Not My Cup of Tea ![rw-book-cover](https://dbushell.com/images/articles/2025-10-02-not-my-cup-of-tea.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[David Bushell]] - Full Title: Not My Cup of Tea - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- 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: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} --- # 🏷️ 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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}. > “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 WPCC programs and equity models: [The WP 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 WPCC - 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 pa - Summary: The one where I discuss the state of things - URL: https://dbushell.com/2025/10/02/not-my-cup-of-tea/ As blog topics go, [last week’s Next.js clownshow](https://dbushell.com/2025/09/22/cost-of-freedom/) was a freebie. A bit of front-end dev and a middle finger to fascism. I had it drafted before my tea went cold. I wasn’t expecting round two to hit harder. This week I momentarily lost the will to blog. Ok, I’m being very dramatic. It wasn’t writer’s block or imposter syndrome. Not the usual suspects. I was just stun-locked for a couple of days. Like any self-respecting person with an ounce of sanity, I’ve been off Twitter X since it got all fashy. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to avoid the crazy stuff. And this week’s crazy was another level. ![selfie of Guillermo Rauch with Israel PM Netanyahu](https://dbushell.com/images/blog/2025/rauchg.avif) Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch has a new bestie! > Enjoyed my discussion with PM Netanyahu on how AI education and literacy will keep our free societies ahead. > > We spoke about AI empowering everyone to build software and the importance of ensuring it serves quality and progress. > > Optimistic for peace, safety, and greatness for Israel and its neighbors. > > [@rauchg Sep 29, 2025 (xcancel)](https://xcancel.com/rauchg/status/1972669025525158031#m) - Guillermo Rauch > > On seeing this [I noted in anger](https://dbushell.com/notes/2025-09-30T06:26Z/) followed by a hastily worded social post: > I wonder if @svelte.dev is onboard with this? > > The obvious answer is: ‘no’. Everything I already know suggests the Svelte maintainers are antithetical to Rauch. My words were clumsy not malicious. I was merely wondering what on earth does Svelte do? WTF does anyone do when a major funding source does… *that?* A quick catch-up for those unaware: * In the wake of this mess some people were keen to remind everyone of Svelte’s independence. Rich Harris and others were lost for words. Can you blame them? ![screenshot of the Bluesky 'Discard draft' dialog posted by Daniel Roe, reposted by Rich Harris](https://dbushell.com/images/blog/2025/discard-draft.avif)screenshot of the Bluesky 'Discard draft' dialog posted by Daniel Roe, reposted by Rich Harris I called out Svelte specifically because it’s the one project with ties to Vercel I care about. Svelte is a shining light in a rather [bleak JavaScript ecosystem](https://dbushell.com/2025/06/13/your-framework-is-showing-nextjs-error/). I try to avoid political discussion online. I’m a little ham-fisted in questioning the ethics of my tech stack. Some argue that taking Vercel’s money has moral baggage. That it makes the recipient complicit in brand-washing. Personally I’m not sure what to think. To cut ties with Vercel would be morally courageous. Then what? There’s no easy alternative to keep the lights on. #### Funding Dilemma The day after Rauch’s infamous selfie Vercel announced $300M in [series F funding](https://vercel.com/blog/series-f). The “F” stands for “f\*ck you” I’m told. Vercel’s [pivot to AI](https://pivot-to-ai.com) banked them one third of a billy in a world where [profit doesn’t matter](https://www.wheresyoured.at/why-everybody-is-losing-money-on-ai/). Until the “AI” bubble bursts Vercel are untouchable. Is it wrong to siphon off a little cheddar for better use? Let’s be honest, who else is funding open source software? Few users are willing to pay for it, developers included. The world revolves around [load-bearing Nebraskans](https://xkcd.com/2347/). So what can projects like Svelte do? * Cut ties and take the moral victory for a day and then be amazed by the magical vanishing act of an entire dev community when asked for spare change tomorrow? * Continue discarding skeets until the drama blows over? * Pivot to “AI”? Does it matter? Nothing matters anymore. You can just *say things* these days. Make up your own truths. Re-roll the chatbot until it agrees. And if your own chatbot continues to fact-check you just [rewrite history](https://xcancel.com/elonmusk/status/1972992095859433671). We live in a reality where you can spew [white supremacy fan fiction](https://archive.ph/o28VE) for the boys on X and [Cloudflare will sponsor](https://blog.cloudflare.com/supporting-the-future-of-the-open-web/) your side hustle a week later. Moral bankruptcy is a desirable trait in this economy. Is it any wonder open source maintainers with a backbone are shell-shocked? I’ll leave Svelte to figure out how to navigate impossible waters. Let’s hope that open governance remains intact, lest it [go off the rails](https://www.404media.co/how-ruby-went-off-the-rails/). For the rest of us: > Taking action and Doing The Right Thing is often difficult, always exhausting, but it is what we must do, together. We all deserve better. The world deserves better. It’ll take a little work to get there, but there is hope. > > [We all have a choice](https://whitep4nth3r.com/blog/we-all-have-a-choice/) - Salma Alam-Naylor > > Amen to that., Not My Cup of Tea, David Bushell, 01k6jcf2shkybdg19sgar8ync6.