FOSS and Co-operatives have a lot in common, especially in countering neoliberalism and privatisation in general. And every year we see talks and discussions around ways to make money in FOSS, seldom we talk about how we structure these financial entities and businesses.
The point of this BOF is to raise awareness of co-operatives, initiate a discussion about software and aligned co-operatives, talk about existing examples, and what it would take to incubate and nurture co-operatives with FOSS at its core and how a financially viable company can be run.
Discussion Prompts
- Co-op means no “benevolent dictator for life” structure. What kind of effect would this have to the enterprise and the project?
- Thought experiments. What if X was a co-op?
- Is having democratic value in an organisation sufficient without a legal structure to uphold it?
- Is co-op viable for your enterprise? If not, why?
- Would you join an existing software co-op? If not, why?
- Whether and how adopting co-op framework can boost the longevity and financial health of a FOSS project
Discussion format
A small intro to co-ops, their functioning and examples so that the space can be inclusive to people who are new to the idea. And then open the floor with the prompts
Audience
People interested in FOSS-based enterprises and who are looking to learn and discuss about alternative enterprise forms
