OpenJDK is one of the world's most influential open source communities. It drives the reference implementation of Java SE and the Java Virtual Machine, a programming language and runtime environment used daily by millions of software developers. More than that, the community drives its innovation - 15 years and counting of new language features, core library additions, performance improvements, runtime enhancements, and new tooling.

But how does it all work? How does a community of Java enthusiasts, often financed by some of the biggest tech companies yet working with self-determination, turn ideas into designs into code into features you can use in your IDE? Well, let me explain (in this talk).