Nobody is paying for web frameworks like React so get a bunch of Meta bootlicking nerds to improve it for them for free.
React was developed internally by Facebook, then open sourced. While a big part of this is getting regression testing and bug fixes for “free,” the primary motivation was to outsource training costs. By making React publicly available, Facebook no longer had to train new hires how to use it. Instead they’ve created an entire industry of third party code bootcamps and a long line of applicants climbing over each other who are already familiar with their tooling. It was a move driven by the objective of undermining labor power within the firm, to make their software developers more fungible and replaceable. Though this strategy has been replicated elsewhere, it was somewhat ahead of its time, going beyond the typical approach of just using “open source” software because other people will maintain it for “free.”
React was developed internally by Facebook, then open sourced. While a big part of this is getting regression testing and bug fixes for “free,” the primary motivation was to outsource training costs. By making React publicly available, Facebook no longer had to train new hires how to use it. Instead they’ve created an entire industry of third party code bootcamps and a long line of applicants climbing over each other who are already familiar with their tooling. It was a move driven by the objective of undermining labor power within the firm, to make their software developers more fungible and replaceable. Though this strategy has been replicated elsewhere, it was somewhat ahead of its time, going beyond the typical approach of just using “open source” software because other people will maintain it for “free.”