January 10, 2026
Bots read docs, we read drama
All my new code will be closed-source from now on
Dev slams the door on free code, blames AI bots; comments erupt
TLDR: A well-known OSS dev says future code will be paywalled because AI coding bots bypass docs and kill the money funnel. Comments split: some call it Luddite panic, others say OSS is charity, and many shrug it’s just SaaS—proof that AI is reshaping how code gets funded.
A veteran open‑source (OSS) maintainer says he’s going closed‑source and paywalled, claiming AI coding agents—bots powered by large language models (LLMs)—now read docs in seconds and skip the human funnel that once paid the bills. He points to Tailwind: 75M downloads a month, yet revenue reportedly down 80%, docs traffic down 40%, and big layoffs—proof, he says, that “free code → human attention → monetization” is broken. His prediction: libraries become metered APIs and agents pay at the gate. The thread? Absolute fireworks.
Strong opinions hit instantly. One commenter went full history meme: “Luddite vs. Marx”—do you smash the looms or the system that makes robots a threat? Others clap back that OSS was never about cash; moltar calls open source “charity,” not a paycheck. mellosouls sees an anti‑open‑source rant and shrugs: if this dev leaves, someone else (or the very LLMs he hates) will fill the gap. Meanwhile rhplus deadpans: isn’t this just… SaaS (software-as-a-service) all over again? The humor flies: “toll booths for code,” “RIP docs traffic,” and “bots don’t buy premium.” The crowd is split between protecting the bag and protecting the commons, but everyone agrees on one thing—the agent era is turning docs into ghost towns, and the vibes are spicy.
Key Points
- •The author states all future code will be closed-source due to changes in OSS monetization caused by AI coding agents and LLMs.
- •They cite Tailwind as an example, claiming high downloads alongside sharp declines in revenue and documentation traffic, and significant layoffs.
- •The article argues that open-core and expertise-based OSS business models are being undermined as agents bypass documentation funnels.
- •Projects such as Prisma, Drizzle ORM, MikroORM, Strapi, and products like Tailwind UI, Prisma Accelerate, and Supabase Cloud are named as likely to face similar pressures.
- •The author predicts a shift to metered, pay-per-access APIs and advocates gating access (closed-source) as the viable monetization point.