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Open source is aging. We can better support Gen Z contributors through purpose, flexibility, and pathways to leadership.
When I was a first-year student, I joined a campus club after seeing a flyer in the hallway. I didn’t know much about it — only that my mom had been part of the same group when she was in university, and it had shaped her life. At the first meeting, I found instant community. Some of those people became lifelong friends. But they were also mostly in their third or fourth year.
The next year, most of them graduated and there was a huge leadership gap. I wasn’t ready, but I stepped up.
That experience taught me something I’ll never forget: If you don’t bring in new people early, your community won’t last.
Years later, I’m seeing the same pattern in open source. We talk a lot about burnout, bus factors, and maintainers leaving — but we don’t talk enough about how to bring in new contributors, or what it takes to help them grow into leaders.
According to Tidelift’s 2024 maintainer survey, the percentage of maintainers aged 46–65 has doubled since 2021. Meanwhile, the share of contributors under 26 has dropped from 25% to just 10%.
This “graying” isn’t inherently a problem. But the lack of succession is. If we don’t create pathways for younger contributors, we’re setting ourselves up for burnout, knowledge loss, and long-term fragility.
To explore what support might look like, I introduced a persona named “Sam” in a recent talk at Open Source Summit North America:
Sam is our Gen Z persona. They want to contribute to something that matters. They’re self-taught, community-oriented, and motivated by purpose. But they’re also navigating financial pressures, unclear pathways, and they aren’t sure how leadership in open source actually works.
How do we help Sam thrive in open source?
To support contributors like Sam, here’s a framework I’ve used for years in programs like Mozilla Open Leaders and GitHub’s Maintainer Programs: the Mountain of Engagement.
This model outlines a contributor’s journey in six steps:
At each stage, you can compare traditional best practices with what Gen Z contributors like Sam might actually need.
How they first hear about the project.
Traditional approach: Make your project discoverable. That means publishing to a public repository, applying an open source license, and doing basic marketing: a project website, documentation, and maybe a few social posts.
What Sam needs: Sam isn’t browsing GitHub trending pages. They’re discovering projects through TikTok, Discord, and YouTube. They want to see purpose up front, not buried in a README. And their learning starts on mobile.
To reach Sam, projects need to show up where they already are, with formats and values that resonate.
How they first engage with the project, their initial interaction.
Traditional approach: A good README, clear contributing docs, and a communication channel where newcomers can ask questions.
What Sam needs: A mobile-friendly, visual-first landing experience. A project that leads with its mission. A casual, open chat like Discord where they can lurk before jumping in.
Gen Z favors community-driven platforms like Discord over public forums. (Impero, 2022)
How they first participate or contribute.
Traditional approach: Personal invitations, fast responses to questions, “good first issues,” and clear contribution docs. These reduce friction and help people get started.
What Sam needs: Real-time feedback. Sandboxed environments to try things out. Clear spaces where it’s okay to learn, not just perform.
Projects like FreeCodeCamp and Kubernetes’ contributor playgrounds offer great models here.
How their contribution or involvement can continue.
Traditional approach: Recognize contributors, match tasks to interests, and show how their work connects to the project’s mission.
What Sam needs: Recognition they can share: badges, mentions, portfolios. They care about making a difference more than climbing a hierarchy. Show impact.
How they may invite and onboard others, networking within the community.
Traditional approach: Mentorship, social events, and formal roles that build commitment and connection.
What Sam needs: Named, shareable roles like Discord mod or community guide. Off-topic channels and casual connection. Peer-led leadership that spreads influence.
Rust’s consensus-driven governance is an example.
How they may take on some additional responsibility on the project, or begin to lead.
Traditional approach: Invite someone to become a maintainer. Share governance. Provide documentation on roles and responsibilities.
What Sam needs: Shared stewardship, not top-down control. Compensation or professional growth. A clear value exchange.
They’re more likely to contribute when there’s tangible support: mentorship, visibility, or paid time.
TensorFlow’s contribution ladder and For Good First Issue’s mission-based focus both offer promising examples.
Open source won’t thrive without the next generation. Let’s build projects where contributors like Sam feel welcome, supported, and seen.
Here are a few concrete actions you can take this week:
README into a 60-second explainer video.Ask yourself: “What does a thriving project look like to Sam? What would it take for them to stay for five years, not five weeks?”
Maintaining open source isn’t just about keeping the lights on. It’s about creating space for the next generation.
Want to go deeper? Take a look at my slides (with speaker notes + references).
Let’s build an ecosystem where maintainers are supported, projects thrive, and people like Sam stay for years — not weeks.
Read more open source stories on the GitHub Blog >