacefully. No VC is bringing in his MBA-minded bastards to extract maximum value by leaving the rotting husk behind. No one is confiscating or jealously hoarding community assets. In their absence, opaque financial structures and complex agreements are prominent.
Outgoing CEO Eugene Rochko has a remarkably honest blog post about the transition. I wouldn’t wish success on my worst enemy. He talks candidly about the reality of dealing with pressure and how that could be a limiting factor in Mastodon’s growth. This is a far cry from the ego-centric members of The Cult of the Founder in their passionate belief in the divine right of kings.
Does your small OSS script need succession planning? Probably not. Do you have several thousand npm installs per day? If you ascend unexpectedly it may be helpful to find out who you can share the responsibility with. Do you think your project will last a thousand years? Build an organization that doesn’t collapse when its founder is arrested for his violent behavior on tropical islands.
I’m pleading project leaders everywhere – please read about the social contract and the consent of the governed. Or, if reading is too conscious, behave like adults instead of bickering teenagers.
It is a sad inevitability that eventually, we will all be left with nothing but memories. The bugs we create stay behind us, with patches often attached to our code. Let this be the case with all open source projects.