Yahoo’s open source exodus

One of the best known open source developers at Yahoo! is on his way out. Jeremy Zawodny has publicly announced that he is leaving Yahoo!

But don’t think that the Microsoft nonsense has anything to do with it. According to Zawodny it doesn’t. On his blog he wrote:

“I won’t at all be surprised if some people think this is related to Microsoft or Carl Ichan and the uncertainty surrounding Yahoo’s future. The reality is that there’s nothing pushing me out the door at Yahoo.The reason I’m leaving is that something very compelling has come along
to lure me away. Despite what the current press sentiment might be,Jerry and David have built a remarkable company.“

I’ve spoken with Zawodny at a few points over the years. The reality is though that as long as he remains an open source contributer Yahoo! can still benefit from his efforts – that’s the nature of open source. It’s just that they lose a valuable direct influencer and contributor.