Qualcomm to Acquire Arduino

Re:Qualcomm to Acquire Arduino by pclmulqdq on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @09:51AM (#45503068)

Arduino has always been a naked cash grab disguised as a "hacker-friendly nonprofit." The gross margin on their boards is >90%, and yeah, the software is mostly a ripoff of wiring.

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Re:Qualcomm to Acquire Arduino by crumpled on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @11:59AM (#45504812)

The software was based on Processing. It was never a secret, just open source working as intended. It doesn't look the same any more.

A non-profit is still a business. Success is necessary for existence.

Think about the number of companies that have been created to make, or heavily specialize in Arduino clones and accessories without having to pay Arduino a cent because the designs were intentionally open-sourced. It doesn't sound like a naked cash grab to me.

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Re:Qualcomm to Acquire Arduino by theon144 on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @01:57PM (#45506454)

I have troubles calling something a "cash grab" when it's been arguably the single most influential project in the hacker/maker/DIY electronics space.

I don't doubt the boards could've been sold cheaper, but they clearly were doing something right given how much it changed the hobbyist landscape

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Re:Qualcomm to Acquire Arduino by pclmulqdq on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @04:58PM (#45508774)

Great businesses can still be cash grabs. In fact, many of them are. Very few of those dress themselves up as a nonprofit (aside from Arduino and OpenAI).

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