Mark Zuckerberg says his goal for the next decade is to build open-source platforms and have them win

“Are they going to be the closed integrated model that Apple has always done? Which, again, there are multiple good ways to build things,” he said. “In the PC era, Windows with the open ecosystem was the leader.”

The closed model is often more secure because the software’s source code is not publicly available. Meanwhile, an open-source model can help a technology develop more quickly and become more democratic because the source code is available to the general public, who can modify and redistribute it.

“Part of my goal for the next 10-15 years, the next generation of platforms, is to build the next generation of open platforms and have the open platforms win,” Zuckerberg said. “I think that’s going to lead to a much more vibrant tech industry.”

Zuck has already made strides in that direction. In 2023, Meta released Llama 2, a (mostly) open-source AI model that quickly became a hit among the tech community.

It’s not without risks, though. Bad actors can co-opt open-source models. Meta’s Llama 2 could give users detailed instructions on how to make anthrax, something Zuckerberg faced some heat for on Capitol Hill. He argued that similar information can be found elsewhere, too.

In July, Zuckerberg received props across the tech industry when Meta released the open-source Llama 3.1, which some industry execs called an “incredible gift” at the time.