+1 425-787-3066
1533 Stockert Hollow Road, Lynnwood, Washington (USA)

About Conference

Objectives of the Event

To raise important topics that often remain in the shadows of open source: conflicting pull requests, maintainer burnout, legal uncertainty, lack of documentation, technical debt, and uneven workload distribution. We aim to create a safe space where participants can honestly share experiences, discuss mistakes and look for ways to improve processes in open source projects.

Who this Event Is For

For developers and maintainers who manage or contribute to open source projects.
For contributors who want to understand the inner workings of open source and feel important.
For companies that are actively using open source and want to build sustainable community engagement.
For researchers studying the culture, governance and social aspects of open source.

Why it’s Worth Participating

This is an opportunity to hear honest stories - unvarnished and unmarketed - from people who live open source every day. Participants will get practical advice on project management, community engagement, legal issues and combating burnout. You'll meet developers, researchers, and companies that share similar values. This is not just a conference - it's a step towards a more sustainable, healthy and human open source.

Conference Program

December 4-5, 2025, Lynnwood, Washington

Day 1 - December 6

  • 09:00 – 10:00 – Registration and Welcome Coffee;
  • 10:00 – 10:30 – Conference Opening Keynote: “Why it’s time to talk honestly about OSS”;
  • 10:30 – 11:15 – Keynote: “Pull Request as a battleground: from idea to rejection”;
  • 11:15 – 12:00 – Keynote: “Burnout among Maintainers: who supports those who support those who support?”
  • 12:00 – 13:00 – Lunch;
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Panel Discussion: “Open Source and Corporations: Partners or Parasites?”
  • 14:15 – 15:00 – Report: “How to destroy a community in 6 months (and how to avoid it)”.
  • 15:00 – 15:30 – Coffee break;
  • 15:30 – 17:00 – Workshop: “Conflict PR and Review: real-time simulation”;
  • 17:00 – 18:00 – Networking: “Frankly about OSS with coffee and tea”.
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Day 2 - December 7

  • 09:30 – 10:15 – Report: “Open Source legal risks: licenses, patents, liability”;
  • 10:15 – 11:00 – Report: “When PR’s hang for months: technical debt and manageability”;
  • 11:00 – 11:30 – Coffee break;
  • 11:30 – 13:00 – Workshop: “How to deploy code ethically: a communication guide”;
  • 13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch;
  • 14: 00 – 15:00 – Roundtable: “What’s stopping us from doing OSS better: an honest conversation”;
  • 15:00 – 15:45 – Paper: “Scaling the community: growing without toxicity”;
  • 15:45 – 16:00 – Break;
  • 16:00 – 17:00 – Closing session and open mic;
  • 17:00 – 18:00 – Closing + announcement Open Source Issues Conference 2026.
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Who Will Be on Stage

We gathered those who are not afraid to speak out loud about the complexities, pain, and realities of working in open source. Developers, maintainers, lawyers, researchers and facilitators – each with their own unique experiences and truths.

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Lauren FrenchTopic: When a pull request becomes personal: dealing with emotions in OSS teams

Lauren will talk about the human side of a review and how to learn to give and receive feedback without burnout and resentment. We will deal with emotional patterns, boundaries and toxicity.

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Lauren FrenchTopic: When a pull request becomes personal: dealing with emotions in OSS teams

Lauren will talk about the human side of a review and how to learn to give and receive feedback without burnout and resentment. We will deal with emotional patterns, boundaries and toxicity.

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David ChenTopic: Review automation as a source of conflict

How can algorithms and bots unknowingly increase tension? David will show real cases and suggest ways to improve automated processes in open source.

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David ChenTopic: Review automation as a source of conflict

How can algorithms and bots unknowingly increase tension? David will show real cases and suggest ways to improve automated processes in open source.

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Jeanne HardyTopic: Open source and liability: what happens when things break?

In this talk we'll understand who is legally liable for OSS bugs - maintainers, authors or companies? And how to protect yourself and the project.

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Jeanne HardyTopic: Open source and liability: what happens when things break?

In this talk we'll understand who is legally liable for OSS bugs - maintainers, authors or companies? And how to protect yourself and the project.

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Grant WarrenTopic: How companies break open source - and how they can save it

Grant will talk about how corporate involvement can both support and undermine OSS development. There will be live examples and concrete models of engagement.

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Grant WarrenTopic: How companies break open source - and how they can save it

Grant will talk about how corporate involvement can both support and undermine OSS development. There will be live examples and concrete models of engagement.

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Linda ArellanoTopic: Inclusion doesn't work by itself: community mistakes

Linda will share her experience of how communities unintentionally exclude people and what can be done to make OSS projects truly inclusive and safe.

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Linda ArellanoTopic: Inclusion doesn't work by itself: community mistakes

Linda will share her experience of how communities unintentionally exclude people and what can be done to make OSS projects truly inclusive and safe.

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David HowseTopic: Who really contributes code? Data vs. Myths

David will show analytical data on OSS activity, busting myths about "developer heroes" and showing real patterns of contribution to open source.

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David HowseTopic: Who really contributes code? Data vs. Myths

David will show analytical data on OSS activity, busting myths about "developer heroes" and showing real patterns of contribution to open source.

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Read and Ponder

Texts about what is left out of the documentation: burnout, conflicts, unpaid labor and the value of human participation in open source. Real stories, honest questions and experiences worth discussing.

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Take Part in the Open Source Problems Conference

Open source is not just about commits and repositories. It's about people, emotions, conflict, burnout, and the constant search for balance. At our conference, we bring up topics that are rarely discussed out loud - to change open source culture for the better.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most important questions about participation, format, registration and the conference program. Everything you need to know before joining.