Then the company just re-implements your project; they have the resources to. Most software isn't hard to reverse-engineer, and most people aren't exceptional;

Then the company just re-implements your project; they have the resources to. Most software isn't hard to reverse-engineer, and most people aren't exceptional; if a group is big enough to create a GPL-licensed product that competes with Microsoft's, they're big enough to create an MIT-licensed product that competes with Microsoft's. I like GP’s comment “don’t discuss anything in private and/or offer priority support without being paid”. Also: - Ensure you get attribution, and support others who deserve attribution - Develop open-source alternatives to paid programs - Donate to others who write open-source I disagree that open-source contributed much to companies becoming so rich. I believe it was more that people gave them (money and) private data, e.g. made posts and interactions that only exist on their locked-down platform. I doubt a lack of open-source and accessible development tools would’ve prevented Google and Facebook; if anything, they would've been founded by richer or more networked people. And it certainly won't prevent them now.