> Now this is no longer viable and in fact it is simply helping competitors. So why do it then?
> The only open source that will remain will be the real open source projects that are true to the ethos.
Well, the second point seems like the answer to the previous question. The original model of monetizing FOSS -- support contracts, risk indemnification, etc., for an otherwise functionally equivalent product -- will still remain viable.
But those trying to thread the needle of trying to use open-source to push a "freemium" model are now going to hit a wall: if you were withholding features from the community version in order to paywall them for the premium version, and now AI has made it easy for users to add those features back without paying you, then you're screwed. The people who were going to use AI to bypass your paywall are still not going to be your customers, but you no longer have the differentiator to put you ahead of the competitors that were already closed-source to begin with for the customers who are willing to pay.
I originally deployed Cal.com because I wanted an open-source solution. But now, why would I choose a closed-source Cal.com over Calendly? If I'm forced to go SaaS, I'll probably go with the more widely used Calendly. If I'm not forced to go SaaS, I'll forego them both, and go back to something like EasyAppointments, knowing that I won't be in conflict with the authors if I choose to add my own "premium" features to it, whether with AI or by hand. All Cal.com did here was remove any chance that I'd ever pay them anything.