Open Source Everything
The effect of Open Sourced Software on the world is undeniable. From Android and Linux, which are used by literal billions of people, to Wordpress, GIMP, VLC, and Firefox, OSS (Open sourced software) is truly utilized by everyone, in nearly every aspect of their daily lives. This doesn’t even include the millions of open sourced softwares embedded in the web for every day use. Yet, the tech industry is still the most prosperous on earth, with Silicon Valley accounting for a higher GDP output than Finland (roughly $275 billion per year), and all tech stocks accounting for roughly 1/5th of the worlds economic output.
How is it than an industry that drives the entire planets economy can be based off of something free-to-use, and still be valuable? Simple: Everyone in the industry benefits from the common core of open source tech - They utilize this common base to propel their proprietary technology farther than it could have ever gone without the OSS. The sum of all these parts is greater than the whole. They don’t prosper despite the free software, they prosper because of the free software.
So, why cant Open Source principles be applied to other industries? Why can’t farming equipment have a common core of open sourced hardware for all farmers in all parts of the world to use? Why cant there be open sourced genetics, where GMO foods are cataloged, modified, and shared by farmers, both with CRISPR and with natural methods? What about building materials and designs? Medicines? Economic data? Camera tech?
The potential in all industries of what is possible when Open Source principles are applied is staggering. Organizations, both public and private, could have a shared design understanding across entire disciplines, making everyones products work better, sharply increasing both competition and performance for consumers, and in turn increase market saturation and profits for everyone.
Specialized companies could still stay specialized. If you offer a particular service that utilized ideas you created, you would have no obligation to share those secrets: Instead, you would have the option to base them on a common footprint of ideas shared by industry leaders, non-profit orgs, and failed businesses that have released their own ideas for the common market to use. Their incentive to do this is two-fold: One - if they are an industry leader - is a way to offload old ideas into the market and build pedigree and reputation among the industry - it shows you are not just a leader, but a supporter, of the industry you participate in. Second - if they are a startup - is to prove your capabilities so that prospective buyers, investors, etc can gauge your prowess on the market. Finally, a failed business might want to offload its ideas that have not sold as a gesture of goodwill - this is something we simply don’t do right now, but there’s no reason we couldn’t.
All in all, the benefits of encouraging Open Source principles in new industries is obvious. I predict that if another industry, like farming, decided to adopt this model they would see huge success from its adoption over time. I personally believe that OS principles could become a polestar for economic growth in the future, and would very likely lead to the rapid technological expansion of any given industry once employed. The future quite literally could be now.