I find the mindset of this article to be mind-boggling.
The fact that open source developers aren't getting paid does not mean there is exploitation. Those developers don't have to work on FOSS. They could also work on proprietary software. The problem is that it is hard to develop a business model around developing open source software (it's also hard to develop a business around proprietary software, too).
If the current maintainer of a open-source project does not have the financial support to continue working on the project, they should put their open-source work on hold until they get their finances in order. If that software is part of a critical chain for a business, then that business should provide financial support. It is not a necessity that all current open-source projects continue to be actively maintained.
Wait until they find out how little the person dispensing soup in a homeless shelter is getting paid. OSS is usually like charity, you do it because you can afford to and want to and don't expect anything back from it. Some people end up full time employees in the charity sector, which is also a big industry reliant on free labor.
> OSS is usually like charity, you do it because you can afford to and want to and don't expect anything back from it.
There are reputational rewards associated with open source[1]. However, if you're solely contributing to open source for those rewards, you're going to have a bad time. I would agree that there needs to be a high degree of intrinsic motivation.
The fact that open source developers aren't getting paid does not mean there is exploitation. Those developers don't have to work on FOSS. They could also work on proprietary software. The problem is that it is hard to develop a business model around developing open source software (it's also hard to develop a business around proprietary software, too).
If the current maintainer of a open-source project does not have the financial support to continue working on the project, they should put their open-source work on hold until they get their finances in order. If that software is part of a critical chain for a business, then that business should provide financial support. It is not a necessity that all current open-source projects continue to be actively maintained.