11 of 23 Core Open Source Projects Run on 1 or 2 People
A study of 23 critical open-source projects reveals that nearly half are maintained by only one or two regular contributors. The analysis highlights the fragility of modern digital infrastructure, which often relies on the unpaid labor of a few individuals.
Why it matters
It underscores a systemic risk in global software supply chains where critical internet infrastructure is vulnerable to burnout or abandonment by key maintainers.
Every alarm, boarding pass and calendar invite on your phone depends on a text file that holds every clock rule a government has ever announced. A UCLA lecturer named Paul Eggert keeps that file current in his spare time, and at least four billion Android phones and iPhones read it. He is an open source maintainer, and he is far from the only one in that position.
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