Fueling innovative software
July 15-18, 2019
Portland, OR

Maps, weapons, and open source

Simon Wardley (Leading Edge Forum)
4:35pm5:05pm Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Open Source, Open@Amazon , Sponsored
Location: F150/151
Average rating: *****
(5.00, 4 ratings)

Simon Wardley examines the importance of maps and situational awareness in competition. Using examples from gov, cloud, and serverless, he explores not only what forms of change can be anticipated but how to influence the market in your favor. In particular, he looks at the role of open source: Is it a powerful weapon (in the hands of the skillful) or a random dud?

Photo of Simon Wardley

Simon Wardley

Leading Edge Forum

Simon Wardley is a researcher for the Leading Edge Forum focused on the intersection of IT strategy and new technologies. Simon is a seasoned executive who has spent the last 15 years defining future IT strategies for companies in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail, and IT industries—from Canon’s early leadership in the cloud computing space to Ubuntu’s recent dominance as the top cloud operating system. As a geneticist with a love of mathematics and a fascination for economics, Simon has always found himself dealing with complex systems, whether in behavioral patterns, the environmental risks of chemical pollution, developing novel computer systems, or managing companies. He’s a passionate advocate and researcher in the fields of open source, commoditization, innovation, organizational structure, and cybernetics. Simon’s most recent published research, “Clash of the Titans: Can China Dethrone Silicon Valley?” assesses the high-tech challenge from China and what this means to the future of global technology industry competition. His previous research covers topics including the nature of technological and business change over the next 20 years, value chain mapping, strategies for an increasingly open economy, Web 2.0, and a lifecycle approach to cloud computing. Simon is a regular presenter at conferences worldwide and has been voted one of the UK’s top 50 most influential people in IT in Computer Weekly’s 2011 and 2012 polls.