Open-source bonuses for the big guys

July 30, 2009, 12:17pm PDT | Length: 00:03:18
At the AlwaysOn Summit at Stanford University, panelists discuss benefits that huge companies like Google and Facebook could get from embracing open source, such as third-party developers integrating their products into new application versions and easier connectivity with emerging technologies. Panelists include Ron Yekutiel, CEO of Kaltura; Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource; and moderator Matt Asay, vice president of business development at Alfresco and a member of the CNET Blog Network.

Transcript

Open-source bonuses for the big guys

And open source companies have been looking for years for ways to actually solve this deficiency that they have which is how the heck do I make money giving free stuff away. Software As A Service seems to provide a way out of that or a solution to that but now we're actually seeing the inverse where you have Facebook, Google, Etc these cloud or SAS companies however you want to say it that are in turn open sourcing key parts of their technology and the question is why? I mean why does Google care? It's making gobs of money. Facebook is making a fair amount of money. What does what does open source give them that SAS doesn't?

That's a good question by the way Cultura assumed spelling is a commercial company we're not a 501C3 a lot of people look in open source and say this is just about you know giving away the love which it is. I don't think the first answer is there's no dissonance between doing good and doing well and if you do it right you can do it good and do it well. I think that a lot of the proprietor vendors are looking at open source not as a philosophy but as a distribution strategy and as a development strategy that enables them to achieve better what it is that they want to do inaudible.

But specifically for Google, Facebook etc they're not trying to get distribution out of it they've already got distribution what benefit do they get from.

Well if we look at Google, Facebook in a second we can talk about the rest inaudible etc. I think it's about A having 3rd party developers in the ecosystem that be able to take stuff that you do and in a better way integrate that into different things that they have. I think that the world is more towards a platform today than it is about discreet occurrences, or discreet services, or discreet products and boasts it's more about intertwine classes of service into 3rd party solutions. So the best way to lower down the break down the wall gardens and to let 3rd party developers integrate what it is you do is to completely open it up and that enables and trickles down your services to everywhere else. It is more so relevant in a place where you've established yourself as a known brand leader so nobody could really steal away the pie and become Google number 2, you're not afraid of that much and the second is you could give away the stick and charge for the knife if you may so the ability for people to integrate different things, let's say like Chrome being open source enables them eventually anyway to come back to Google for the advertising part.

Ok.

So you're not necessarily cannibalizing what it is that's driving the revenue at the same time they're getting more integration, more development, easier connection points into that

inaudible you make.

Alright so there are open sourcing compliments to drive value for the core is that? Kim so you have a hosted service?

Right.

And I'm not sure actually if open source plays any role in there but you've had enough experience around here would you concur with what Ron said or is there something something that he missed?

No I think it's absolutely right. Facebook just his week and Google both open source new components and services I think they're just basically making their platforms that much more valuable the more people that are building on them providing services the more rich the service gets. So I think that's exactly what they're doing and it's very intelligent.

==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====

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Talkback Most Recent of 18 Talkback(s)

  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    I think that the huge companies such as Google and Facebook will get benefits from education news and open source. k l
    ZDNet Gravatar
    edward polling
    4th Jul
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    @edward polling The whole real reason for this is not that open source stuff is easy, is because it's cheap. pembe maske energy balance oyna oyunu moliva orjin krem tutune son nanomatik complex 41
    ZDNet Gravatar
    gaberdiye03
    21st Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    Google has a new CEO as co-founder Larry Page steps up to the plate. Eric Schmidt hangs around as Chairman to deal with strategy and government relations and the big picture. Page?s other half Sergey Brin will focus on products. And that?s where things are going to be interesting.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    On the surface, this role change looks pretty harmless. Roles are changing a bit, but the odd collaboration trio of Page, Schmidt and Brin will remain intact (full story, earnings, Schmidt blog, Techmeme). However, there are challenges ahead. Here?s a look at some of the larger ones that Page will have to deal with.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    Thinking quarterly. A CEO?s success is measured three months at a time. Google hasn?t had to worry about that too much since
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    the search giant makes gobs of cash?at least enough to invest heavily in data centers, big buildings
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    in New York City and bonuses to keep people. Page was largely insulated from that song and dance.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    As CEO, it?s distraction city. Page will have to talk to media, government types and Wall Street
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    analysts. That?s a bit different than ?the spend 10 percent of your time motif Google has going on.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    Putting doubts to rest. Schmidt inadvertently put a lot of pressure on Page. On an earnings conference call, Schmidt said
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    I want to say very clearly that I believe Larry is ready. He has been working on this area for a
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    long time. His ideas are very interesting and clever, and it is time for him to have a shot at running this and doing it, and I?m sure he will do a fantastic job. It is interesting that a
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    decade goes by very fast when you work in a partnership as wonderful as this has been, and
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    26th Jun
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    I?m quite sure that this partnership will continue. We are friends. We are website from the sky ipad bag blog of best sutudeg community the modern education news and coworkers.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    20th Jul
  • RE: Open-source bonuses for the big guys
    The big question here is whether Page is ready to be CEO. Weve seen this founder-CEO thing before. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is a great example of success. Former Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang is an example of a management debacle. Page will have to prove he is ready. Rest assured questions will be raised the second Google hiccups.

    Schmidts shadow. Adding to this pressure on Page is the fact that Schmidt is still there. In Googles history, Schmidt was the grown-up manager to the two co-founders/visionaries. However, Page is like a CEO who still lives at home. Schmidts shadow remains. It would almost be easier if Schmidt werent hovering.

    Pages presence. Page may have been involved in the day-to-day operations, but he hasnt really had the big stage to himself. How will Page carry a keynote? Schmidt had a veterans view and a lot of presence based on experience. Pages persona is a work in ipad bag blog of best sutudeg community the modern education news and country progress.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Linux Love
    20th Jul

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