← Everyone's take

TAKES · Pat answers

Should we open source it?

Should we open source it?“After Legal, trademark, and a support policy for the free tier.”Pat Williams, The Enterprise Adult

💡 WHY PAT IS RIGHT

Once code is public, customers will run it, file tickets about it and ask whether their contract covers it. Legal needs to confirm the company owns every line, that no customer code slipped in, and that the license matches the business model. The name needs to be protectable. Support needs a written answer for free users before the first angry email. None of this is bureaucracy; it is what makes publishing survivable.

✅ RIGHT WHEN

The company sells to enterprises, has a commercial product nearby, or the code touched customer work.

🚩 TOO FAR WHEN

The review takes two quarters for a 200-line library, and an engineer publishes it on a personal account.

See all 12Pat's profile