An open letter to tech visionaries who could shape the future of open source and digital freedom
From left: Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose, Tim Ferriss, Jason Calacanis, Leo Laporte, and Ashton Kutcher
Dear Internet Superheroes (Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose, Tim Ferriss, Jason Calacanis, Leo Laporte, and Ashton Kutcher),
My name is Jeremy Person and like Gary Vaynerchuk (you are awesome) I have a last name which gets slaughtered (it is Person like a human). I’ve been watching your work with admiration — not in a weird way, but rather in a heroic, idolizing sort of way. I’m a fan because of your passion, knowledge, ideas, willingness to share, and love for connecting with others. I share many of these same passions and want to thank you for all you’ve done to share your ideas with the world.
Today, I want to discuss why we need your help to champion digital rights and open source initiatives in an increasingly closed digital ecosystem.
Standing Up for Digital Rights
I appreciate everything you’ve accomplished in the technology space over the years. The world needs Internet Superheroes who will stand up for our digital rights. Look at what Jason Calacanis is doing for individuals seeking Angel Investment funding. When threatened with legal action for challenging pay-to-pitch schemes, he didn’t back down — he said “bring it on,” even if it means selling his Tesla to fight. That’s courage worth celebrating.
At the end of your life, will you be more proud of making money with a company, or knowing that you helped change the world with your company or service? The world needs radical shifts in digital thinking that only influential voices like yours can catalyze.
The Open Source Opportunity
Open source has grown in popularity over the last 5 years, much of that thanks to Firefox. However, many people don’t realize there are numerous other open source applications that are more secure, provide better performance, and offer enhanced functionality and extensibility.
What makes open source great is also part of its downfall: it lacks the marketing machine that proprietary software enjoys, largely because it isn’t as immediately profitable. You won’t see Firefox commercials asking Internet Explorer users to make the switch anytime soon.
Since open source is largely a grassroots effort, we need help from influencers with large followings to show the world that open source isn’t just an option but often a superior one.
Search Engines: The Digital Celebrities
Social media platforms have become modern-day parties where we connect with others. As bloggers and content creators, we rely on these networks to drive traffic to our sites where deeper connections happen.
In this ecosystem, search engines are like celebrities we invite to our parties:
- If a club owner gets Paris Hilton to visit, it drives traffic and creates buzz
- Similarly, Google, Yahoo, and Bing drive traffic to our sites, with Google being the ultimate digital celebrity
- We need open source search alternatives, but nobody has successfully created one yet
- Relying exclusively on these companies for traffic creates potential long-term harm
We need Internet celebrities like you to help promote open web standards, open data standards, and free us from our information jail cells.
What We Need From You
Here’s how you can help transform our digital landscape:
- Develop open social media platforms (e.g., BuddyPress instead of Facebook, WordPress instead of Blogger)
- Champion data portability and export capabilities
- Promote open source software and services (we need advocates beyond the Linux community)
Help us, Internet Superheroes—as Princess Leia said in Star Wars: you’re our only hope.
A Legion of Digital Champions
The world needs a radical shift in digital thinking, and no single hero can accomplish this alone. We need a Legion of Superheroes to join forces—together, you’d be a formidable force against proprietary companies and outdated ways of thinking about our digital rights.
Each of you possesses unique powers and influence. Combined, you could truly transform our digital landscape and champion the causes of openness, data ownership, and user freedom.
Legion of Superheroes
Join the Movement
If you’re a digital influencer or know someone who could help champion these causes, please share this message and join our quest for a more open digital world.