I was visiting one of the wonderful National Trust gardens here in the UK. The 16th-century Packwood house, besides its wonderful historical interior, has large grounds. It has many areas that are open and free to wonder. In addition, it has a walled garden. The walled kitchen garden, to be more exact. And it was there that something struck me. No, not on my head. It wasn’t an unruly visitor throwing a plant pot at my noggin or my 17-year-old daughter wanting me to shut up about what it must have been like to live in those days (I must admit I do that a lot).
As I gazed at the walls built to protect and shelter the vibrant collection of plants—some rare, their colours and forms strikingly unique—I admired the careful order of the neatly arranged beds. It was functional, no doubt. But something felt off. Too structured. Too restrained. Creativity was present, yet it was bound by rigid edges, leaving little room for nature—or the hands that tended it—to break free and explore wilder possibilities. And that set my mind wandering to certain industries.
In the world of tech, where I spend my days talking and tinkering with electronics and software, I couldn’t help but see the parallel. We’ve built our own walled gardens there, too, with some very high walls. Innovation does exist, but it’s a managed and bound innovation—one that seems to have a heavy lid on it.
Being able to Breathe Innovation
In the world of technology, innovation thrives on certain qualities, such as openness, collaboration, and competition. Yet, many of the industry’s biggest players have taken the opposite approach—building walled gardens, proprietary ecosystems that restrict external development, lock in customers, and prevent third parties from expanding upon existing technologies. While this approach can be lucrative for corporations, it all feels very stifling. Like the wider system of technology wants to breathe freely, but it’s built a bad habit of shallow breathing and dysfunctional ingrained habits. We’re stifling innovation, limiting consumer choice, and slowing the overall progress of technology. We’re trying to drive with the handbrake on.
The Problem: Walled Gardens as Innovation Blockers
From the perspective of tech in general (consumer electronics to enterprise software), walled gardens create artificial barriers that act as a handbrake on innovation. These overly protective corporate systems restrict how products can be used, who can build on top of them, and how data flows between platforms. I can see how and why this situation exists… But that’s when we hold a narrow, short-term view. I dare say it. A greedy, scarcity-driven mindset. When has that ever worked out unless you’re in a famine-style situation?
Let’s look at a selection of negative examples to drive home where this wall garden approach is damaging in the long run.
Hardware Lock-Ins & Right to Repair Restrictions
Many companies do this. In fact, you could say this is the default business culture in general. Can you think of any that come to mind? I know I can… but I’m not brave enough to rattle that hornet’s nest here in black and white 🙂 … Anyway, some large organisations have made their products intentionally difficult (or impossible) to repair outside of authorised service providers. I’ve watched countless videos of consumers of these companies pulling their hair out while held between the walls of these companies. Proprietary components, encrypted software, and even legal restrictions prevent third-party repairs, leading to higher consumer costs and reduced competition among independent repair shops. This also discourages small-scale innovations in product customisation and improvement.
Proprietary Software & Platform Control
Several Tech giants (I’m sure you can think of a few) create ecosystems that make it difficult for users to switch to alternative products. They are like control freaks that you have to live with. Cloud services, app stores, and enterprise software often enforce strict policies that dictate who can integrate with them. Some major phone app stores, for instance, charge high fees and enforce restrictive rules that prevent developers from offering competing services, limiting consumer choice and innovation in digital marketplaces. It feels very oppressive, right?
Data Silos & Artificial Dependency
In a world of data, swimming in oceans of it, one would have thought we would have come up with a better way of sharing and using this valuable intangible “thing”. Many walled gardens (oceans in this case) operate by controlling user data—whether in farming (John Deere’s precision agriculture data), social media (Meta’s vast user profiling), or enterprise software (SAP’s locked-in ecosystems). By hoarding data and restricting interoperability, these companies prevent smaller players from developing innovative services that could benefit customers, such as smarter analytics or personalised AI-driven tools. Sadly, it also prevents people from seeing novel opportunities or blind spots that others are oblivious to. It doesn’t mean that corporations can’t have some revenue stream from sharing this (with the right privacy and protection rules in place), it just means making the availability and use of it more transparent and frictionless.
The delightful and innovation-affirming Alternative: Democratising Technology
So , how can we reduce the height of those walls so it benefits everyone, including the beholder of the tech and data?
To state the obvious, it’s a more open, collaborative approach to technology that benefits all stakeholders—from individual consumers to entire industries. Hell yeah… I would go further and say “humanity.” By breaking down barriers and democratising access to the pieces that bring about true innovation, we unlock new possibilities for competition, customisation, and progress.
