The Linux Foundation | 16 September 2024
New initiative seeks to support and unify best practices within the global developer relations community.
VIENNA – September 16, 2024 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced its intent to form the Developer Relations Foundation (DRF). The DRF is a new community-driven project under the Linux Foundation, with the mission to elevate the professional practice of developer relations (DevRel) and increase awareness of its role as a crucial driver of developer success, technology adoption, and business value.
Understanding the need for a unified foundation, the formation of the DRF stems from a shared passion for DevRel and the recognition that the profession faces persistent challenges, such as a lack of role clarity and difficulty in measuring impact. Despite significant growth in resources and organizations addressing these issues, efforts and resources are fragmented. As a project under the Linux Foundation, the DRF will work with industry leaders to address these challenges and drive real and measurable impact.
The DRF has received widespread support from DevRel communities and organizations around the world, including Aerospike, Ant Group, Hookdeck, MoonGift, SUSE, and TraceLink. The foundation will continue to engage with these global communities to elevate the practice of DevRel through collaboration and the creation of special interest groups. The Steering committee of the DRF will include representation from developer relations leaders around the globe, and will play a crucial role in stewarding DRF towards success.
We are thrilled to support the Developer Relations Foundation," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation. "This unites the DevRel community to elevate the practice and drive innovation." Ana Jimenez, LF Project Manager for the Developer Relations Foundation, added, "This Foundation is a major step in unifying and amplifying DevRel voices. We're excited to foster collaboration and tackle the unique challenges in this field."
"Establishing the Developer Relations Foundation is a pivotal moment for our community," said Stacey Kruczek, Director of Developer Relations & Community, Aerospike. "This foundation will create a unified, supportive ecosystem where knowledge, resources, and best practices are shared. By endorsing this initiative, Aerospike underscores the importance of empowering developers, enhancing their experiences, and advancing the entire tech industry. We deeply appreciate the support and guidance from the Linux Foundation. Together, we can drive innovation and foster a more inclusive and dynamic developer relations community."
The Developer Relations Foundation aims to provide the environment, methodologies, and frameworks needed to support and unify best practices, common language, and metrics within the DevRel community. To learn more about the DRF, including how to get involved and participate, please visit the Developer Relations Foundation website.
Supporting Quotes
At Ant Group, we firmly believe that establishing the Developer Relations Foundation will nurture more prosperous communities. This will be achieved through global collaboration, sharing best practices and knowledge, and creating community-driven growth tools. We take great pride in being active contributors to this initiative from day one” — Richard Sikang Bian, Head of Open Source Strategy and Growth, Ant Group
“The Developer Relations Foundation represents a significant opportunity to build a cohesive, standardized practice through open collaboration. As an initiative under the Linux Foundation, I’m excited to see the innovation and value it brings to the industry” — Divya Mohan, Principal Technology Advocate at SUSE
“Developers are the driving force behind the open-source world. We believe The Developer Relations Foundation will greatly enhance global collaboration and communication among developers. As active participants in the open-source ecosystem, Ant Group OSPO looks forward to working closely with the foundation to explore new opportunities and support the growth of the developer community” — Xiaoya Xia, Open Source Growth Manager, Ant Group
“Talented open source developers, equipped with best practices, advanced tooling, and the support of the community, are crafting sustainable, high-quality open source software. Equally essential are the developer relations practitioners, open source strategists, developer advocates, operational experts, and content specialists. Together, they form the backbone of the dynamic and thriving OSS ecosystem, benefiting everyone involved.
“The DevRel Foundation will clarify the value of DevRel, which companies and communities have explored in the past, and the business benefits will become more apparent. And, co-working with the Linux Foundation will bring transparency, credibility, and security to this foundation. The foundation will be able to work with other DevRel communities to increase the number of people entering the DevRel career path. The establishment of the DevRel Foundation will be a solid and valuable addition for both developers and companies” — Atsushi Nakatsugawa, CEO at MOONGIFT
“I have built, led, and nurtured developer communities for over two decades. Having a foundation dedicated to the function of DevRel provides a third-party, neutral and global stage to bring all devrel folks together. I’m looking forward to all the exciting work to elevate the function of devrel and its business impact, a common language to talk about different functions, and metrics to measure the success” — Arun Gupta, Vice President and General Manager, Open Ecosystem at Intel
There is a growing demand for DevRel in the tech industry across various sectors. The Developer Relations Foundation is a major step forward in unifying the definition of what DevRel is and is not from advocates, industry leaders, and professionals dedicated to nurturing developer ecosystems. I hope this foundation will clear common misconceptions about the role of DevRels, elevate the role of advocacy within organizations, empower DevRel professionals to share best practices and drive meaningful change. I am excited about the opportunity to help shape the future of developer relations for years to come — Anita Ihuman, Developer Advocate at MetalBear