We built it. We optimized it. We secured it. But outside of our issue queues and Slack channels, does the wider tech world know—or care?
For years, the Drupal community has suffered from a "build it and they will come" mentality. We have created one of the most robust platforms on the web, yet we often find ourselves preaching to the converted in a comfortable, self-referential bubble.
In this session, I will share the uncomfortable reality of taking the Drupal Association to Web Summit Lisbon—a massive, generalist tech event where "Drupal" was just another booth in a sea of startups. I will share the messy details of what happens when you step out of the "Drupal Island" and face the market head-on.
But this is not a talk about marketing; it is a talk about survival.
As developers, we have a responsibility that goes beyond code quality. We need to confront the "Tragedy of the Commons" that threatens open source projects: everyone relies on the ecosystem, but few invest in its external visibility. I will explore how our technical decisions—from DX to API design—either reinforce our isolation or help us burst the bubble.
No specific coding expertise is required. This session is open to anyone—from junior developers to site architects—who cares about the future of the project. However, you will get the most out of the talk if you have:
- A basic understanding of how the Drupal ecosystem and community function.
- An interest in the business side of Open Source sustainability.
- A curiosity about how Drupal is perceived by the wider tech world outside our bubble.
1. The Bubble: Defining the "Drupal Bubble" and presenting data on the contrast between our internal community enthusiasm and the broader market's indifference.
2. The Tale of Two Summits: Lisbon vs. Paris : A comparative case study of two attempts to leave the island:
- Web Summit Lisbon: The challenge of pitching "just a CMS" at a massive generalist tech event. The struggle for brand visibility against venture-backed startups.
- FOST Paris (Future of Open Source): The breakthrough. I will share how the Drupal AI Summit became a standing-room-only event by pivoting the message. We didn't sell "website building"; we sold Data Sovereignty and AI Orchestration.
- The Lesson: ... well... come to the session for the lesson ;-)
3. The Tragedy of the Commons: Mapping the economic concept to our ecosystem. Everyone benefits when Drupal is perceived as an AI leader, but who funds the "intangible" work of attending non-Drupal conferences like apidays/FOST?
4. The Developer’s Role: Building for the "Open Future": How technical choices (adopting the Model Context Protocol, prioritizing API-first architectures) are not just code decisions—they are marketing decisions that determine if we fit into the future tech stack.
5. Q&A and Discussion: Open floor on how attendees can use the "Sovereignty" argument to advocate for Drupal in their organizations.
- Understand the "Outside-In" Reality: Gain a clear view of how the wider tech world views Drupal—indifferent to the CMS, but hungry for Open AI solutions that offer data privacy and sovereignty.
- Master the "Sovereignty" Argument: Learn to articulate the business case for Open Source not as "cheaper software," but as the only safe infrastructure for enterprise AI and data ownership.
- Bridge the Gap: Identify the specific technical shifts (like AI Agents and Context Protocols) that developers must embrace to keep Drupal relevant in the "Future of Open Source" conversation.
