{"id":662618,"date":"2025-04-14T15:30:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T12:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/"},"modified":"2025-04-14T15:30:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T12:30:28","slug":"jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Zemlin on taking a &#8216;portfolio approach&#8217; to Linux Foundation projects"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a21011c78c2f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a21011c78c2f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/#A_%E2%80%9Cportfolio_approach%E2%80%9D\" >A \u201cportfolio approach\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/#The_open_source_AI_factor\" >The open source AI factor<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/#VC_in_reverse\" >VC in reverse<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Linux Foundation<\/a> has become something of a misnomer through the years. It has extended far beyond its roots as the steward of the Linux kernel, emerging as a sprawling umbrella outfit for a thousand open source projects spanning cloud infrastructure, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.org\/press\/press-release\/linux-foundations-core-infrastructure-initiative-launches-new-census-project\">security<\/a>, digital wallets, enterprise search, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.finos.org\/\">fintech<\/a>, maps, and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, the OpenInfra Foundation \u2014 best known for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.openstack.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">OpenStack<\/a> \u2014 became the latest addition to its stable, further cementing the Linux Foundation\u2019s status as a \u201cfoundation of foundations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Linux Foundation <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/uncategorized\/2007\/01\/8675\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">emerged in 2007<\/a> from the amalgamation of two Linux-focused not-for-profits: the Open Source Development Labs (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Open_Source_Development_Labs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">OSDL<\/a>) and the Free Standards Group (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Free_Standards_Group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">FSG<\/a>). With founding members such as IBM, Intel, and Oracle, the Foundation\u2019s\u00a0raison d\u2019\u00eatre\u00a0was challenging the \u201cclosed\u201d platforms of that time \u2014 which basically meant doubling down on Linux in response to Windows\u2019 domination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cComputing is entering a world dominated by two platforms: Linux and Windows,\u201d the Linux Foundation\u2019s executive director, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zemlin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Jim Zemlin<\/a> (pictured above),\u00a0said <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tech-insider.org\/open-source-software\/research\/2007\/0122.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">at the time<\/a>. \u201cWhile being managed under one roof has given Windows some consistency, Linux offers freedom of choice, customization and flexibility without forcing customers into vendor lock-in.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-portfolio-approach\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_%E2%80%9Cportfolio_approach%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>A \u201cportfolio approach\u201d<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zemlin has led the charge at the Linux Foundation for some two decades, overseeing its transition through technological waves such as mobile, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cncf.io\/announcements\/2015\/06\/21\/new-cloud-native-computing-foundation-to-drive-alignment-among-container-technologies\/\">cloud<\/a>, and \u2014 more recently \u2014 artificial intelligence. Its evolution from Linux-centricity to covering just about every technological nook is reflective of how <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> itself doesn\u2019t stand still \u2014 it evolves and, more importantly, it intersects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTechnology goes up and down \u2014 we\u2019re not using iPods or floppy disks anymore,\u201d Zemlin explained to TechCrunch in an interview during <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/events.linuxfoundation.org\/kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">KubeCon<\/a> in London last week. \u201cWhat I realized early on was that if the Linux Foundation were to become an enduring body for collective software development, we needed to be able to bet on many different forms of technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is what Zemlin refers to as a \u201cportfolio <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach,\u201d similar to how a company diversifies so it\u2019s not dependent on the success of a single product.\u00a0Combining multiple critical projects under a single organization enables the Foundation to benefit from vertical-specific expertise in networking or automotive-grade Linux, for example, while tapping broader expertise in copyright, patents, data privacy, cybersecurity, marketing, and event organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being able to pool such resources across projects is more important than ever, as businesses contend with a growing array of regulations such as the\u00a0EU AI Act\u00a0and\u00a0Cyber Resilience Act. Rather than each individual project having to fight the good fight alone, they have the support of a corporate-like foundation backed by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.org\/about\/members\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">some of the world\u2019s biggest companies<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the Linux Foundation, we have specialists who work in vertical industry efforts, but they\u2019re not lawyers or copyright experts or patent experts. They\u2019re also not experts in running large-scale events, or in developer training,\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cAnd so that\u2019s why the collective investment is important. We can create technology in an agile way through technical leadership at the project level, but then across all the projects have a set of tools that create long-term sustainability for all of them collectively.