In most conversations about open source, it is framed as strictly technical.
Debates over tools, licenses, and development are the first things that come to mind when many think about open source. But as AI continues to change and shape the digital world, it's time we consider how openness can unlock innovation in much more than tech. Last week, the GW OSPO team had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Frank Nagle, MIT Research Scientist, Harvard lecturer, and Chief Economist at the Linux Foundation, whom we are excited to bring on board as a keynote speaker at OSCON 2026!
Before entering academia, Nagle’s career focused on cybersecurity, observing open source gain traction and popularity as a cornerstone of tech infrastructure. One day, an executive approved the release of internal tools as open source, without any economic analysis to support the decision. This prompted the question that drives Nagle’s research:
“Economists measure everything based on price and quantity, and in open source, price is generally zero, and quantity is… we have no idea, because people can copy it for free, so we have no idea how much of it is out there. How do we measure stuff that has a price of zero when we know it's creating a whole lot of value?”
Open Productivity: Contributing Pays Off
Intuition says it's no surprise that open source boosts productivity; with no price tag and reliable output, it can replace proprietary components efficiently.
To his surprise, companies that give back become more productive than those that consume only.
Contribution to open source strengthens the tools companies depend on and provides expert input. Openness isn’t charity, it’s strategy. Today at the Linux Foundation, Nagle is developing ROI calculators for organizations to determine if open source participation is “worth it.” While more than 98% of companies use open source, far fewer contribute due to misunderstandings that underestimate the economic benefits.
Nagle argues that open source enables companies to innovate by circumventing the infrastructure bottleneck. Instead of spending resources on building infrastructure from scratch, they can invest in new features, products, and ideas.
Startups today don’t have to spend funds on “infrastructure and servers and operating systems, …they can get all of that through the cloud and open source for pennies, and use their money on actually innovating and creating new products.”
But this isn’t just true for Silicon Valley startups. Across his work with organizations such as the World Bank, the UN, and international governments, Nagle has seen people leapfrog barriers that appeared insurmountable merely a decade ago. One example? Nigerian teams recently retrained an open Large Language Model on African languages and cultural data–something that would have taken significantly longer and more resources without open access to the model.
Turning the Tide on Misconceptions
Despite the explosive growth we’ve seen in open-source infrastructure, it’s hard to deny that confusion and misinformation still run rampant around AI systems. The most common hurdle for companies is the fear that using an open model will also make their personal data public. Not only is that incorrect, Nagle notes, but in many cases open models can enhance data control because they run locally rather than on a provider’s servers. This misunderstanding is contributing to significant financial losses:
“Companies could be saving themselves about $25 billion by using open models that are actually better and cheaper than the closed models that they’re currently using.”
Dr. Nagle sees the future of AI hinging on whether systems become siloed and proprietary, as today’s social media platforms are, or interoperable and collaborative, powered by open standards. The Linux Foundation’s recent launch of the Agentic AI Foundation is dedicated to building a world where AI can communicate across systems rather than walled gardens–inspiring faster, more collaborative innovation that benefits users.
Closing Thoughts: Navigating the Job Market
Aside from his impressive background and diverse experience, GW OSPO was curious to know if Nagle had any advice for people entering the choppy waters of the current job market:
“It's always been about showing the value that you can add to a company, right? Understand what skills you have, both from the classroom and from your own experiences. Networking is also way more important than it used to be…think about who you know, who your professors know…think about who everybody you've ever met, who they know, and how they may help open a door.”
Dr. Nagle has a wealth of knowledge on the intersection of economics and open source, and he’s made it clear that its implications reach far beyond code. His OSCON 2026 keynote promises a unique perspective: economics and open source are a critical lens for understanding the future of technology. We hope to see you there!