# Competition Over Collaboration in Tech Industry Why does competition dominate even in open source projects, leading to failures? - **Source:** [Scripting News](https://brifing.si/source/a857f02c-a43d-40cf-8425-c7a6b4edfd81) - **Published:** 2026-08-15 - **Topic:** [Entrepreneurship](https://brifing.si/c/entrepreneurship) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/f1d640f0-9187-41b0-ad71-24388436ce74 ## The Competitive Nature of Tech Industry Dave Winer criticizes the competitive culture in the tech industry. He points out that even in open source projects, people try to take over others' projects rather than collaborate. His experiences developing standards like RSS and OPML reveal the immature approach of the sector. Winer questions why the respect culture seen in sports and entertainment hasn't formed in tech. ## The Birth and Problems of RSS Winer shares the challenges he faced while developing RSS technology. VCs preferring programmers over visionary developers changed the project's direction. A colleague at Harvard trying to take over RSS demonstrated the difficulties of open standards. Winer emphasizes that collaboration is more efficient than competition, but the industry fails to understand this. ## OPML and the Standardization Struggle Events during OPML's promotion reveal power struggles in the tech industry. Those trying to take over the project instead of following Winer's guidance ultimately failed. Even the OPML conference at Harvard couldn't solve these issues. Winer argues that lack of collaboration culture hinders the industry's growth. ## Bridging Generations in Technology Winer highlights how experienced developers can't pass on their knowledge in the tech sector. He criticizes how contributions from developers in their 40s and 50s are overlooked. He aims to build intergenerational bridges through university collaborations. Winer suggests AI tools could facilitate this process. ## Berkman Center Experiences Innovative work in blogging, podcasting and education at Berkman Center shows the importance of academic freedom. Winer notes that involving creative people in the process is rare in tech. The building's disappearance symbolizes how quickly the industry forgets past experiences. ## Apple's Influence in the 90s Winer claims Apple suppressed certain developer tools and concepts in the 90s. While porting Frontier to Node.js, he encountered these barriers. Despite JavaScript limitations, he believes these tools can be revived. He stresses the importance of integrating past technologies into current projects. ## Lack of Maturity in Tech Industry Winer states the tech industry still exhibits childish behavior. He mentions those who describe his work in past tense without having contributed to these projects. He questions why the respect culture in sports and entertainment hasn't emerged in tech. He emphasizes collaboration and respect are essential for the industry's maturity. ## Recommendations for the Future Winer proposes a seminar series called 'The Exit Interview'. He aims to create a platform for experienced developers to pass knowledge to new generations. AI tools could facilitate this process, he suggests. Winer argues the tech industry can only truly progress through collaboration and respect culture. ## Sources covering this story - http://scripting.com/2026/08/15/140129.html?title=thinkingOutLoudOnASaturdayMorning — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._