What big tech gives to open source, and what it takes
October 6, 2026 · 14 min read
Mark Zuckerberg and Yann LeCun explain why Meta gives its AI models away, while Jean-Baptiste Kempf and Kieran Kunhya describe how large companies lean on FFmpeg and VLC and add to their maintainers' load. Set side by side, they show the two faces of corporate involvement in open source and why the relationship is not simply generous or exploitative.
The rules, numbers and steps worth keeping in front of you.
- Big tech both gives to open source and takes from it.
- Zuckerberg's reasons to give: recruitment, access, security through scrutiny and avoiding concentrated power.
- Meta keeps core product code closed and may not open far more powerful models.
- Meta gains: community rewrites made its own models cheaper to run.
- LeCun: open models allow diversity, like a free press; Meta's revenue is advertising, so giving costs little.
- FFmpeg underlies most internet video and is run by a few volunteers.
- Taking, type one: bug reports with deadlines and no fixes; finding outpaces patching.
- Type two: urgent support demands on a volunteer tracker without a contract.
- Type three: big companies respond only to public pressure.
- Kempf: we are not your supplier; a contract with service terms is available.
- Cause is mostly ignorance inside companies, not malice; the cost is maintainer burnout.
- Google is also a major supporter and began sending patches.
- Open means different things; read the license.
- Fund the projects you run on; donations still do not cover one full-time developer.
This is the short form. The full insight has every expert's reasoning, their own words and the sources.