S2 Ep. 21 Tim O’Reilly – How Software is Infusing the World and What it Means

If you’ve heard any of the terms “open source software”, “web 2.0”, or “government as a platform”, you’ll be familiar with today’s guest – Tim O’Reilly – who has helped popularise these big ideas.  

Tim is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past 35 years. The company's online learning and knowledge-on-demand platform at oreilly.com is used by thousands of enterprises and millions of individuals worldwide, and has a long history of convening conversations that reshape the computer industry.  Tim is also a partner at early-stage venture firm O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and on the board of Code for America. He is the author of many technical books published by O’Reilly Media, and most recently ‘WTF?: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us’. 

He is a visiting professor of practice at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London, headed by Mariana Mazzucato – mentioned more than once in this conversation – and is working on a new book about why we need to rethink antitrust in the era of internet-scale platforms.

In today’s episode, which is the Grand Finale for this season, we explore the future of internet-enabled organizations, and how to think about value creation and regulation of these tech-companies.  Listen on to find out what we can learn from the Golden Age of the internet, how platforms like Google and Amazon have lost their way over the years - and are now breeding their own competition - and what Tim thinks about Government-funded innovations. As the software industry is becoming more at the heart of everything in society, we need to create systems that enable more value than they capture. 

If you want to hang on a bit after Tim’s final words, the co-hosts bring a brief wrap-up of the season and let you know the next plans for Boundaryless research activities. It’s been quite a ride this season too, and we are so grateful for both our loyal listeners and every guest who are pushing the boundaries of the future of organizing.

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our Medium publication: https://platformdesigntoolkit.com/podcast-S2E21-Tim-O'Reilly 

To find out more about Tim’s work:

> Website: https://www.oreilly.com/ 

> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timo3 

> Twitter: https://twitter.com/timoreilly

Other references and mentions:

> Brad Stone, Amazon Unbound, 2021: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Unbound-Brad-Stone/dp/1398500968

> Tim O’Reilly, ‘Why Elon Musk Is So Rich?’, 2021: https://www.oreilly.com/radar/why-elon-musk-is-so-rich/

> Tim O’Reilly, ‘The End of Silicon Valley as We Know It?’, 2021: https://www.oreilly.com/radar/the-end-of-silicon-valley-as-we-know-it/

> Tim O’Reilly, WTF?: What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us, 2017, https://www.amazon.co.uk/WTF-Whats-Future-Why-Its/dp/0062565710/

>  Adam Smith, Supermoney, 1972: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supermoney-Wiley-Investment-Classics-Smith/dp/0471786314/r

> Time O’Reilly, ‘The End of Silicon Valley as We Know It?’, 2021: https://www.oreilly.com/radar/the-end-of-silicon-valley-as-we-know-it/

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at www.platformdesigntoolkit.com/podcast

Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: www.platformdesigntoolkit.com/music

Recorded on 24 June 2021.