Google Will Pay You to Make the Internet Better

By Tim Beyers – Oct 12, 2013 at 7:00PM

NASDAQ: GOOGL

Alphabet

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(0.55%) $0.87

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Price as of April 24, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET

The search king wants to improve the underpinnings of the Internet.

Should Google (GOOGL 0.55%) be paying bounties to fix open-source software it doesn't control? Absolutely, Fool contributor Tim Beyers says in the following video.

Specifically, Google is paying between $500 and $3,133 for patches to any of a number of different Internet-related software projects. Rewards are to be given for patches that show a "demonstrable, significant, and proactive" impact on the security of a project such as OpenSSH or OpenSSL.

Investors should love that, Tim argues. Google can't exist without the functional shared infrastructure we call the Internet. Anything that strengthens the Web's foundation is ultimately good for the business.

Do you agree, or do you believe Google is wasting capital by paying for open-source patches? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take, and then leave a comment to let us know where you stand.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Google at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.

The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Facebook and Google. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.