The GitHub Podcast

In this year-in-review episode of The GitHub Podcast, Cassidy and Abby are joined by Helen Hou-Sandí, GitHub’s engineering manager for the Accessibility Engineering team and lead developer in the WordPress project. They dig into Maintainer Tiny Wins, a series of two week long timeboxed improvements that save millions of developer minutes a day, from smarter PR reviewers panels and one-click merge...

In this episode guest host Greg Cochran from the GitHub Secure Open Source Fund brings together four maintainers who are helping secure the open source projects we all depend on: Christian (Log4j/Log4Shell), Carlos (GoReleaser), Michael (EVCC), and Camila (ScanAPI) to unpack what it really looks like to level up security in critical OSS. They share how the Fund’s three-week security sprint, ongoin...

Abby sits down with Angie Jones, VP of Engineering at Block, live at GitHub Universe to talk about Goose, Block’s open source AI agent and reference implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Angie shares how Goose went from an internal tool to an open source project that lets the community drive features like multimodel support, and how Block’s 12,000 employees across 15+ job functions (...

In this episode, recorded live at GitHub Universe 2025, Andrea sits down with Frank “Frenck” Nijhof, a GitHub Star and project lead for Home Assistant, one of the most active open source projects on the platform. They unpack how millions of households run privacy-first automations locally (no cloud required), why the Open Home Foundation exists to prevent vendor lock-in and e-waste, and how this f...

Andrea and Kedasha sit down with data whisperer Jeff Luszcz, one of the wizards behind GitHub’s annual Octoverse report, to unpack this year’s biggest shifts. They get into why TypeScript overtook Python on GitHub, how AI-assisted “vibe coding” and agentic workflows are reshaping everyday engineering, and what it means that more than one new developer joins GitHub every second. From 1.12B open sou...

In this episode of the GitHub Podcast, Abby sits down with Felix Reda, Director of Developer Policy at GitHub, and Christian Grobmeier, a longtime Log4J maintainer, to reflect on the aftermath of the Log4Shell vulnerability and how it reshaped open source funding. They discuss the creation of Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund, the challenges and opportunities funding brings to open source projects, an...

Homebrew’s project lead Mike McQuaid joins Abby and Andrea to unpack what it really takes to sustain one of the most-used developer tools on macOS and Linux. From early GitHub workflows to today’s automation and guardrails, Mike details the soft-power leadership that keeps volunteers motivated, and shares insights on how to scale contributions, keep a small maintainer team effective, and triage wi...

In this episode of the GitHub Podcast, Abby and Kedasha are joined by Keeley Hammond, a longtime maintainer of the Electron project. They explore the inner workings of one of the most widely used open source desktop frameworks, dive into how Electron empowers developers to build cross-platform desktop apps with web technologies, and discuss what it takes to build a welcoming and sustainable open s...

In this episode of the GitHub Podcast, Cassidy and Kedasha explore the rise of personal software tools built by developers for themselves, and shared with the world through open source. From command line apps to browser extensions, they dive into how small, purpose-built projects can have a big impact, reflecting on how AI is making development more accessible, while celebrating the joy of creativ...

In this episode of the GitHub Podcast, Cassidy, Abby, and Andrea are joined by developer advocate, educator, and creator of CodeTV, Jason Lengstorf. They uncover Jason’s journey through open source, from live coding streams to building engaging, educational content for developers, touching on the evolution of JavaScript, the rise of AI tools and MCP, and how open source continues to empower creato...

In this episode of the GitHub Podcast, Cassidy, Abby and Kedasha discuss the Model Context Protocol (MCP), its significance in the open source community, and how it enhances productivity and transparency in AI tools. They explore the history of open standards, the architecture of MCP, and the opportunities it presents for developers. The conversation also highlights exciting projects and repositor...

In this premiere episode of the GitHub podcast, hosts Cassidy, Abby and Kedasha introduce themselves and share their personal journeys into the world of open source. They discuss the importance of community in open source development, the impact of their work at GitHub, and highlight exciting new projects in the open source space. The conversation emphasizes the value of collaboration, education,...

