Open source advocate Sujata Tibrewala says youth innovators and global governments are reimagining open tech as the backbone of public interest infrastructure
As the world increasingly turns to open-source solutions to tackle its most complex challenges, the United Nations Open Source Week 2025, held at UN headquarters in New York City from June 16 to 20, emerged as a vital global forum for digital innovation and cooperation. Now in its third year, the event brought together technologists, policymakers, and changemakers from around the world to exchange ideas, build digital public infrastructure (DPI), and co-create open-source solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s program featured a dynamic mix of networking sessions, expert panels, and hands-on hackathons under the banner of “UN Tech Over,” highlighting the power of collaborative technology in driving inclusive progress.
California-based Sujata Tibrewala, a seasoned technology leader and community strategist whose most recent role involved driving open-source engagement at ByteDance, attended the week-long event, which emphasized community participation and the development of scalable, open tools.
With a career spanning global tech giants like Intel, Cisco, and Ericsson, Tibrewala brings decades of experience in scaling open-source initiatives that bridge corporate goals with community-driven innovation. She has led the development of over 50 open-source projects and played a pivotal role in advancing technologies such as OneAPI, 5G, edge computing, and software-defined networking.
In this conversation, she reflects on her experience at the 2025 UN Open Source Week, the power of global collaboration in tech and the future of open source.
The American Bazaar: You recently returned from UN Open Source Week in New York. As someone who also attended last year, what was your biggest takeaway in 2025? Were there any noticeable shifts in focus, tone, or global participation that stood out to you?
Sujata Tibrewala:One of the most significant takeaways for me this year was seeing just how much global momentum there is around Digital Public Goods (DPGs). Unlike past years, where open source conversations centered more on individual tools or technologies, 2025 really emphasized cross-border government collaboration. This was seen particularly in foundational services like digital wallets, secure authentication, and equitable access to AI infrastructure. There’s a clear shift toward building interoperable, open systems that can serve as global public infrastructure. The fact that countries are not only adopting but co-developing these tools signals a new era of digital cooperation — one where public interest tech is no longer an afterthought but a shared global priority.
You saw youth leaders using open-source tech for climate challenges. Can you share one standout solution that impressed you?
What really stood out this year was how youth leaders are not just talking about climate change but tare actively building open-source solutions tailored to the unique challenges their communities face. At the UN Tech Over Challenge, I was especially inspired by innovators like Tiago Maluta and Zhijun He, who showcased community-driven approaches that merged environmental urgency with technological creativity. Tiago, for instance, presented a tool to help track deforestation and biodiversity loss using open geospatial data, empowering local action through accessible tech. Zhijun, meanwhile, focused on open-source tools for air quality monitoring in densely populated urban areas. What impressed me most was the emphasis on scalability and transparency — these weren’t just prototypes, but solutions designed to be adapted and improved by others around the world. It’s a powerful reminder of how open-source ecosystems can amplify grassroots innovation and turn youthful idealism into practical, replicable action.
“Tech neutrality” was a recurring theme. How would you explain it, and why does it matter in open-source adoption?
Open source is currently dominated by western tech companies and the problems they are trying to solve are very “first world problems.” Hence, it is important for people who are left behind to use open source to solve the problems they are facing. But this is the best-case scenario. At its very worst, technology carries the same biases as humans, the prejudice, racism, classism all exist and hence there should be guardrails for the technology to be transparent to how decisions are arrived at so corrections can be made. We can see its implications already in automated car accidents, in how recruitment happens, loans are disbursed, immigrants are targeted and drones kill innocent people.
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What’s stopping governments and enterprises from fully embracing open source today?
One major barrier for governments adopting open source is concern over data sovereignty — the need to protect national data and maintain control over digital infrastructure. Open source offers transparency, which is a strength because anyone can inspect and improve the code. But that same transparency can also make systems more vulnerable to attacks if not properly secured.
At this year’s event, I noticed a growing effort from private sector players to strengthen the security of open-source tools, making them more viable for government and enterprise adoption. Building trust through security is key to broader uptake.
In your view, what’s the next big shift needed to make open source truly global and inclusive?
The next major shift requires strong political will to mandate that private entities contribute to open source projects, even when those contributions do not generate direct profit. Many essential services that governments rely on should remain non-monetized, much like pro bono work in the legal profession or public taxation. Since the United Nations depends on its member states, it is crucial that these countries come together to recognize the value of open source and commit to supporting it collectively.