At Mercedes-Benz, we moved from only using FOSS in our own software development practices to fully embracing all aspects of it and striving to become a true member of the FOSS World. This means we needed a dedicated Open and Inner Source strategy and an Open Source Program Office – but first we had to define what it really means to “embrace FOSS”.
Come with me on our journey which we started more than 6 years ago. Let me show you how we are transforming Mercedes-Benz into a FOSS-savvy company who builds upon the Mercedes-Benz FOSS Manifesto as its cornerstone which sends our employees on a mission to engage with the Open Source community. We will touch upon our internal FOSS trainings, our financial FOSS sponsorings, and new ways of collaboration with partners in industry and other FOSS enthusiasts. We will look at what the crucial points were on our way, giving an example recipe for other industry players who want to include FOSS in their way forward. We will see what we learned and what we wish we had already known at the beginning.
