I think developers do. Very much so. if they didn't every developer on this thread and this site would have been publishing their best work as open source. We know that is not the case. The people that write open source code are either academics, working on the project while being funded by their employers, have a business around it, trying to build up some resume credit or building or aspiring to build a business around their projects. There is of course the "hack project" or learning in progress project that one could publish, depending on one's reputation and standards People who are full time working professionals and have additional personal responsibilities could not be publishing and maintaining high quality open source. This is a shame, because those people would probably produce very high quality open source code if only they could afford to pay the bills in the meantime. What I am wondering though is whether the funding through something like this Open Collective initiative could ever match market rate a professional would command in a developed economy.

Open source, like open science, is public good, that's value enough for me. It's a way to do good that's both aligned with my principles and personally stimulating. I'm not motivated by points or stars, recognition, money or self-worth, and I suspect I'm not in the minority.

Monetize your Github stars with a NFT.