Louis Rossmann's Job at Futo: Funding Solutions for Tech Problems

Louis Rossmann's Unique Position at Futo

Louis Rossmann, known for his YouTube channel where he discusses various tech issues, has taken on a job at an organization called Futo. This position allows him to do more than just talk about problems - he gets to actively work on solutions using the company's resources.

Addressing Past Concerns

Rossmann recalls several issues he's discussed on his channel in the past:

• Google Photos reporting customer photos to police without user knowledge
• Google storing voice recordings for extended periods without informing users
• Right to repair issues, particularly with wheelchairs

In his role at Futo, Rossmann can now propose funding solutions to these problems. For example:

• Developing an offline keyboard with voice-to-text capabilities
• Funding the Mobility Independence Foundation to create open-source wheelchairs
• Allocating $1 million to his own right to repair nonprofit

The Value of This Opportunity

Rossmann views this job as a unique chance to make a real impact:

"Of all the jobs to have in the world, this is one of the coolest jobs. I literally get to go through every single thing I've considered a problem and discussed for the last 12 years and actually use somebody else's money to try and fix them."

He emphasizes that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring together people working on these issues, provide them with resources, and allow them to pursue solutions.

Spotlight on Immich: An Alternative to Cloud Photo Services

One of the projects Rossmann has championed at Futo is Immich, an open-source alternative to cloud photo services like Google Photos or iCloud.

Key Features of Immich

1. Speed: Loads faster than Nextcloud, even on older hardware
2. Local AI: Uses on-device AI for photo recognition and searching
3. Privacy: Can be run completely offline, ensuring user data stays private
4. Transcoding: Allows for efficient video playback over slow connections

Rossmann's Experience

Rossmann demonstrates the software's capabilities, showing how quickly it can search through his personal photo collection using AI-powered recognition. He notes that this performance is achieved on relatively modest hardware - an Intel NUC with an i3 processor from 2018.

Futo's Investment in Immich

Impressed by the software, Rossmann recommended that Futo invest heavily in its development:

"I showed it to my boss and I said you should give these people millions of dollars to develop this AGPL software and he did. He had them sign contracts committing to several years of development."

Importantly, this investment came with no restrictive conditions - the software remains fully open-source under the AGPL license.

The Controversy: Paying for Open-Source Software

Despite the seemingly positive nature of this investment, Rossmann encountered criticism from some members of the open-source community.

The Critic's Perspective

Rossmann quotes a comment that particularly frustrated him:

"We don't want the notion of paying for software to be normalized."

This sentiment, according to Rossmann, is fundamentally misguided and harmful to the open-source ecosystem.

Rossmann's Counterargument

Rossmann argues that the reluctance to pay for open-source software has several negative consequences:

1. Incomplete Software: Many open-source projects remain 70-75% complete because developers can't afford to work on them full-time.
2. Brain Drain: Talented developers often leave for big tech companies that can pay them a living wage.
3. Limited Market Share: Open-source alternatives struggle to compete with proprietary software due to lack of resources.

He uses the example of Kdenlive, an open-source video editor, to illustrate these points. Despite its potential, it lacks features that have been standard in professional audio equipment since the 1960s.

Futo's Approach to Open-Source Funding

Rossmann explains that Futo is taking an experimental approach to funding open-source software:

1. Invest Heavily: Put millions of dollars into developing high-quality, open-source software.
2. Keep It Free: Make the software freely available with all features intact.
3. Encourage Support: Ask users who find the software valuable to consider paying for it.

He believes this approach is designed to test whether users will voluntarily support software they find useful, even when they could use it for free.

The Broader Vision

Rossmann speculates on the goals behind this strategy:

1. Inspire Other Investors: Demonstrate that investing in open-source software can be viable, encouraging other wealthy individuals to do the same.
2. Create New Opportunities: Show programmers that they can make a living working on non-abusive software, potentially drawing talent away from big tech companies.

Rossmann's Frustration with Criticism

The negative reactions to Futo's approach have clearly struck a nerve with Rossmann. He expresses deep frustration with what he sees as entitlement and lack of consideration from some members of the open-source community.

Personal Stakes

Rossmann feels personally invested in the success of this approach:

"I'm the one who walked into his office and suggested that he give millions of dollars to Immich. I am the one who walked into his office and suggested that he hire a team of people to make this keyboard."

He worries that the backlash against asking users to consider paying for software will make it harder for him to advocate for future investments in open-source projects.

The Bigger Picture

Rossmann argues that the critics are missing the larger opportunity:

1. Improved Software: Even if the experiment fails, users benefit from a year or more of full-time development and bug fixes.
2. Potential Paradigm Shift: If successful, this model could lead to more investment in open-source alternatives to abusive proprietary software.

Conclusion: A Call for Understanding and Support

Rossmann ends his discussion with a passionate plea for users to reconsider their stance on paying for open-source software:

1. Recognize the Investment: Acknowledge the millions of dollars being put into developing free, open-source software.
2. Consider the Alternative: Reflect on what would happen if investors decided to put their money into companies that abuse user privacy instead.
3. Support the Vision: If you find the software valuable, be open to the idea of paying for it to support ongoing development.

While Rossmann's frustration is evident, his underlying message is clear: for open-source software to truly compete with proprietary alternatives, it needs financial support. By being willing to pay for software they find valuable, users can help create a more sustainable ecosystem for open-source development and potentially reduce reliance on privacy-invading tech giants.

Rossmann's experience at Futo highlights the complex challenges facing the open-source community as it seeks to balance its ideals with the practical realities of software development in the modern world. As this experiment unfolds, it may provide valuable insights into new models for funding and sustaining open-source projects at scale.

Article created from: https://youtu.be/iIr8Bk8QOHE