Politics of the unpolitical

This chapter examines the emerging algorithmic futures within the open-source coding community on GitHub. Building upon the framework of sociotechnical imaginaries, the study explores how coders on GitHub imagine the future and explain their day-to-day work on code. Through ethnographic methods, including nine semi-structured interviews, the chapter explores the ethical and political implications of code creation, particularly the ideals of the ‘greater good’ that underpin these practices. The analysis of the coders’ imaginaries and the platform’s inherent structure reveals a tension between the democratic ideals of open-source software (OSS) and the emergence of authoritarian figures such as the Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL), who may play a decisive role in shaping the future of technology. Ultimately, the chapter contributes to the broader discourse on how algorithmic futures are negotiated and constructed, positioning GitHub as a critical site for understanding the ethical problematisation and sociopolitical dynamics of technological development.