Open source office productivity and how Collabora is leading the charge
From Cambridge Tech Podcast by James Parton & Faye Holland
March 31, 2026 · 28 min · Season 4 · Episode 185
About this episode
Michael Meeks discusses how Collabora competes with Microsoft and the advantages of open source software.
Michael Meeks joins us the week to talk about competing with Microsoft, and why Open Source Wins. Some of the highlights of our conversation include: On organic growth: "Unlike many VC-backed companies, we're organic, we're profitable and we have a mission which is to drive open source." The business model is counterintuitive but brilliant. By giving away free software, Collabora builds massive brand recognition and deployment. Users try it at home, fall in love with it, and when they need enterprise support, they know exactly who to call. On digital sovereignty: In an increasingly geopolitical world, Michael argues open source is the only path to true sovereignty. "The only way to have true digital sovereignty...is to use open source because then it is for the world. It is both local and a collaboration internationally." One of the most interesting technical insights: Collabora keeps documents on the server rather than downloading them to clients. This enables server-side policy enforcement - no copy-paste, no printing, no downloads, plus watermarking for traceability. Michael's remote-first approach is worth noting: rather than have some staff in an office and others remote…
People in this episode
Hosts: James Parton, Faye Holland
Guest: Michael Meeks
Topics covered
- open source
- productivity software
- digital sovereignty
- business model
- remote work
Keywords
- open source
- Collabora
- Microsoft
- digital sovereignty
- remote work
- productivity software
- business model
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Collabora, Microsoft
Places: Cambridge, Hills Road sixth form college
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