Lachlan Evenson outlines Microsoft’s recent strategies, tools, and community efforts in open-source at All Things Open 2025, focusing on contributions, sustainability, and cloud/AI-powered developer tools.

Microsoft’s Role in Open-Source Sustainability: From Kernel to Copilot at All Things Open 2025

By Lachlan Evenson

The open-source community is facing significant challenges as unpaid maintainers support software critical to our technology infrastructure. Lachlan Evenson, leading Microsoft’s open-source strategy, explains how Microsoft is tackling these problems by investing in community health, sponsoring events like All Things Open 2025, and actively contributing code and resources.

The Open-Source Crisis

  • 60% of maintainers are unpaid and struggling with sustainability
  • 58% of maintainers consider quitting due to burnout
  • 90% of enterprises depend on open source, but corporate investment rarely supports maintainers directly
  • Microsoft commits to actively addressing community needs and sustainability

Microsoft’s Open-Source Journey

  • Transition from open-source consumer to major contributor
  • Investments through GitHub, Azure credits, direct support (e.g., Alpha Omega)
  • Projects and technologies: contributions to Linux kernel, CNCF projects, cloud-native platforms

What’s Happening at All Things Open 2025

Key Sessions & Themes

  • From Kernel to Copilot: Microsoft’s Open-Source Journey to AI at Scale
    • Examines evolution from Linux contributions to AI-powered services (Copilot, Azure AI, VS Code)
    • Discusses projects like Radius, Dalec, Copacetic
  • Using AI Agents to Empower Application Modernization for Kubernetes
    • Demonstrates modernizing legacy apps with open-source tools, AI, and reducing skill barriers

In-Booth Demonstrations

  • Linux on Azure: How enterprise use drives ecosystem investment
  • AI-Powered Developer Tools: Automated maintenance for open-source
  • GitHub and Community Programs: Funding and contributing to OSS projects
  • Security Initiatives: Automated vulnerability detection and resource provision for maintainers

Deep-Dive Theater Sessions

  • OpenShift on Azure (ARO), Azure Arc, GitOps workflows
  • AKS Automatic: Simplified AI app deployment with GitHub and Azure DevOps
  • Real-time observability for AI agents via Model Context Protocol (MCP), VS Code, and GitHub Copilot
  • VS Code as the open-source AI editor; how to contribute
  • GHCP App Modernization tool for rapid Java & .NET upgrades and cloud deployment

Community Building and The Path Forward

  • Emphasizes learning from the community, focusing on sustainable funding models, and collective problem-solving
  • Encourages participation at All Things Open 2025 for idea exchange and collaboration

Links & Resources

About the Author

Lachlan Evenson leads Microsoft’s open-source strategy and community programs. Connect with him on Bluesky, X, LinkedIn, or GitHub.

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