The Open-Source Evolution of Python with Wes McKinney

The Business of Open Source

Wes McKinney, CTO & Co-Founder of Voltron Data, joins me for an in-depth conversation on how his quest to develop Python as an open-source programming language led him to creating the pandas project and founding four companies.

In this episode, Wes and I dive into his unique background as the founder of the pandas project and he describes his perspective on the early days of Python, his journey into the world of open-source start-ups, and the risks and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects.

Highlights:

• Wes introduces himself and describes his role (00:46)
• Wes’ role in elevating Python to a mainstream programming language (02:15)
• How working with Python led Wes to co-founding his first two companies (09:01)
• Apache Arrow’s critical role at Voltron Data and their focus on accelerating Arrow adoption (12:52)
• How did the team at Voltron Data decide on an open-source business model? (18:54)
• Wes speaks to the risk that can come from having developers work on an open-source project (22:31)
• Wes’ perspective on the real-world applications and benefits of paying developers to work on open-source projects (27:44)

Links:

Wes

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesmckinn/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wesmckinn
• Company: https://voltrondata.com/