Written by thoughtbot, your expert partner for design and development. https://robots.thoughtbot.com/ 2026-05-20T00:00:00+00:00 thoughtbot Chad Pytel and Ran Craycraft https://thoughtbot.com/blog/why-thoughtbot-is-joining-the-ruby-alliance 2026-05-20T00:00:00+00:00 2026-05-19T19:17:13Z <p>For more than two decades, Ruby has shaped how we think about software development at thoughtbot. It influenced how we write code, how we collaborate, how we teach, and how we build products alongside our clients. Many of the practices, tools, and ideas that define our company today were either born from or heavily influenced by the Ruby community.</p> <p>Ruby also helped shape our careers, friendships, businesses, and opportunities. That’s a big part of why we’re excited to share that thoughtbot is joining the Ruby Alliance alongside Gusto as a founding company.</p> <h2 id="what-is-the-ruby-alliance"> What is the Ruby Alliance? </h2> <p>The Ruby Alliance is a new coalition of companies making a long-term financial and operational commitment to the sustainability of Ruby infrastructure and the broader ecosystem.</p> <p>The Alliance was created around a simple idea that the long-term health of Ruby should not depend on only a small number of maintainers, volunteers, or companies carrying the responsibility alone. We believe strongly in this idea.</p> <p>RubyGems.org, Bundler, ecosystem security, conferences, education, and community initiatives are all part of the shared infrastructure Ruby developers and businesses rely on every day. Sustaining that infrastructure requires more than appreciation. It requires ongoing investment, operational support, and shared stewardship from the organizations that benefit from Ruby’s continued success.</p> <h2 id="why-we-joined"> Why we joined </h2> <p>Joining the Ruby Alliance felt like a natural extension of who we already are.</p> <p>We’ve always believed in contributing back to the communities and ecosystems that support our work. Over the years, that has included:</p> <ul> <li>Authoring and maintaining open source libraries and tools</li> <li>Developing custom training and tutorials</li> <li>Presenting conference talks and mentorship</li> <li>Community organizing and hosting events</li> <li>Helping teams build and scale Ruby applications thoughtfully</li> </ul> <p>Ruby infrastructure also has a direct connection to thoughtbot’s history. The creator of RubyGems.org worked at thoughtbot when the project was originally launched as <a href="https://github.com/rubygems/gemcutter">Gemcutter</a>, and thoughtbot contributed the original design for the project. Supporting the long-term sustainability of Ruby infrastructure feels deeply aligned with the role Ruby has played in our company’s story.</p> <p>Ruby has given us an enormous amount to be thankful for over the last 23 years. Participating in the Ruby Alliance is one way we can help ensure the ecosystem remains healthy, stable, innovative, and community-driven for the long term and we’re grateful to <a href="https://rubycentral.org/">Ruby Central</a> for inviting us to participate.</p> <p>We believe this is an important time for the Ruby community to thoughtfully shape what the next chapter of stewardship looks like together. We’re proud to be participating early in that effort and excited to collaborate alongside the other companies, maintainers, organizers, and contributors helping move everyone forward.</p> <aside class="related-articles"><h2>If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://thoughtbot.com/blog/this-week-in-open-source-6-30">This Week in Open Source (June 30, 2023)</a></li> <li><a href="https://thoughtbot.com/blog/happy-new-year">Happy New Year</a></li> <li><a href="https://thoughtbot.com/blog/klang-strongbox">Klang and Strongbox</a></li> </ul></aside>

thoughtbot is joining the Ruby Alliance, a coalition of companies investing in the long-term sustainability of Ruby infrastructure and the broader ecosystem. Here’s why we believe shared stewardship matters for Ruby’s future.

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