By Open source sustainability is not just about code—it’s about people. Today, massive portions of digital infrastructure depend on a dangerously small number of contributors and maintainers. That creates pressure, burnout, long-term health risks for projects, and even supply chain security vulnerabilities. When barriers prevent talented people from participating, the entire ecosystem suffers.
Launched less than a year ago, CNCF’s Merge Forward is addressing this critical gap by building supportive networks and safe spaces for underrepresented communities within the cloud native ecosystem. The initiative expands the contributor base, improves project quality, and reduces the systemic fragility that comes from relying on too few people.
The Guest: Stéphane Este-Gracias, Co-lead of Merge Forward & Co-Lead, Blind and Visually Impaired Group, Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)
Key Takeaways
- Merge Forward creates safe spaces and networks for underrepresented groups in the CNCF ecosystem, acting as both connector and enabler for contributors from diverse backgrounds
- The Blind and Visually Impaired Group addresses real accessibility barriers in events, technical documentation, and community practices—improving quality for the entire ecosystem
- Open source depends on people: expanding the contributor base reduces fragility, improves supply chain security, and prevents maintainer burnout
- Contributions go beyond code: documentation, community building, event organization, and advocacy all matter in open source sustainability
- Getting involved is simple: join the CNCF Slack, attend monthly meetings, and start by listening and connecting with the community
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In this exclusive interview with Swapnil Bhartiya at TFiR, Stéphane Este-Gracias, Co-lead of Merge Forward & Co-Lead of the Blind and Visually Impaired Group at CNCF, discusses how Merge Forward is expanding the cloud native contributor base, why accessibility improvements benefit everyone, and how the initiative is making open source more sustainable and secure.
What Is Merge Forward and Why Does It Matter?
Merge Forward is a CNCF community initiative focused on building supportive networks and safe spaces for people from underrepresented backgrounds and allies who want to make open source more welcoming and sustainable. The initiative acts as both connector and enabler, bringing together people across several diversity groups and helping them find community, mentoring, and opportunities to contribute across the CNCF ecosystem.
Q: What exactly is Merge Forward and what role does it play in the CNCF ecosystem?
Stéphane Este-Gracias: “Merge Forward has been started less than one year ago, somewhere last summer, and Merge Forward is a CNCF community initiative focused on building supportive network and safe space for people from underrepresented background, from allies who would like to help open source more welcoming and sustainable within the CNCF ecosystem. Merge Forward acts as both connector and an enabler. It brings together people across several diversity groups, helps them find community, mentoring, opportunity to contribute across the ecosystem and the human side of open source. It’s not only about representation for its own sake, but as well, helping the cloud native community become stronger, more sustainable and better able to grow. A simple way to define that is Merge Forward helps people feel that open source is a place for them and helps the broader community learn how to support them.”
The Blind and Visually Impaired Group: Removing Real Barriers
Within Merge Forward, several subgroups address specific community needs. The Blind and Visually Impaired Group was created because accessibility barriers are still very real in open source communities—in events, technical documentation, websites, and community practices. These spaces are often built with good intentions but not always with blind and visually impaired contributors in mind.
Q: Why was the Blind and Visually Impaired Group created and what specific barriers does it help remove?
Stéphane Este-Gracias: “Before Merge Forward, there were multiple subgroups that worked alongside each other, so one of them is the Blind and Visually Impaired Group. It was created because accessibility barriers are still very real in the open source communities—events, technical documentation, etc. Many spaces are built with good intention, but not always with blind and visually impaired in mind. That can show up in many ways, like slides that rely only on visuals, demos that are not verbally explained, websites that are difficult to navigate, and community practices that sometimes could exclude people, not intentionally, but they exist. The goal of the group is to create a space where people can connect with each other, share what works, share what doesn’t work, and help the broader community improve. It’s also about visibility. Too often, accessibility is treated as only a side topic, and this group helps to make it more real in how we think about participation, contribution, and belonging in cloud native, so the community feels more inclusive for everyone.”
