Open Source Resistance manifesto urges developers to maintain code during paid hours
The direct-action guide positions the approach as a balance to unpaid labour, advising maintainers to verify contracts and protect intellectual property rights while performing maintenance tasks during working hours.
Mike McQuaid, joint creator of Open Source Friday and Homebrew Project Leader, has published the "Open Source Resistance" manifesto, urging software maintainers employed by companies reliant on open source software to perform maintenance tasks during paid working hours. The document argues that maintaining dependencies constitutes infrastructure work already extracted by employers, thereby rejecting the need for internal programmes or formal requests for permission.
The manifesto explicitly states that maintainers should take work time for necessary maintenance on open source code that companies already depend on, without requiring paperwork or a manager’s blessing. McQuaid positions this approach as a direct alternative to the "Open Source Pledge," which seeks financial compensation from companies, and "Open Source Friday," which encourages voluntary time donation.
McQuaid notes that since having children, more than 90% of his open source work on Homebrew has occurred during work hours. He argues that asking permission preserves a power imbalance and that maintaining the dependency chain is already part of the job, even when management refuses to name it. The text advises maintainers to treat this work like infrastructure and technical debt, focusing on reviewing pull requests, updating dependencies, and shipping fixes.
The guide advises maintainers to negotiate "open source carve-outs" in employment contracts, referencing GitHub’s Balanced Employee IP Agreement. It warns that employees may receive worse performance reviews compared to colleagues who do not engage in this activity, but suggests a sustainable "B grade" is healthier than burning out for an "A grade."
McQuaid acknowledges that the argument is weakest for junior or precarious engineers without leverage, but strongest for senior maintainers fixing public dependencies. He emphasises that direct action is not an excuse for disclosing confidential information, advising maintainers to keep public work public and clearly separate from commercial secrets.