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coming together of the Linux Foundation and OpenInfra Foundation last month underscored this very point. OpenStack, for the uninitiated, is an open source, open standards-based cloud computing platform that emerged from a joint project between Rackspace and NASA in 2010. It <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20120919005997\/en\/OpenStack-Launches-as-Independent-Foundation-Begins-Work-Protecting-Empowering-and-Promoting-OpenStack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">transitioned to an eponymous foundation<\/a> in 2012, before rebranding as the OpenInfra Foundation after outgrowing its initial focus on OpenStack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zemlin had known <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jbryce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Jonathan Bryce<\/a>, OpenInfra Foundation CEO and one of the original OpenStack creators, for years. The two foundations had already collaborated on shared initiatives, such as the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openinfra.org\/open-infrastructure-blueprint-white-paper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Open Infrastructure Blueprint<\/a> whitepaper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe realized that together we could deal with some of the challenges that we\u2019re seeing now around regulatory compliance, cybersecurity risk, legal challenges around open source \u2014 because it [open source] has become so pervasive,\u201d Zemlin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Linux Foundation, the merger also brought an experienced technical lead into the fold, someone who had worked in industry and built a product used by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.openstack.org\/use-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">some of the world\u2019s biggest organizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is very hard to hire people to lead technical collaboration efforts, who have technical knowledge and understanding, who understand how to grow an ecosystem, who know how to run a business, and possess a level of humility that allows them to manage a super broad base of people without inserting their own ego in,\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cThat ability to lead through influence \u2014 there\u2019s not a lot of people who have that skill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This portfolio approach extends beyond individual projects and foundations, and into a growing array of stand-alone regional entities. The most recent offshoot was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lf-india.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LF India<\/a>, which launched <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.org\/press\/linux-foundation-announces-launch-of-lf-india-to-expand-global-open-source-support-and-innovation#:~:text=The%20Linux%20Foundation%20%7C%2011%20December,fundamental%20to%20critical%20digital%20infrastructure.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">just a few months ago<\/a>, but the Linux Foundation introduced a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.jp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Japanese entity<\/a> some years ago, while in 2022 it <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linuxfoundation.org\/press\/press-release\/linux-foundation-europe-launches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">launched a European branch<\/a> to support a growing regulatory and digital sovereignty agenda across the bloc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/linuxfoundation.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Linux Foundation Europe<\/a>, which houses a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/linuxfoundation.eu\/en\/projects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">handful of projects<\/a> such as The Open Wallet Foundation, allows European members to collaborate with one another in isolation, while also gaining reciprocal membership for the broader Linux Foundation global outfit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are times where, in the name of digital sovereignty, people want to collaborate with other EU organizations, or a government wants to sponsor or endow a particular effort, and you need to have only EU organizations participate in that,\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cThis [Linux Foundation Europe] allows us to thread the needle on two things \u2014 they can work locally and have digital sovereignty, but they\u2019re not throwing out the global participation that makes open source so good.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-open-source-ai-factor\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_open_source_AI_factor\"><\/span>The open source AI factor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While AI is inarguably a major step-change both for the technology realm and society, it has also pushed the concept of \u201copen source\u201d into the mainstream arena in ways that traditional software hasn\u2019t \u2014 with controversy in hot pursuit. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta, for instance, has positioned its Llama brand of AI models as open source, even though <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/opensource.org\/blog\/metas-llama-license-is-still-not-open-source\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">they decidedly are not<\/a> by most estimations. This has also highlighted some of the challenges of creating a definition of open source AI that everyone is happy with, and we\u2019re now seeing AI models with a spectrum of \u201copenness\u201d in terms of access to code, datasets, and commercial restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Linux Foundation, already home to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lfai.foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LF AI &amp; Data Foundation<\/a>, which houses some <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lfaidata.foundation\/projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">75 projects<\/a>, last year published the Model Openness Framework (MOF), <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lfaidata.foundation\/blog\/2024\/04\/17\/introducing-the-model-openness-framework-promoting-completeness-and-openness-for-reproducibility-transparency-and-usability-in-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">designed to bring<\/a> a more nuanced approach to the definition of open source AI. The Open Source Initiative (OSI), stewards of the \u201copen source definition,\u201d used this framework in its own open source AI definition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost models lack the necessary components for full understanding, auditing, and reproducibility, and some model producers use restrictive licenses whilst claiming that their models are \u2018open source,\u2019\u201d the MOF paper authors <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2403.13784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">wrote at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so the MOF serves a three-tiered classification system that rates models on their \u201ccompleteness and openness,\u201d with regards to code, data, model parameters, and documentation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"841\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/lfaidata.foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/MOF-at-AI-Dev-Hong-Kong-August-2024.png\" data-event=\"clickable_image\" alt=\"Model Openness Framework