A Product Strategy Framework for Going from Closed to Open Source

In this episode of The Business of Open Source, I spoke with Kris Zyp, SVP of engineering at HarperDB, in the third and final episode in the series about how Harper went from a closed-source company to an open source company.

We talked about what Kris saw as the risks and benefits of going open source before they went open source, how they ended up deciding what went into the open source project versus in the enterprise edition, and where the gray areas where.

The CEO of Harper, Stephen Goldberg, said that 80% of moving from a closed-source company to an open source company was about communication. I was curious what Kris said about where the heavy lifting was in the transition; but I was also curious about his insights into product strategy, because when I asked his colleagues about product strategy in the transition to open source they both punted to him.

We talked about developing a framework for deciding what features go into which edition, and how that framework is communicated internally and externally. We talked about who makes the ultimate product strategy decisions, and what they take into account when making these product strategy decisions.

We also talked about using trial and error, the unexpected benefits of being open source, and how Kris thinks that many people overestimate the risks and underestimate the benefits of being an open source company.

PS a huge thunderstorm started while I was recording this episode! You might be able to hear it in the background.

Are you a closed-source software company thinking about open sourcing a key part of your codebase? Are you wondering how you’ll balance the relationship between the project and product? Reach out, because those are the kind of questions I help companies resolve — and they see dramatic growth as a result.