Most engineers approach open source the wrong way. They write code, open a PR, and wonder why it never gets merged. Bruno Schaatsbergen, Terraform core contributor and ex-HashiCorp engineer, breaks down the real craft behind contributions that actually land, and why AI is quietly breaking the ecosystem we all depend on.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why pull requests get ignored (and the counterintuitive fix)
• How AI slop is killing open source from the inside
• Using AI agents without losing your identity as an engineer
• Why open source beats a tailored resume in today's market
• How consistent contributions can reshape your entire career

If you've ever wanted to contribute to open source but didn't know where to start, this episode gives you a clear perspective from someone who's been on both sides.

Connect with Bruno:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bschaatsbergen

OUTILNE

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:04 - How Open Source Shaped My Entire Career

00:02:14 - Why I Take Pride in Every PR I Write

00:03:16 - Open Source vs Personal Projects: The Real Difference

00:04:18 - Why Your PRs Get Ignored (And How to Fix It)

00:05:41 - Know Your Audience: The Counterintuitive PR Hack

00:06:35 - Dealing With Imposter Syndrome as a Contributor

00:07:10 - Read Code Like a Writer Reads Books

00:09:31 - My First Contribution (And How It Changed My Career)

00:10:51 - Should You Contribute to Open Source Early in Your Career?

00:12:46 - The Dark Side: When Contributions Become Noise

00:13:44 - Killed With Kindness: The AI Slop Problem

00:16:17 - How Maintainers Are Fighting AI Slop

00:18:02 - How I Actually Use AI Agents in My Workflow

00:19:11 - Don't Outsource Your Thinking to AI

00:20:11 - Who's Liable for AI-Generated Code?

00:21:16 - Earned Rights: Why Trust Matters in Open Source

00:22:52 - How to Approach People at Tech Conferences

00:24:52 - Open Source Is Not a Democracy

00:26:04 - Why Open Source Beats a Tailored Resume

00:27:12 - Never Contribute With the Goal of Getting Hired

00:28:38 - The Real Reason Consistency Pays Off

00:29:30 - Admitting I'm a University Dropout

00:30:42 - Why I Haven't Contributed in Weeks (And That's Okay)

00:32:07 - The Trap of Chasing Contributor Rankings

00:34:32 - Open Source Lets You Work With Anyone in the World

00:35:52 - Final Advice: Don't Let AI Steal Your Identity