Let’s look at ways we can do that. More enlightening paths to a brighter future for all.
Empowering Our Wonderful Users Through User-Driven Development
As Eric Von Hippel explains in Democratising Tech, user-centric innovation allows individuals and firms to develop precisely what they need rather than being limited to what manufacturers think they need. Users possess a more accurate understanding of their own needs and can create functionally novel solutions that manufacturers might overlook. This leads to more relevant and effective innovation. You’re tapping into the wealth of intelligence and wisdom of the users who are using the product. Maybe even their passion drives really out-of-the-box thinking.
Create Communities of Free Innovation Sharing for Faster Advancement
Being a mentor of many leaders and human systems, I’ve seen how transparency invigorates the space. So is too the case with tech. Innovation thrives when ideas are shared openly. Open-source communities and collaborative platforms allow users to build on each other’s work, leading to faster, more efficient product development. In software, projects like Linux and Android exemplify how free sharing accelerates progress and creates resilient, flexible ecosystems.
Share the load for greater Impact
There is an African proverb that fits this perfectly.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
And thus enters the idea of sharing the load. Bringing our unique creativities and perspectives of as many people as is practical into the melting pot of invention. Innovation is most effective when it is distributed among many contributors. Different users bring unique perspectives, needs, and assets, resulting in a greater variety of innovations at a lower cost. By leveraging existing knowledge and expertise, users develop solutions tailored to niche problems that large manufacturers might not prioritise. It’s not always about speed and getting past the post first. That’s a limiting effort for really out-of-the-box ideas. With innovation we want to go further, not always faster.
The Universe of Benefits
So, what’s the outcome of the ideas shared above? The approach of democratising tech. Are there any benefits? I think there are. Here is a list of some… I am sure there are many more!
Benefits for End-Users
- More precisely Tailored Solutions: Products are customised to individual needs rather than mass-produced for the average user.
- Increased Satisfaction: Users who innovate for themselves report greater satisfaction with the final product.
- Enjoyment & Learning: The innovation process itself is rewarding, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Access to a Rich Innovation Commons: Users benefit from a vast, freely available collection of modifications and tools.
Benefits for Companies
- A meta-view of user-developed innovations: Companies can monitor user communities for emerging trends and novel ideas.
- Reduced Development Costs: Companies can adopt and refine user-developed solutions instead of designing everything from scratch. Often, they have already done the hard work, and it’s down to the refinement of a given concept.
- New Product Ideas: User-driven prototypes offer valuable insights into market demand.
- Improved Market Understanding: Observing how users adapt products helps manufacturers forecast demand more accurately. It’s a valuable feedback loop to organisations that allows them to make more informed decisions.
- Complementary Products & Services: Companies can create toolkits, platforms, or services that support user innovations. This invariably elevates their brand. More people are involved, immersed and loyal to the ecosystem that sits around the business.
- Open & Distributed Innovation: Some firms thrive by offering proprietary platforms that enable user-driven enhancements. I imagine this is a tricky one to manage, but it has an air superb creativity about it. Allowing really unique niche use cases to be brought to life.
A call to action for the greater good
I want to call for a more open future. A more open tech culture.
Tech companies must move beyond short-term monopolistic gains and recognise the long-term value of an open, interoperable, and innovation-driven industry. Governments and regulators should continue pushing for policies like the “Right to Repair”, data portability laws, and antitrust measures that break up closed ecosystems. Consumers, too, can support open-source alternatives, demand interoperability, and push for more control over the technology they own. Hell, it sounds less heavy and more fun.
So, returning to our analogy of the walled gardens, maybe we shouldn’t tear them down completely. Simply reduce the height. Allow more of us to have conversations over the fences and walls. Have our water cooler moments on the boundaries of each of our tech gardens. That would be a great start. Don’t you think? Will you join us?
P.S. So here at Roedan, democratising technology isn’t just a vision—it’s fundamental to who we are and the impact we strive for in our industries. It’s in our blood and bones. It’s even in our manifesto… go check it out here. If this conversation resonates with you and you see an opportunity to bring this to life in your field, we’d love to connect. We’re actively working to break down the walled gardens stifling innovation in farming and industry, where many face unnecessary barriers to progress. Let’s talk and make a difference together. (tc@roeadan.com)
TC Gill
Roedan’s Innovation Officer