2026-02-02, 10:20–11:10, D.Aud
Open source has always balanced freedom and power. Each era, from the rise of Linux to the cloud to generative AI, reveals the same flaw and the same strength: ideals built to maximize liberty inevitably create new leverage points. This talk traces that recurring pattern and argues that open source’s periodic crises are not failures but feedback loops, teaching us how to keep freedom alive in changing infrastructures.
Richard Fontana is a lawyer who has specialized in open source and free software-related legal issues for a surprisingly long amount of time. He currently works at Red Hat.