Driving Open Source Innovation: Upstream Contributions, Security, and AI

In this episode of the Open at Intel podcast, host Katherine Druckman sits down with Nithya Ruff, the head of Amazon's Open Source Program Office. They discuss the importance of upstream contributions, improving collective security posture, and the fast-paced world of AI. Nithya shares insights on how Amazon embraces open source across the company, making it easy for developers to work with open source and ensuring the platform is open source-friendly for customers. They also explore the concept of ownership in open source and the responsibilities that come with it. Nithya emphasizes the need for companies to be good citizens of the open source community and highlights the role of organizations like the OpenSSF in coordinating efforts and creating standards. They discuss the challenges of prioritizing resources for upstream work and share practical advice on how to approach it. The conversation also touches on the importance of security in open source, especially in the context of AI, and the need for collaboration and standardization in this rapidly evolving field. Throughout the episode, Nithya and Katherine express their enthusiasm for open source and their optimism in its ability to solve complex problems and drive innovation.   Guest:   Nithya A. Ruff is the Head of Amazon’s Open Source Program Office. Open Source has proven to be one of the world’s most prolific enablers of innovation and collaboration and Amazon’s customers increasingly value open source innovation and the and cloud’s role in helping them adopt and run important open source services. She drives open source culture and coordination inside of Amazon and engagement with external communities. Prior to Amazon, she started and grew Comcast and Western Digital’s Open Source Program Offices. Open Source Program Offices are a critical part of a company’s digital transformation and innovation journey. Nithya has been director-at-large on the Linux Foundation Board for the last 5 years and in 2019 was elected to be Chair of the influential Linux Foundation Board. She works actively to advance the mission of the Linux Foundation around building sustainable ecosystems that are built on open collaboration. She is a passionate advocate and a speaker for opening doors to new and diverse people in technology and can often be seen speaking and writing on this topic. Nithya graduated with an M.S. in Computer Science from NDSU and an MBA from the University of Rochester, Simon Business School and is an aspiring corporate board director and governance enthusiast. You can follow her on twitter @nithyaruff and you can find her on https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithyaruff/