I've collaborated with many product makers over the years. But there was one individual whose actions really bothered me. It had nothing to do with them personally - it was about respecting open-source licenses and properly crediting projects.

You see, some open-source licenses clearly state that you need to give credit when reusing code or assets from a project. This is simply a common courtesy in the open-source community. Yet this person habitually took projects and removed the original credits or license information. Even worse, they would replace it with just their own company name, taking sole credit where it was not due.

I understand the desire to promote your own brand. But hiding or twisting the origins of work that is not entirely your own is dishonest and disrespectful. It undermines the collaborative spirit of open source.

So my message is - don't be that person. If you use an open project, honor how the creators asked to be recognized for their contributions.

cover image: rollingstone.com.