The open source threat bringing back vendor lock-in

Why corporate shortsightedness is abandoning open licenses, and what developers can do to fight it.

Companies are abandoning open source licenses for closed models, threatening the freedom that transformed computing from vendor lock-in to choose-your-own-adventure. In this episode, Dave Stokes, Community Manager at DBeaver, joins the We Love Open Source podcast to share why the Redis-to-Valkey saga matters, how AI actually helps with databases, and what developers can do right now to defend open source from corporate shortsightedness.

Dave remembers computing before open source. You chose hardware, which meant you bought everything from one vendor: Software, training, support, materials, all of it. Buy from Digital Equipment Corporation and you’re cut off from IBM. Then a crazy guy from Finland posted about building a Unix-like operating system that wouldn’t be anything big. That was Linus Torvalds launching Linux, and it changed everything. Suddenly you could buy hardware where it was cheap, support where it was cheap, without vendor lock-in. But that freedom is being threatened.

Intel’s leadership recently announced they’re done with open source because competitors are riding their coattails. Dave compares this to parents saying they won’t pay school taxes anymore because their kids already graduated. The shortsightedness extends to corporate contributions. When someone gives $20 billion to open source but that doesn’t keep one yacht running for six months, the comparative scale reveals the problem. Companies chase quarterly numbers while sacrificing long-term ecosystem health.

The Redis debacle exemplifies this trend. Redis abandoned open source, got forked by Valkey, then decided to come back. The damage was done. Dave’s advice? Go to conference booths and thank companies maintaining open source. When companies announce relicensing to closed models, tell them you’ll stick with the old version despite CVEs because you support the open model.

Read more: What version control looks like when AI agents write the code

On databases, Dave highlights why SQL persists. Every few years something new promises to replace relational databases. Then it doesn’t scale and everyone returns to what Edgar Codd created in the 1970s. The relational model maps well to business processes. It’s the only language from the 70s still widely used.

Dave’s career advice: At conferences, pick one session completely remote from your experience and attend it. Worst case you waste 50 minutes. Best case you discover a nugget that powers your career. Even introverts should use the hallway track. And if you’ve never presented, the audience wants you to succeed.

Key takeaways

• Corporate shortsightedness threatens open source freedom: Companies abandoning open source for closed models chase quarterly numbers while sacrificing the ecosystem that eliminated vendor lock-in. The Redis-to-Valkey saga shows the damage.
• Defend open source by supporting maintainers: Thank companies keeping projects open at conferences. When relicensing happens, voice opposition and stick with open versions to demonstrate community values.
• Conference sessions outside your experience reveal career-changing nuggets: Pick talks remote from your background. The hallway track provides invaluable networking even for introverts.

Dave’s message is direct: Open source transformed computing from vendor lock-in to freedom of choice. Defending that freedom requires active participation, from thanking maintainers to opposing closed relicensing.

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