Open Source, Closed Door
The cartoon mocks the tech industry habit of branding exclusivity as generosity: they sell the image of openness to the public while aggressively locking down the thing that supposedly exists ‘for everyone.’
At a flashy startup launch party, two founders on a tiny keynote stage beam beneath an oversized banner reading “AI FOR EVERYONE.” They throw branded swag into a euphoric crowd while pointing to a giant screen full of words like “open,” “community,” and “democratizing access.” But just behind the stage, separated by velvet ropes, the actual AI product is locked inside a museum-like glass vault with biometric scanners, steel bolts, and framed patent filings on the wall. A corporate lawyer in the background is calmly snapping on yet another oversized padlock while a security guard turns away curious attendees. The composition should make the public rhetoric loud and celebratory in the foreground, and the private restriction cold and obvious in the background.
More in Technology
TechnologyEmergency Exit Through Facial Recognition
The cartoon mocks the tech industry’s habit of treating optimization, surveillance, and compliance metrics as more real than human need—showing a system designed for safety becoming a deadly obstacle because institutional faith in frictionless security overrides common sense.
by Lila Ghoraba
TechnologyOpen Source, Closed Exit
The cartoon targets performative openness in tech: companies market themselves as community-friendly and accessible, but use legal and financial mechanisms to convert shared participation into private control once value appears.
by Lila Ghoraba
TechnologyOpen Office, Closed Future
The cartoon mocks tech companies that market themselves as champions of openness, collaboration, and the public good while aggressively locking down data, models, and methods the moment real access is at stake. Their openness is architectural and aesthetic, not substantive.
by Lila Ghoraba