A new developereconomy.

There's nothing more inspiring than witnessing developers contribute their time and expertise to open-source software ("OSS"). As developers, we know OSS serves as the backbone of the modern internet while playing an important role in our daily routines.

But, we also have to recognize that industries change and we're a long ways from where OSS was first invented and later popularized. In today's world, there are over 100M developers and millions of OSS projects to navigate. And yet, it's still the wild west out there. Said otherwise, it's a beautiful mess.

As an independent developer, this means a primary part of your job is learning to navigate that ecosystem. Sure, the best projects rise to the top, but it's quite possible that the tools you invested in yesterday may not be around today and there are a dozen other things that could go wrong at any point in time. This is partially due to the rapid innovation cycle but it's also due to the lack of time and resources that OSS authors enjoy.

Generally speaking, this is why over 99% of developers consume OSS while less than 1% of developers actually contribute. Most developers don't have the time or resources to contribute to OSS since the expectation is that you'll do it for free. As a result, most OSS projects are either backed by major corporations or built for lead gen to a paid service. From our perspective, this has created an untenable situation. Why should anyone work for free? And why isn't your time being respected the same as any other industry?

At Playbooks, we believe this dynamic has created a massive imbalance and inefficiency in the software industry. Content creators aren't being paid for their time. And content consumers are suffering because of it. The software industry needs an alternative to open (and closed) source software that's rooted in supply / demand economics while offering the same great experience we're all used to.

This is Playbooks. A digital marketplace where anyone can buy, sell, and exchange code seamlessly. Our platform offers an alternative to open (and closed) source software where developers can monetize their time and expertise in a collaborative environment. We call it Hybrid Source Software and we think it's the starting point for a new developer economy.

Eric Hubbell

CEO / Founder