At a Glance:
- Involved in open source since: 2020
- Works for: Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH
- Eclipse Foundation contributor since: 2025
- Involved in: Eclipse OpenSOVD, Eclipse S-CORE
- Eclipse Foundation committer since: 2025
What’s your background as a developer?
My background as a developer started in 2017, and since then, I’ve been active in the automotive industry, mainly working on vehicle onboard software. I started as a corporate student at Daimler, where I was involved in several projects. Later, among other positions, I joined Daimler Truck as a Software Architect for the software-defined vehicle initiative.
After that, I had the opportunity to join Torc Robotics, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck developing Level 4 autonomous trucks for the U.S. market. I initially joined as a Software Engineer and later became Tech Lead, where I was responsible for leading the technical strategy for a department.
Since this year, I joined Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation as a Senior Software Engineer and Architect, once again working on software-defined vehicle topics.
How did you get involved in open source?
I think my first encounter with open source was from a user perspective. For example, during university, I used open source tooling and models for projects related to machine learning. Later, in my professional career, I also worked with some of the well-known automotive open source projects, again from a user perspective.
More recently, since joining Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation, I became involved in several Eclipse Foundation projects, specifically Eclipse S-CORE and OpenSOVD, which marked the first time I was actively contributing to open source.
How did you then become a committer at the Eclipse Foundation?
It basically started with me being part of the Eclipse S-CORE architecture group, where I contributed to various activities. From there, we created the Eclipse OpenSOVD project based on some of the initiatives I had led within Eclipse S-CORE. From the beginning, I was a committer on OpenSOVD and helped get the project up and running.
What are the biggest challenges as a new committer to an OSS project?
For me, the biggest challenges were, first of all, getting to know the community. It’s a very diverse group of people from different backgrounds, and I think it really helps to build personal connections within the community, to get to know each other and work together.
Another challenge is taking responsibility for your code quality, since you’re really exposing your work openly. Some people might feel uncomfortable with that at first, but I think it’s also a great opportunity for growth.
And finally, especially in the beginning, understanding some of the processes around FOSS can be challenging, both within the community and across different companies. It takes effort to make sure that a shared project stays aligned and feasible for all the companies involved.
What have been the highlights of being a committer thus far for you?
For me personally, one of the highlights has definitely been starting the Eclipse OpenSOVD project from the very beginning. It’s been very interesting and rewarding to help shape a project like this and to discuss ideas and approaches together with the community.
What I especially value is the high level of engagement within the community; it’s not just about putting something out there and waiting for feedback; it’s a real, ongoing discussion, collaboration, and a common effort.
Any advice for someone new to open source?
I think it’s important to be open-minded and to stay open-minded, both about different solutions and about the community as a whole. It’s also important to get to know the codebase, to understand what’s already there and what the goals are.
When it comes to getting started, I think the key is to start small, be consistent, and actively participate in the community, really becoming an engaged and contributing member.