A speech delivered to the audience of Linaro Connect in Bangkok, Thailand on the 9th of March 2016.

1. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Showing Management the Light:
Explaining the Business Strategy behind
Investing in Community Best Practices
Shane Martin Coughlan

2. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Today companies have a choice between
building platform components on their own
or sharing a massive global resource to
accelerate innovation.

3. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
The value of Free Software is not “free code”
but “multiples of engineering investment.”

4. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Free Software helps stakeholders compete
on products but collaborate on platforms.

5. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Free Software provides value by reducing
development cost and time to market for
individual companies in the ecosystem.

6. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Linux Foundation estimated that it would
cost $10.8 billion to recreate a Linux
Distribution like Fedora 9 in 2008.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/sites/main/files/publications/estimatinglinux.html

7. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Today 78% of companies run some or all of
their operations on Free Software and 88%
expect to increase their project contributions.
https://www.blackducksoftware.com/future-of-open-source

8. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Projects hosted by Linux Foundation have a
combined value of $5 billion. They would
take 1,356 developers 30 years to recreate.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/blogs/browse/2015/09/how-much-open-source-worth-our-new-report

9. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Free Software is in Enterprise, Embedded,
Consumer, Automotive, Mobile…
It has eaten the world.

10. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
In an ideal world everyone using Free
Software would understand how it creates
value and how to engage with it effectively.

11. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
However…

12. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Many companies adopted Free Software
because suppliers, engineers or customers
wanted it. There was no strategic plan.

13. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Case Study: A Large Community Member
Learns about License Compliance.

14. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Case Study: A Small Community Member
Learns about Supply Chain Challenges.

15. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
This is not optimal for a company’s return on
investment or for ecosystem sustainability.

16. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Development, legal and community best
practice is important to reduce friction and to
obtain maximum value.

17. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Compliance is not an end goal: it is part of
strategic investment in the ecosystem.

18. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Free Software depends on shared rules so
that diverse stakeholders can work together.

19. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
started a project in 2006 to help support
European organisations with best practices.

20. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
FSFE answered hundreds of governance
questions submitted online and via email.

21. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
FSFE collaborated with gpl-violations.org
on dozens of license compliance issues.

22. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
FSFE created a network for lawyers to share
knowledge that grew to over 300 participants
across 28 countries and 4 continents.

23. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
Engagement and subsequent support of
initiatives to address challenges across the
global supply chain is significant.

24. shane@opendawn.com
@opendawn
“Invest and grow” is a better long-term
business strategy than “grab and run.”