Open Standards
A principle advocated by Chamath Palihapitiya and Joe Lonsdale for government procurement, calling for transparent, published standards and evaluation criteria to ensure fair competition and prevent cronyism.
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7/26/2025, 1:53:55 AM
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7/26/2025, 2:25:48 AM
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7/26/2025, 1:56:39 AM
Summary
Open standards are openly accessible and usable by anyone, often featuring open licenses that allow for extensibility and typically permit broad participation in their development. While there isn't a single, universally agreed-upon definition, these standards are exemplified by technologies like GSM, 4G, and 5G, which enable global mobile phone functionality. In discussions about government reform, transparent open standards have been proposed as a direct method to combat cronyism in government procurement, a call strongly made by Joe Lonsdale. They are crucial for fostering innovation, ensuring interoperability, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency across various industries by providing a common framework for different systems and devices to work together seamlessly.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Distinction
Not the same as open source (an open standard is defined in a document, not an implementation)
Accessibility
Openly accessible and usable by anyone
Market Impact
Aimed at creating unrestricted competition between vendors and unrestricted choice for users
Vendor Control
Immune to vendor capture at all stages in its life-cycle
Cost Implication
Royalty-free, more affordable than proprietary ones
Example Standard
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)
Development Process
Developed, approved, and maintained via a collaborative and consensus-driven process
Key Characteristics
Promotes compatibility, interoperability, and innovation; designed to be adaptable and evolve over time
License Requirement
Often features an open license that provides for extensibility
Definition Consensus
No single, universally agreed-upon definition
Development Participation
Typically permits broad participation in their development
Timeline
- Joe Lonsdale, during an episode of the All-In Podcast discussing the Donald Trump administration, strongly called for the implementation of transparent open standards as direct countermeasures to endemic cronyism in government procurement. (Source: Related Document e5a1c16b-e8a8-479e-9359-6482ace95c6c)
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Wikipedia
View on WikipediaOpen standard
An open standard is a standard that is openly accessible and usable by anyone. It is also a common prerequisite that open standards use an open license that provides for extensibility. Typically, anybody can participate in their development due to their inherently open nature. There is no single definition, and interpretations vary with usage. Examples of open standards include the GSM, 4G, and 5G standards that allow most modern mobile phones to work world-wide.
Web Search Results
- Open standard - Wikipedia
Wikipedia # Open standard An open standard is a standard that is openly accessible and usable by anyone. It is also a common prerequisite that open standards use an open license that provides for extensibility. Typically, anybody can participate in their development due to their inherently open nature. There is no single definition, and interpretations vary with usage. Examples of open standards include the GSM, 4G, and 5G standards that allow most modern mobile phones to work world-wide. [...] Let's look at what an open standard means: 'open' refers to it being royalty-free, while 'standard' means a technology approved by formalized committees that are open to participation by all interested parties and operate on a consensus basis. An open standard is publicly available, and developed, approved and maintained via a collaborative and consensus driven process. [...] The Digital Standards Organization (DIGISTAN) states that "an open standard must be aimed at creating unrestricted competition between vendors and unrestricted choice for users." Its brief definition of "open standard" (or "free and open standard") is "a published specification that is immune to vendor capture at all stages in its life-cycle." Its more complete definition as follows:
- Open Standards - Kiteworks
Open standards are rules or specifications that anyone can use to create products and services without restrictions. They empower organizations to choose their solutions rather than being forced to work with a proprietary product or service. Open standards allow others to make compatible products, so they’re not locked into just one company’s software or hardware. They promote compatibility, interoperability, and innovation. This is an important concept for an increasingly digitized world. [...] Open standards provide a common way for people to use technology and make it easier for them to do so. One of the most important benefits of open standards is that they are more affordable than proprietary ones. This is because there are no royalties associated with open standards, and companies can work with each other without paying any licensing fees. [...] Open standards are an important part of the internet infrastructure and can help keep the internet accessible for everyone. These standards create interoperability between different types of technologies so that people, companies, and organizations from all over the world can share information with one another. There is no need to worry about who has what type of device as long as you are using open standards. The next time you build a new website or application, be sure to use open web
- Open standard - Codasip
It is a set of guidelines, rules, or specifications that define how a particular technology, system, or process should operate. Open standards are typically developed through a collaborative and transparent process, involving input from various stakeholders. Open standard is not the same as open source, the difference being that an open standard is defined in a document and is not providing an implementation of that standard. [...] Codasip Logo Codasip Logo ## Glossary # Open standard # What is an open standard? An open standard refers to a specification or protocol that is openly available and accessible to the public. [...] Some key characteristics of open standards include accessibility (freely available to anyone without restrictions), interoperability (between different systems, technologies, or software applications), and evolvability (designed to be adaptable and evolve over time to meet changing requirements and advancements in technology). Codasip glossary - image for Open source vs open standardCodasip glossary - image for Open source vs open standard
- What Are Open Industry Standards? - Supermicro
Open industry standards refer to established guidelines and specifications that are developed collaboratively and made available to the public, ensuring interoperability, compatibility, and consistency across different products and services. These standards are crucial in fostering innovation, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency in various industries, including information technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing. [...] In data centers and related high-tech areas, open standards play a crucial role in ensuring the interoperability and efficiency of various components, such as servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. Standards such as PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), OCP Racks and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) enable high-speed data transfer and storage solutions that are compatible across different platforms. Open standards also facilitate the adoption of new technologies, such [...] Today, open industry standards play a pivotal role in the modern technological landscape. By providing a common framework, they ensure that different systems, devices, and applications can work together seamlessly. This interoperability is essential for the development and deployment of complex solutions in areas such as cloud computing, networking, and data storage. Examples of Open Compute Project (OCP) standards include the OCP Rack Standards, which define the physical dimensions and power
- Open standards vs. open source: A basic explanation - IBM
Have you ever wondered how competing businesses all across the world somehow converge on one format for these things? The answer is often open standards. ## What are open standards? An open standard is a standard that is freely available for adoption, implementation and updates. A few famous examples of open standards are XML, SQL and HTML.
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