Behind every `npm install` is a person.

A podcast about the people behind the open source projects the world runs on — how they started, how they broke through, and who keeps the lights on.

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Every episode, one project, one story

What you’ll hear

Humble beginnings

It usually starts with one person and an itch to scratch. We go back to the very first commit.

The breakthrough

How a side project quietly became something millions of developers depend on every single day.

Who keeps it running

The unglamorous truth of maintenance — who funds it, who patches the security holes, who answers the issues at 2am.

What comes next

How AI is changing the way open source gets built, and where the maintainers think their project is headed.

The projects behind the install

Stories we love to tell

From a single developer’s hobby to critical infrastructure — these are the kinds of projects we dig into. The unsung software you depend on every day, and the people who quietly keep it alive.

curlIn ~20 billion devices, maintained largely by one person.
SQLiteThe most deployed database on earth. Public domain, tiny team.
VimCharityware that shaped how a generation writes code.
OpenSSLSecures the web — yet before Heartbleed, almost no one funded it.
GnuPGThe encryption standard that nearly ran out of money.
BlenderBought back its own freedom; now a studio-grade 3D powerhouse.
VLCPlays everything. Took no money to do it.
HomebrewmacOS's missing package manager, built by one rejected interviewee.
FFmpegThe invisible engine behind nearly every video you watch.
PythonA Christmas-break project that became the world's most popular language.
GitA two-week hack that became how the world ships code.
PostgreSQLDecades of community engineering, owned by no single company.

Featured episode

Watch now

While we put the finishing touches on season one, here’s our conversation on the Greenpill podcast — open source, the maintainers who hold it together, and where it all goes next.

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The first episode

Premiering soon

Episode 01 · Guests Episode 01 guests

01First story dropping soon

Episode 01 · Coming soon

The story that started it all

We’re recording our first deep dive now — the origin story of a project you almost certainly have installed, told by the people who built it. Subscribe and you’ll be the first to hear it.

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More stories on the way — subscribe so you don’t miss them →

Why listen

From the community

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The software the whole world runs on is built and maintained by a surprisingly small number of people. These are their stories — and they’re a genuinely good listen, whether you write code or not.

The Open Source Prosperity ProjectStories about the people who build the commons

Join us

The conversation keeps going.

Hang out with other people who love open source. Swap stories, suggest a project we should cover, and meet the maintainers behind the software you use.

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Behind every npm install is a person.