Look, social experiments of the sort taking place at GitHub are good things - they can teach us something. If their policies make the organization stronger, that's awesome - we get a stronger GitHub. If their policies end up damaging the organization, that's also awesome - because it'll become evident they're bad policies, and companies will stop implementing them.
Everyone just sit back, let the market do its job, and be sure to take note of the results when it's time for you to do your own company-building.
> If their policies end up damaging the organization, that's also awesome - because it'll become evident they're bad policies, and companies will stop implementing them.
I'm a bit more cynical - if it fails, I suspect the failure will be blamed on "wreckers".
Well, sure, and if it succeeds, some people will claim the success was in spite of the policies. Ideologues gotta ideologue, and all that. But that doesn't mean we can't learn something useful - since those 'wrecker'-style arguments give off the political equivalent of code smell.
I'm inclined to agree. I wonder, however, about the huge amount of VC money and the pressures of money and capitalism. I wouldn't be surprised if these experiments are more lip service than actual concrete restructuring given that people in positions of power tend to want to protect their power bases, and investors tend to want to protect their investments.
Edits - I am not losing anything by them changing things. I have not invested any money in them, I use their service though, and pay for a pro account. I am curious to see what happens and am optimistic about humans but pessimistic about VC money!
Look, social experiments of the sort taking place at GitHub are good things - they can teach us something. If their policies make the organization stronger, that's awesome - we get a stronger GitHub. If their policies end up damaging the organization, that's also awesome - because it'll become evident they're bad policies, and companies will stop implementing them.
Everyone just sit back, let the market do its job, and be sure to take note of the results when it's time for you to do your own company-building.