TL;DR

I was once a technology fanatic—an evangelist who walked into every meeting preaching open source as a mission. Then I learned a lesson that reshaped my thinking: customers don’t care about ideology, they care about solutions. Passion is the fuel, but pragmatism is the compass. The best technologists are vendor-agnostic, focusing on what solves the problem rather than what fits their beliefs.

The Evangelist Phase

I was once a fanatic. Today, I am pragmatic.

Back in my startup days, I walked into every client meeting as an evangelist for Linux and Open Source. To me, it wasn’t just technology—it was a mission. A belief system. A cause worth fighting for.

Every conversation became an opportunity to convert. Every technology choice became a referendum on values. I wasn’t just recommending solutions; I was preaching a gospel.

And like most zealots, I was convinced I was right.

The Lesson That Changed Everything

Then came a moment that stopped me cold.

Someone I respected raised an eyebrow and said simply: “No Open Source.”

I was shocked. Did that mean everything I believed in had no place here? Was my entire worldview being dismissed?

But the explanation that followed wasn’t about rejecting Open Source. It was about shifting perspective.

Don’t be fanatic. Be pragmatic.

The point wasn’t that open source was wrong. The point was that my approach was wrong. I had been so focused on the technology I believed in that I had forgotten to focus on what the customer actually needed.

The Vendor-Agnostic Mindset

This thinking reshaped how I approach technology decisions:

  • Be vendor agnostic. Don’t marry a platform or a philosophy.
  • Focus on the customer’s need of the hour. Not your preferred solution.
  • Use the best technology available—branded or open source—without bias.

This doesn’t mean abandoning principles. It means recognizing that technology choices should serve outcomes, not ideologies.

Open source remains powerful. Enterprise platforms have their place. The question isn’t which one is “right”—it’s which one solves this specific problem, for this specific customer, at this specific moment.

The Technology Zealot’s Trap

Technology zealotry is seductive because it simplifies decisions. If you believe one approach is always superior, you never have to think hard about alternatives. You never have to admit uncertainty.

But this simplicity comes at a cost:

  • You stop listening. Every conversation becomes a pitch instead of a discovery.
  • You miss better solutions. Because they don’t fit your predetermined framework.
  • You alienate people. Customers sense when you’re selling an ideology rather than solving their problem.
  • You lose credibility. When your recommended solution fails, it damages trust in everything you advocate.

Passion and Pragmatism

The lesson wasn’t to abandon passion. Passion matters. It drives curiosity, persistence, and excellence.

But passion without pragmatism is just noise.

Passion is the fuel, but pragmatism is the compass.

The best technologists I know care deeply about their craft. They have strong opinions about architecture, security, and design. But they hold those opinions loosely enough to change course when evidence suggests a different path.

They listen more than they talk. They ask questions before proposing solutions. They focus on outcomes rather than inputs.

Fanaticism vs. Pragmatism

Fanaticism makes us talk. Pragmatism makes us listen.

The fanatic enters a room knowing the answer. The pragmatist enters a room trying to understand the question.

The fanatic sees every problem through the lens of their preferred solution. The pragmatist sees every solution through the lens of the actual problem.

The fanatic measures success by how often their approach wins. The pragmatist measures success by how well the customer’s problem gets solved.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here’s what took me years to accept: customers don’t care about your ideology. They don’t care whether you’re passionate about open source or enterprise platforms or cloud-native architecture.

They care about whether their problem gets solved. Reliably. Affordably. On time.

Your job isn’t to convert them to your worldview. Your job is to understand their world and offer something that makes it better.

Sometimes that means open source. Sometimes it means proprietary solutions. Sometimes it means a hybrid approach that would have offended my younger, more ideological self.

The Balance

Today, my approach reflects this balance:

  • Strong opinions, loosely held
  • Deep expertise, wide curiosity
  • Clear preferences, flexible execution
  • Passion for craft, focus on outcomes

I still believe in open source. I still advocate for community-driven technologies. But I no longer treat it as a religion. I treat it as one powerful tool among many.

The best technology decisions aren’t made by fanatics or cynics. They’re made by pragmatists who care deeply but think clearly.

Who in your journey helped you strike the balance between passion and pragmatism?

Editorial Note

This article was originally published on LinkedIn and has been revised for uk4.in.

Original publication date: 2025-09-18

Original link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ukjaiswal_leadership-opensource-customerfirst-activity-7374138765394690048-3Eao/