Free software and money have always had a peculiar relationship. Many peoples are perplexed that libre licensed works can exist at all, when apparently no one is paid to maintain and develop them. Bitcoin has become a global phenomenon in recent months, and may become worth $100 or $100,000 by the end of this year; no one knows what might happen. Long time libre font activist Dave Crossland discusses the promise of programmable money for making free software financially sustainable.

Dave Crossland attended the first Libre Graphics Meeting in 2006, and became fascinated with the potential of unrestricted licensing to improve the design process. He spent the last 10 years working to liberate typography, mainly as a program manager for Google Fonts. He regularly contributes to the Crafting Type, TruFont and Metapolator projects.