classifications\" class=\"wp-image-2991144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png 841w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=150,83 150w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=300,167 300w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=768,426 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=680,378 680w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=430,239 430w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=720,400 720w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=800,444 800w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=668,371 668w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LFAICLASSIFICATION.png?resize=708,393 708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-element-caption__text\">Model Openness Framework classifications<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/lfaidata.foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/MOF-at-AI-Dev-Hong-Kong-August-2024.png\" target=\"_blank\">Linux Foundation <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">(opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s basically a handy way to establish how \u201copen\u201d a model really is by assessing which components are public, and under what licenses. Just because a model isn\u2019t strictly \u201copen source\u201d by one definition doesn\u2019t mean that it isn\u2019t open enough to help develop safety tools that reduce hallucinations, for example \u2014 and Zemlin says it\u2019s important to address these distinctions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI talk to a lot of people in the AI community, and it\u2019s a much broader set of technology practitioners [compared to traditional software engineering],\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cWhat they tell me is that they understand the importance of open source meaning \u2018something\u2019 and the importance of open source as a definition. Where they get frustrated is being a little too pedantic at every layer. What they want is predictability and transparency and understanding of what they\u2019re actually getting and using.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese AI darling DeepSeek has also played a big part in the open source AI conversation, emerging with performant, efficient open source models that upended how the incumbent proprietary players such as OpenAI plan to release their own models in the future. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all this, according to Zemlin, is just another \u201cmoment\u201d for open source.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it\u2019s good that people recognize just how valuable open source is in developing any modern technology,\u201d he said. \u201cBut open source has these moments \u2014 Linux was a moment for open source, where the open source community could produce a better operating system for cloud computing and enterprise computing and telecommunications than the biggest proprietary software company in the world. AI is having that moment right now, and DeepSeek is a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-vc-in-reverse\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"VC_in_reverse\"><\/span>VC in reverse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quick peek across the Linux Foundation\u2019s array of projects reveals two broad categories: those it has acquired, as with the OpenInfra Foundation, and those it has created from within, as it has done with the likes of the Open Source Security Foundation (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openssf.org\/press-release\/2020\/08\/03\/technology-and-enterprise-leaders-combine-efforts-to-improve-open-source-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">OpenSSF<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While acquiring an existing project or foundation might be easier, starting a new project from scratch is arguably more important, as it\u2019s striving to fulfill a need that is at least partially unmet. And this is where Zemlin says there is an \u201cart and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>\u201d to succeeding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe science is that you have to create value for the developers in these communities that are creating the artifact, the open source code that everybody wants \u2014 that\u2019s where all the value comes from,\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cThe art is trying to figure out where there\u2019s a new opportunity for open source to have a big impact on an industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why Zemlin refers to what the Linux Foundation is doing as something akin to a \u201creverse venture capitalist\u201d approach. A VC looks for product-market fit, and entrepreneurs they want to work with \u2014 all in the name of making money. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead, we look for \u2018project-market\u2019 fit \u2014 is this technology going to have a big impact on a specific industry? Can we bring the right team of developers and leaders together to make it happen? Is that market big enough? Is the technology impactful?\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cBut instead of making a ton of money like a VC, we give it all away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But however its vast array of projects came to fruition, there\u2019s no ignoring the elephant in the room: The Linux Foundation is no longer all about Linux, and it hasn\u2019t been for a long time. So should we ever expect a rebrand into something a little more prosaic, but encompassing \u2014 like the Open Technology Foundation?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t hold your breath. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I wear Linux Foundation swag into a coffee shop, somebody will often say, \u2018I love Linux\u2019 or \u2018I used Linux in college,\u2019\u201d Zemlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s a powerful household brand, and it\u2019s pretty hard to move away from that. Linux itself is such a positive idea, it\u2019s so emblematic of truly impactful and successful \u2018open source.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/04\/13\/jim-zemlin-on-taking-a-portfolio-approach-to-linux-foundation-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Linux Foundation has become something of a misnomer through the years. It has extended far beyond its roots as the steward of the Linux kernel, emerging as a sprawling umbrella outfit for a thousand open source projects spanning cloud infrastructure, security, digital wallets, enterprise search, fintech, maps, and more. Last month, the OpenInfra Foundation&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":662619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Jim_headshot_wide.png?resize=1200,675","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[75885,83071,155589,155590],"class_list":["post-662618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-enterprise","tag-open-source","tag-jim-zemlin","tag-the-linux-foundation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}