Open Source Cowboy Podcast
(This is from my main job at Intersect MBO)
The Open Source Cowboy Podcast explores the frontier of open source sustainability, governance, and innovation. Each episode features in-depth conversations with leaders shaping how open source evolves across industries and ecosystems.
Episodes
Episode 4: Silona Bonewald — Building Open Source Culture
Silona shares her decades of experience in open source leadership, from establishing governance models to empowering communities. We explore what it takes to align incentives, build trust, and create sustainable contributor ecosystems.
Episode 5: Pat Sheridan — Commercial Open Source Success
Pat dives into the practical realities of building commercial businesses around open source. From services to productization, he explains how projects can thrive while staying true to open values.
Episode 6: Andrew Aitken — The Business of Open Source
Andrew, one of the earliest advocates for OSPOs and open source strategy, breaks down how organizations can align business goals with community health. We cover funding, governance, and the evolving role of corporate engagement.
Episode 8: Hart Montgomery — Decentralized Trust, Practically Applied
Hart breaks down what “decentralized trust” means for real builders and enterprises—from digital identity as critical AI-era infrastructure and practical zero-knowledge proofs, to SBOMs, OpenSSF Scorecards, and supply-chain security. He also weighs licensing trade-offs, contrasts DAOs and foundations across maturity stages, and offers actionable advice for newcomers on finding welcoming OSS communities and getting involved.
Episode 9: Danese Cooper – The Secret Sauce of Open Collaboration
Danese centered on the transition of open source from informal collaboration to institutional infrastructure, drawing on her experience building OSPOs and foundations at scale. The discussion focused on where open source efforts fail when governance lacks authority, funding is disconnected from accountability, and communities are expected to self-sustain without operational support. Danese emphasized that successful ecosystems are intentionally designed systems, not emergent accidents, requiring clear decision rights, paid stewardship, security coordination, and alignment between values and execution.
👉 Each episode connects directly to the themes behind Open Source Cowboy Consulting — sustainability, governance, and practical frameworks for building healthier open source ecosystems.
Open Source Cowboy Consulting 