Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

No. Less open source software does NOT mean more jobs. It means fewer. For example, if every startup that ever started had to buy a commercial database @$100K license before doing anything, then very few startups would have evolved. And all the employment they eventually generate would not materialise. Free software was a huge factor in making the Internet possible and all the jobs it created.



Shoestring startups would use a $10 shareware database, which is still a proprietary commercial database. Or they would use the stripped-down, free/cheap version of the $100k database. Or they would pirate it and scramble to make $100k before they get caught.




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: