Joining the Open Source Pledge
At Zerodha, we have always been passionate about contributing to a sustainable ecosystem for Free (libre) and Open Source Software (FOSS). As one of India's largest stock brokers, our journey has been deeply intertwined with FOSS, which has been instrumental in our growth. We've relied on FOSS technologies to build and scale our products, business, and services. For a team of hobbyist developers, like ours, this alignment with FOSS is a reflection of our core values.
The Open Source Pledge is an initiative that encourages companies to financially support the open source projects they depend on. By committing to this pledge, organizations can ensure the sustainability and growth of the open source ecosystem. The pledge aims to encourage contributions of at least $2,000 per full-time employee annually.
We are excited to announce that we are officially joining the pledge. This marks the beginning of an annual tradition where we will share a detailed report of our financial contributions. For now, we are sharing our pre-FLOSS/fund launch contributions as part of our pledge commitment. The first FLOSS/fund report will be published at the end of the next year.
Past 12 months
This year, we have contributed a total of $239,600, averaging around $7,260 per developer. We have made direct contributions totaling $59,600 to projects such as Typst, DuckDB, Kaf, and franz-go. Additionally, we have contributed approximately $180,000 to foundations that support the Free and Open Source movement, including the FOSS United Foundation and OASIS.
| Contribution | Amount |
|---|---|
| Direct Contribution to Typst | $27,100 |
| Direct Contribution to DuckDB | $26,500 |
| Direct Contribution to franz-go | $5,000 |
| Direct Contribution to Kaf | $1,000 |
| Contributions to Foundations | $180,000 |
Contributions over the past years
At Zerodha, our commitment to the open source community extends beyond financial contributions. We have actively engaged in initiatives that foster the growth and sustainability of FOSS. We co-founded the FOSS United Foundation to bolster the open source ecosystem in India. We also support TinkerSpace, a hub for FOSS tinkering and innovation. Additionally, we've supported projects like ERPNext and continue to maintain a few open source projects that originated from our work at Zerodha.
Over the years, we have also provided direct support to various projects through service agreements and support plans, agreed upon collaboratively with project maintainers.
By joining the Open Source Pledge and sharing our journey, we hope to inspire other companies to take similar steps. Supporting the open source projects we rely on is not just a responsibility; it's an opportunity to contribute to a sustainable and innovative future for the tech industry.
We are excited to be part of this initiative and look forward to continuing our support for the open source community. Together, we can build a more sustainable and innovative future for open source software.