From first commits to big ships: Tune into our new open source podcast

What makes open source work, and why do so many of us keep showing up to build together? On the GitHub Podcast, we dive into the stories behind the code: the projects, the people, and the ideas shaping the open source ecosystem.

At GitHub, we know open source has always been the launchpad for what’s next. But 2025 feels different. Everything new in software from AI agents to edge runtimes to climate-tech dashboards starts life in a public repository where anyone can fork, remix, and improve it overnight. When you invest in that commons, you’re not just sponsoring code; you’re underwriting the world’s R&D engine. 

And that’s what we want to explore in our latest podcast with an eye towards everything that makes open source what it is today. 

(And yes, we also answer essential questions like: how exactly do you do a hackathon on a plane?)

Meet the core contributors

I’m joined by an amazing crew of rotating hosts including Cassidy Williams, Kedasha Kerr, Andrea Griffiths, and me, Abby Cabunoc Mayes — all of us long-time contributors to different parts of the open source world. Together, we’ll explore what’s exciting, challenging, and evolving in open source today. Whether it’s community building, open science, developer education, or building in public, we each bring a unique perspective to the conversation.

In today’s episode, we introduce ourselves, share how we got involved in open source, and reflect on what keeps us going. We talk about the importance of creating beginner content in a world seemingly saturated with beginner developer content with Kedasha, and Cassidy talks about how overhearing a conversation as a teenager sparked her love of code. 

Plus, we spotlight some of our favorite open source projects that have caught our eyes this week. Here’s a sneak peek:

• Anime.JS, a visually stunning JavaScript animation library that sparks creativity.
• Docs, a collaborative open source document editor developed by the French and German governments.
• CSS Zero, a no-build frontend starter kit that simplifies web development.

What’s in the build?

Every two weeks we’ll share a new episode with stories from maintainers, contributors, and builders across the open source ecosystem. We’ll talk about tools, standards, and the side projects that spark joy (and sometimes chaos). You’ll also hear from special guests like Jason Lengstorf, who makes TV for developers, and Keeley Hammond, a core maintainer of Electron, who’ll share their own journeys and insights. Whether you’re just getting started, or you’ve been maintaining projects for years, there’s something here for you.

Coming up next: we dive into the Model Context Protocol (MCP), what it is, why it matters, and how it’s helping make AI tools more transparent and interoperable. We’ll explore how MCP builds on the long history of open standards, and what it unlocks for developers today.

Written by

Abigail Cabunoc Mayes

@abbycabs

Abigail Cabunoc Mayes works at GitHub to help the open source ecosystem thrive — now and in the future.