TechCrunch Tracks the Growing Trend of Open Source Companies Going Proprietary
A new timeline details how various software companies have shifted from open source to proprietary or more restrictive licenses over the past decade to protect their commercial interests.
Open source companies constantly struggle to balance community satisfaction with commercial survival, leading many to abandon their original licensing models. Investors often pressure these businesses to change course when third parties exploit permissive licenses, prompting a shift away from truly open software.
TechCrunch compiles a detailed timeline showing how this trend unfolds over the past decade. For example, Movable Type killed its open source version in 2013 because it failed to drive adoption, while SugarCRM dropped its community edition in 2014 to focus on more profitable customer segments.
The timeline also highlights companies like Redis, which gradually transition away from open source roots by moving specific modules to more restrictive licenses. This ongoing pattern illustrates the difficult reality of building a profitable business on foundations of free and open software.