The responses I provided to an "anonymous" media outlet series of queries on June 14, 2016:
Media: What are the main reasons you participate in open source projects?
Gfesser: I'm a heavy user of open source software and libraries. Documentation can be light or inconsistent, especially projects which move quickly from release to release, so I feel some need to pay back by contributing to the community. Especially for more niche open source projects, I enjoy helping others find their way with either assistance or recommended adoption. Participation is satisfying from a personal perspective, partially because it provides an outlet from my day-to-day work activities.
Media: What do you wish companies knew about open source?
Gfesser: Open source is free so-to-speak, but cost should definitely not be the only consideration when adopting open source. More and more commercial products are built around open source software. Open source software with strong communities is oftentimes better than their commercial counterparts, and tend to be maintained on a more timely basis.
Media: Has being involved in open source helped your career in any way? How so?
Gfesser: Not directly. Assistance in the open source community (e.g. with projects such as Liquibase and health care software HAPI) has helped ensure that I understand these products well enough to communicate to others. Recently, I received some recognition in my circles because I was involved in the market validation process for commercializing Liquibase (in 2012), and the startup that commercialized it was recognized as a Gartner Cool Vendor in IT Automation, 2016.
See all of my responses to media queries here.