Welcome to the GitHub podcast, a show dedicated to the topics, trends, stories and culture in and around the open source developer community on GitHub. Hosted by GitHub’s own Cassidy Williams, Abby Cabunoc Mayes, and Kedasha Kerr. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The ReadME Podcast, hosts Neha Batra and Martin Woodward look back on their growth and learnings from the past season, from pronunciation struggles to hosting highs. Next, they share a fun story about the world's first webcam at the University of Cambridge in 1991 and its coffee-related origins. The hosts then dive into the Digital Public Goods Alliance with Ricardo Mirón Torres...

Programming languages are always in flux, and so is the way we use them. In this episode, we dive into the rise of TypeScript, with The ReadME Project’s Senior Editor Mike Melanson outlining its history and evolution. Hosts Neha Batra and Martin Woodward discuss the pros and cons of static typing, and Jordan Harband from TC39 shares his views on the benefits and limitations of TypeScript. We also...

The influence of open source extends well beyond code. In this episode, we dive into the less-explored areas of the open source community, spotlighting their profound and wide-ranging impact. With host Neha Batra away for travel, Martin Woodward welcomes Kyler Middleton to discuss navigating the open source community in a highly regulated environment. She highlights the dual challenges of aligning...

In this bonus episode, we hear from Kubernetes superstar Kelsey Hightower. Diving into crucial elements like empathy in maintainership, succession planning, and the identification of future leaders, hosts Martin Woodward and Neha Batra explore Kelsey’s philosophy on fostering thriving open source communities—and his hopes for the future state of Kubernetes. Dedicated to GitHub’s Maintainer Month,...

This month, we consider the evolution of openness in open source. The ReadME Project’s Senior Editor, Mike Melanson joins hosts Martin and Neha to discuss expert advice on why “closed to contributions” sometimes makes sense and how that model aligns with open source expectations. Additionally, maintainer, founder, and CEO of Scarf Avi Press highlights the benefit of analytics to maintainers and th...

This month we’re exploring quantum leaps in technology—then, now, and what devs can do today to prepare for tomorrow. The hosts welcome Klint Finley, Senior Editor of The ReadME Project, to discuss the role that open source played in a recent nuclear fusion breakthrough. Additionally, we speak with Jerome Hardaway, Executive Director of Vets Who Code, who shares practical advice on fortifying your...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - The hosts hear from Ed Summers, GitHub’s head of accessibility, about the meaning of disability and accessibility and why it's important to involve everyone in building technology.  10:43 - The panel: Annalu Waller, Becky Tyler, and Kirsty McNaught join the hosts to discuss how they started working together, why inclusion in development is so import...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - The hosts discuss how to impress and win over the heart of a developer in your life.  02:30 - First Commit: How India built the PARAM 8000 supercomputer.  06:07 - The Interview: Peter Strömberg and Brandon Ringe, the co-maintainers of Calva, discuss the benefits of sharing responsibility for open source maintainership.  18:18 - #AskRMP: We learn fro...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - Martin and Neha share how they spent the holiday break and discuss New Year's resolutions.  02:25 - First Commit: The story of TIME magazine naming the computer “Machine of the Year.” 06:10 - Feature Release: The ReadME Project’s Mike Melanson shares how maximalism in development has crept into places where it doesn’t belong. 18:15 - #AskRMP: France...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - Neha and Martin discuss the return of social norms and the childhood video games they remember best. 03:38 - First Commit: The hosts share the origin story of the NORAD Tracks Santa system. 06:57 - The Interview: Dr. Johanna Pirker provides her perspective on how open source can help the gaming industry move toward a more inclusive future. 21:17 - #...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - The hosts discuss GitHub Universe and highlight some of their favorite sessions. 02:30 - First Commit: Neha and Martin discuss the US presidential election of November 1952, which was the first time that a computer was used to predict winners. 05:55 - Features Story: The ReadME Project Sr. Editor, Klint Finley, joins to discuss his recent story Buil...

Here’s what’s in store for this episode: 00:00 - Intro: The hosts discuss AI image generators and draw parallels with GitHub’s pair programmer: Copilot.  03:34 - First Commit: Neha and Martin discuss ARPANET’s 1980 crash, the first known network-wide crash.  6:16 - Feature Story: The ReadME Project Sr. Editor Mike Melanson discusses his recent article: Don’t call it a comeback: Why Java is still c...