Why Accessibility Is an Ecosystem Quality Issue—Not Just a Social One
Accessibility improvements do not just benefit disabled contributors—they strengthen the entire cloud native ecosystem. When tools are clearer, documentation is better structured, interfaces are more usable, and communication is more intentional, the whole community benefits. Accessibility is a quality improvement, not a niche concern.
Q: Beyond being inclusive, why does this work matter for the cloud native ecosystem itself? What does the community gain when more people can participate?
Stéphane Este-Gracias: “Merge Forward is not only about inclusion. It’s not only a social issue, it’s an ecosystem sustainability issue. Open source depends on people. Today, a huge part of our digital infrastructure relies on a really small number of contributors or maintainers. That creates pressure, burnout, long-term risk for the health of the project, and even for supply chain security. We saw many security issues a few weeks ago. When we lower the barrier and help more people participate in open source projects, we are not just being inclusive—we are helping to expand the contributor base with diverse abilities and perspectives and reduce the fragility that comes from relying on too few people. Accessibility tends to improve quality of the project for everyone, not only the people that are blind or doing paired programming, etc. When tools are clearer, documentation is better structured, interfaces are more usable, and communication is more intentional, the whole community benefits. Accessibility is not a niche improvement. It is a quality improvement for the ecosystem as a whole.”
What Merge Forward Actually Does: Events, Mentorship, and Non-Code Contributions
In practice, Merge Forward creates community spaces where people can connect, ask questions, learn from each other, and contribute in any way based on their skills or experience. This includes regular meetings, mentorship programs, event organization, and visibility for non-code contributions like documentation, community building, and advocacy.
Q: What do you folks actually do in practice to help people find their place in open source, and what’s happening in that community hub here at KubeCon?
Stéphane Este-Gracias: “In practice, Merge Forward creates community where people can connect, ask questions, learn from each other and contribute in any way based on their skills or experience. For instance, we gather all the subgroups that are below the Merge Forward project umbrella, and we create a team to manage the kiosk on the project pavilion, a team to manage the t-shirts, a team to co-organize an event—last evening was an escape room party to try to save Philip from a Kubernetes cluster that was corrupted. Any person from all the subgroups works together to get visibility for all of them. That includes not only events like KubeCon, but as well regular meetings, community discussions, mentorships with all the groups, and visibility for non-code contributions. Open source software doesn’t rely only on writing code, but as well the community around it. We create a bridge between our community and the open source project community. One important thing is showing that contribution is broader than code—documentation, community building, program support, event organization, speaking, advocacy, and communication all matter in open source, not only writing code. Merge Forward helps people who may have felt that open source was not for them. We open the door and lower the barrier. Sometimes the biggest barrier is not technical, it’s social. By building this supportive space and making pathways more visible, Merge Forward helps people move from observer to participant, from participant to contributor, and then to leader in open source projects.”
How to Get Involved: Join the CNCF Slack and Show Up
Getting involved with Merge Forward is simple. People can join the CNCF Slack, connect with the Merge Forward channel, and start by listening, showing up, and connecting with others. The best first step is often just joining a meeting, introducing yourself, and learning what is happening.
Q: How can people get involved, whether they are underrepresented or whether they want to become an ally?
Stéphane Este-Gracias: “Merge Forward uses the community tools managed by CNCF. You can use the CNCF Slack channel—we have a Merge Forward channel there. Just connect and start by listening, showing up, and connecting with people. You don’t need to come with a big plan. Often the best first step is to simply join a meeting, because we have a monthly meeting for all groups and the Merge Forward group as well. Introduce yourself and learn what is happening and try to help if you have time. If you are part of an underrepresented group, Merge Forward can be a place to find peers, support, and opportunities to contribute. If you are an ally, there is also a real role to play, like listening, amplifying, mentoring, improving accessibility, and making space for others. Contribution doesn’t have to be huge. Simple steps could be big ones for others. Sometimes it starts with attending a meeting, helping with an event like KubeCon, improving the documentation when something is wrong, or making one talk, one session, one project more accessible. Small actions matter and they build momentum over time.”
