Not My Cup of Tea - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

Not My Cup of Tea 🔗 **Source:** [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [open-source, funding, governance] > author: [David Bushell] > source: [dbushell.com] > reference: [https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/] > date created: > > # 🏷️ Title: Not My Cup of Tea >  ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - Include links cited in or relevant to the article. ## 📝 Summary - The author reacts to Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch’s meeting with Netanyahu. - He questions implications for projects funded by Vercel, like Svelte. - He frames a funding dilemma for open source maintainers. - He stresses governance, ethics, and community responsibility. - Bottom line: Ethical funding and open governance need collective action. ## 📖 Main Content - The post opens with frustration about recent industry events. - A selfie of Rauch with Netanyahu triggers ethical scrutiny. - The author wonders how Svelte should respond given Vercel ties. - He outlines limited funding options for open source projects. - He warns that moral compromise is incentivized by today’s economy. - He closes urging action, ethics, and resilient governance. ### 🗒️ Notes ### [H1] Vercel CEO photo sparks ethics debate > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “selfie of Guillermo Rauch with Israel PM Netanyahu” The image catalyzes questions about funding relationships and values. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_01 ### [H2] Svelte’s ties to Vercel raise questions > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “I wonder if @svelte.dev is onboard with this?” The author asks how dependent projects should respond. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #xref ID:rw_02 ### [H3] Svelte maintainers appear morally opposed > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “Everything I already know suggests the Svelte maintainers are antithetical to Rauch.” The author infers opposition, while acknowledging uncertainty. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #xref ID:rw_03 ### [H4] Cutting Vercel ties is morally costly > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “To cut ties with Vercel would be morally courageous. Then what?” He highlights the practical funding gap post-severance. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #articleseed ID:rw_04 ### [H5] Vercel raises $300M amid AI pivot > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “Vercel announced $300M in series F funding.” This strengthens Vercel’s influence during the AI cycle. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #xref ID:rw_05 ### [H6] Open source funding options remain scarce > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “who else is funding open source software?” The article notes chronic user underfunding of OSS. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #articleseed ID:rw_06 ### [H7] Moral bankruptcy appears economically rewarded > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “Moral bankruptcy is a desirable trait in this economy.” He argues incentives favor ethically lax behavior. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #articleseed ID:rw_07 ### [H8] Maintain open governance despite turbulence > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “Let’s hope that open governance remains intact” He urges projects to protect governance from capture. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #xref #addendum ID:rw_08 ### [H9] Collective action remains the path forward > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “Taking action and Doing The Right Thing is often difficult, always exhausting” He closes with a call to shared responsibility. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) #share ID:rw_09 ## 📚 References - Vercel Series F coverage: [Vercel raises $300M Series F](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/30/vercel-raises-300m-series-f/) (If paywalled or moved, access may be limited.) - Svelte project site: [Svelte](https://svelte.dev/) - Context on “load-bearing Nebraskans”: [The infrastructure of a modern web (xkcd 2347)](https://xkcd.com/2347/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - The post critiques tech’s ethics-funding tension using a fresh example. - It argues governance and community values need protection and action. ## 📰 Newsletter - This week highlighted OSS funding ethics again. - A Vercel-Netanyahu photo sparked debate on governance and money. - Projects like Svelte face tough choices without clear alternatives. - For WordPress, reinforce open governance and transparent funding. - See The WPOCC programs and equity models: [The WP Open Community Collective](https://wpcommunitycollective.org/). - Explore sustainable funding models: [Open Collective](https://opencollective.com/) and [GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors). ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Publish a values-and-funding stance — team blog/FAQ. - Run an office hours on ethical sponsorships — record Q&A. - Add example sponsorship policies to docs — link templates. #### OSPO - Draft a contribution funding policy with ethics screen. - Establish a sponsor review board and rubric. - Track upstream funding risks in quarterly reports. #### Community - Host a governance clinic on sponsor conflicts. - Create first-issue rotations for new contributors. - Publish budget transparency with milestones. #### WordPress - Core: publish conflict-of-interest guidelines for sponsors. - Core Program Team: add governance retrospectives quarterly. - Training: add a funding ethics module. - Marketing: communicate funding narratives transparently. - Meta: add disclosure fields to .org profiles. - Accessibility: include ethics in event codes of conduct. #### The WPOCC - Programs: launch maintainer stipends with disclosure rules. - Projects: run documentation sprints on governance. - Funding experiments: pilot matched grants with open ledgers. ### FAIR - Technical independence: require signed attestations for sponsors. - Policies: publish anti-capture covenants and sunset clauses. - Artifacts: share operator agreement templates publicly. ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Transparent sponsor policies increase contributor trust. - Ethics screens reduce governance incidents over 12 months. - Matched grants increase small-donor participation. - Public ledgers improve sponsor diversification within a year. ### 📊 Methodology - Run pre/post trust surveys across contributor cohorts. - Track incident counts and resolution times. - A/B test donor messaging with matched grants. - Analyze sponsor concentration with Herfindahl index. ### ❓ Questions - What ethical red lines should define sponsor eligibility? - How can projects exit toxic funding without collapse? - Which governance structures best resist capture? ### 🔮 Future Research - Compare funding models across OSS ecosystems. - Measure long-term effects of public ledgers. - Study incident patterns under different governance charters. ### 💡 Implications - Clear policies protect community legitimacy. - Diversified funding reduces capture risk. - Education builds resilience against ethical drift. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment - Reading level estimate: Flesch-Kincaid Grade ≈ 9–11. #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: none. - Improve: governance diagrams and funding flows. #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: none. - Improve: 3-minute audio summary. #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: concise arguments and definitions. - Improve: glossary of funding and governance terms. #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: none. - Improve: hands-on policy drafting exercises. #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: causal framing of incentives. - Improve: decision trees and risk matrices. #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: call for collective action. - Improve: moderated forums and peer reviews. #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: reflective close. - Improve: guided reflection prompts. #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: none. - Improve: ecosystem analogies for interdependence. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: headings. - Improve: landmarks and descriptive alt text. #### Keyboard navigation - Present: not assessed from article. - Improve: ensure tab order and skip links. #### Contrast and readability - Present: likely standard blog defaults. - Improve: verify 4.5:1 and line-height. #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: likely responsive. - Improve: test 200% zoom and motion settings. #### Media and captions - Present: images without described captions noted. - Improve: add alt text and captions. #### Forms and interactions - Present: none. - Improve: N/A for this post. #### Standards reference - Map gaps to WCAG 2.2 AA criteria. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: global political reference. - Improve: broader perspectives and sources. #### Inclusive language - Present: mostly neutral but strong rhetoric. - Improve: clarify terms and avoid ambiguities. #### Neurodiversity support - Present: chunked sections help. - Improve: consistent callouts and summaries. #### Representation - Present: individual viewpoints. - Improve: include diverse maintainer voices. #### Psychological safety - Present: encourages collective action. - Improve: add community guidelines links. ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Inductive link between funding incentives and ethics [H7]. - Practical constraints on severing funding [H4]. - Governance as mitigation strategy [H8]. #### Fallacies - Potential hasty generalization about “the economy” [H7]. - Fix: Scope the claim to observed cases and provide data. #### Tone of voice - Candid, frustrated, and values-driven with calls to act. ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: none central. - Attack: critiques systemic incentives, not individuals broadly. - Reverse victim/offender: not present; emphasizes shared duty. ## 🎯 Conclusion - Ethical funding remains hard in OSS. - Protect governance, diversify income, and document policies. - Act collectively to align money with community values. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix (append after 🎯 Conclusion) ### 📚 Literature Split Pad - Purpose: Stage Konik CEE units that become per-source Literature notes. - Split level: H3. - Include verbatim quotes under 25 words and a [view highlight] link. ### [H1] Vercel CEO photo sparks ethics debate > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) by [[David Bushell]] via [[dbushell.com]]. Published 2025-10-02. Accessed . > “selfie of Guillermo Rauch with Israel PM Netanyahu” Two lines: triggers discussion on sponsor ethics and project responses. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_[MISSING] ### [H2] Svelte’s ties to Vercel raise questions > [!quote] [Not My Cup of Tea](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/) > “I wonder if @svelte.dev is onboard with this?” Two lines: asks whether dependency implies endorsement and what to do. [view highlight](https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/#H2) #xref ID:rw_[MISSING] --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) - Purpose: Promote reusable claims into Atomic notes. - Split level: H4. - Each item: one idea, present tense, specific, testable. #### [Z1] Transparent funding policies improve trust - Applies to OSS communities with sponsor dependencies. - Pointer: trust surveys before/after policy publication. - Links: [[Governance]] [[Funding-Model]] #### [Z2] Diversified income reduces capture risk - Applies when single-sponsor influence >30%. - Pointer: sponsor concentration metrics. - Links: [[Risk-Management]] [[Open-Governance]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue (Extract by Selection) - Purpose: Capture quick actions or sparks for Fleeting notes. - Extraction: Select one line → extract. - [F1] Draft sponsor ethics rubric — context/this-post #fleeting #inbox - [F2] Map funding sources and concentration — context/this-post #fleeting #inbox - [F3] Propose The WPOCC matched grants pilot — context/this-post #fleeting #inbox ---