Can we open source Project Redstripe?

The Economist generates passion.

The Economist has hugely intelligent, capable readers.

The Economist is IMHO a force for good in the world.

Hold on, doesn’t that mean that, like GNU Linux and Wikipedia, we could ask our readers not only what they wanted The Economist to be, but also ask them to help us do it.

It is clear that the six man Project Redstripe team will not have a fraction of the know how, or collective intelligence of The Economist hive mind. How great would it be to throw open the doors of development to every Economist reader?

We could ask them what we should do. What’s more, we could ask them to help us make it happen. Now, I’m sure there are those that think “Oh, he’s trying to develop stuff on the cheap”. And I could see the hypothetical point. To have hundreds of developers doing stuff for free is every flinty hearted businessman’s dream, however, I’m coming at this from the hippy end of the spectrum.

I believe that people will contribute to a project that they care about. Therefore, we have to create something our readers believe in, then let them get on with it. That would be a beautiful thing.

Or am I just being no good, peace loving, patchouli wielding, lentil shoe wearing, hippy scum? I don’t think so.

 

“The war’s over Lebowski. The bums lost” vs the business of giving