Feb 15, 2021 08:00:00

It is pointed out that open source software developers are bringing value of more than 10 trillion yen

Open source software , which allows its modification and distribution regardless of commercial or non-commercial use and makes the source code widely available to people, has greatly contributed to the development of technology. However, open source development is often not seen as a useful way to drive new products or business models. Experts, on the other hand, point out that using open source for various projects can have a positive impact on the EU economy by more than 10 trillion yen each year.

How much are open-source developers really worth? Hundreds of billions of dollars, say economists | ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-are-open-source-developers-really-worth-hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars-say-economists/

A study commissioned by the European Commission by the nonprofit Open Forum Europe (OFE), which promotes the use of open source software, shows that European entrepreneurs fully understand the benefits of open source software. It is said that few people are using it to achieve their business goals. In response to the findings, OFE estimated the economic value of open source software.

A 2018 survey shows that there are at least 260,000 individuals in the EU contributing to the development of open source software. That's 8% of the programmers hired by EU companies. The amount of code written by contributors to open source software is equivalent to the amount of code written by 16,000 corporate programmers full-time, with an economic impact of € 65-95 billion (approximately 8.2 trillion). It is estimated to be (~ about 12.1 trillion yen).

According to OFE's calculation using a method called economic statistics , if the number of contributors to open source software development increases by 10%, the EU's GDP will increase by 100 billion euros (12.7 trillion yen) annually, up to 1000 per year. There is a possibility that new technology startups will be born.

In the United States, large, well-funded companies such as Facebook and Google are actively involved in the open source field, but in the EU, in contrast, small and medium-sized companies are the main players. The European Commission has long implemented an open source software strategy and is using it for public services, etc., but OFE's research shows that the range of use is limited compared to the great potential of technology.

OFE said, 'We expect more European entrepreneurs to use open source software, and adding monetary numbers to the value that open source has created will make technology more attractive. I hope. '