Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For many contributors to FOSS projects it is a dream to get hired to work full time, or even part time, on their favorite project and get paid for it. And companies love hiring motivated, skilled developers with a history of contributions to successful projects.
This dream can come true, and has, for many in KDE, at least for a while, but it can also turn into a disappointment and has risks for the contributor, the hiring company and the project.
In this talk I will share my personal experience getting hired to work on KDE, hiring people to work on KDE and other projects, and dealing with the conflicts of interest and challenges that appeared along the way. I will also take an honest look at the tradeoffs involved for all parties.
KDE is an open-source community developing free software for desktop and mobile, including the powerful Plasma desktop environment. Join the KDE community to contribute, learn, and shape the future of open-source software!
🔗 Explore KDE:
🌐 Website: kde.org
💬 Forum: discuss.kde.org
📢 Follow KDE on Social Media:
🐘 Mastodon: https://floss.social/@kde
📹 PeerTube: tube.kockatoo.org/c/kde
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/KDE
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kde
👾 Reddit: reddit.com/r/kde
🌿 Lemmy: https://lemmy.ml/c/kde
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/kdecommunity
🌌 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kde.org
🧵 Threads: threads.net/@kdecommunity
🔔 Like, Share & Subscribe for More Open-Source Content!
📌 Hashtags:
#KDE #Plasma #OpenSource #Linux #FOSS #FreeSoftware #KDECommunity #KDEApps #Tech
For many contributors to FOSS projects it is a dream to get hired to work full time, or even part time, on their favorite project and get paid for it. And companies love hiring motivated, skilled developers with a history of contributions to successful projects.
This dream can come true, and has, for many in KDE, at least for a while, but it can also turn into a disappointment and has risks for the contributor, the hiring company and the project.
In this talk I will share my personal experience getting hired to work on KDE, hiring people to work on KDE and other projects, and dealing with the conflicts of interest and challenges that appeared along the way. I will also take an honest look at the tradeoffs involved for all parties.
KDE is an open-source community developing free software for desktop and mobile, including the powerful Plasma desktop environment. Join the KDE community to contribute, learn, and shape the future of open-source software!
🔗 Explore KDE:
🌐 Website: kde.org
💬 Forum: discuss.kde.org
📢 Follow KDE on Social Media:
🐘 Mastodon: https://floss.social/@kde
📹 PeerTube: tube.kockatoo.org/c/kde
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/KDE
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kde
👾 Reddit: reddit.com/r/kde
🌿 Lemmy: https://lemmy.ml/c/kde
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/kdecommunity
🌌 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kde.org
🧵 Threads: threads.net/@kdecommunity
🔔 Like, Share & Subscribe for More Open-Source Content!
📌 Hashtags:
#KDE #Plasma #OpenSource #Linux #FOSS #FreeSoftware #KDECommunity #KDEApps #Tech
