Foreword The world is doomed to innovate. We are in the middle of a major Open source and open standards together shape the open transformation where success no longer lies in simply deliv- technologies ecosystem in which collaborative technology devel- ering first-class products and first-class services. What is being opment and innovation flourish. While it is important to note that demanded and what is urgently needed is delivering first-class open source and open standards are different things, they are products and first-class services in a sustainable way. We are well intertwined in many ways. Open source software needs to imple- aware of the challenges societies and economies are facing. We are ment standards; open source is the preferred way for reference well aware of the urgency to combat climate change. Sustainability implementations that support the promulgation of standards is increasingly becoming the key differentiator and the driving and provide rapid feedback loops on functional improvements or force for innovation. identifying gaps; APIs, protocols, etc. are increasingly developed It is interesting to observe how innovation has become a common in open source and no longer in the traditional, descriptive way of objective. For sure, innovation is the basis for competitive advan- standardisation; and more. And one point is clear: in this context, tage in the market. Businesses take investments into R&D, strive only open standards really work well. for inventions and bring forward innovations for being a first Against this background, this report—The 2023 State of Open mover and for market success. Yet, innovation is increasingly not Standards—that the Linux Foundation Research prepared something that can solely be done in-house. Innovation in the IT provides highly valuable insights into needs and expectations world is increasingly done in open, collaborative ecosystems with regarding standardisation. It illustrates that the role of open stan- all players—industry, public, academia, etc.—working together. dards in IT for addressing the challenges of our time can hardly Open source software development has been the major driver of be overestimated. The report, as it were, sets a new standard for innovation in the IT sector. And competitive differentiation takes analysis and investigation of the impact of standardisation for the place on top of those collaborative innovations. global marketplace. It will appeal to business and technology strat- In addition, innovation as a common objective has become a egists, academics and policymakers in the same way, supporting focus topic for governments around the globe. Innovation and informed decision-making as well as new thinking when it comes openness are critical for tackling the challenges societies and to what is needed most: driving innovation for business success economies are facing. Governments review their policies and regu- and for the common good. Congratulations on this great work—I latory approaches with this perspective. They define respective wish everyone an enjoyable read. strategies and implement legal frameworks, aiming at promoting Dr Jochen Friedrich, IBM innovation and accelerating the digital and green transformation. And they increasingly recognise the value and benefit of open source and open standards development. THE 2023 STATE OF OPEN STANDARDS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE TRANSITION TO OPEN STANDARDS 4