Nextcloud CEO: Why Self-Hosting Beats Big Tech Every Time

07/08/2025 58 min
Nextcloud CEO: Why Self-Hosting Beats Big Tech Every Time

Listen "Nextcloud CEO: Why Self-Hosting Beats Big Tech Every Time"

Episode Synopsis

Frank Karlitschek, CEO and founder of Nextcloud, joins me to discuss the evolution from OwnCloud to Nextcloud, the challenges of building sustainable open-source businesses, and why digital sovereignty matters more than ever. We dive deep into Nextcloud Hub 10's new end-to-end encryption features, AI capabilities, and Frank's vision for competing with Big Tech while maintaining user privacy. Techlore empowers individuals with practical digital privacy knowledge, security tools, and advocacy resources. Discover how to protect your online data and regain control of your digital identity.📱 RESOURCES IN VIDEO:• https://nextcloud.com/team/• https://x.com/fkarlitschek• https://mastodon.social/@KarlitschekTimestamps:00:00 INTRODUCTION00:51 - INTRO TO FRANK01:08 - LIFE BEFORE NEXTCLOUD03:15 - ORIGINS OF OWNCLOUD05:51 - FROM OWNCLOUD TO NEXTCLOUD08:45 - STATE OF OWNCLOUD09:20 - STRUCTURE OF NEXTCLOUD10:23 - OPEN SOURCE + PROFIT?13:21 - NEXTCLOUD FREE VS. PAID16:43 - NEXTCLOUD COMPETITORS18:20 - SELF-HOSTING CHALLENGES22:54 - THIRD PARTY HOSTING25:18 - END-TO-END ENCRYPTION32:24 - NEXTCLOUD HUB 1035:59 - AI PUSHBACK42:51 - NEXTCLOUD AI MODELS44:30 - RECOMMENDED LLM45:13 - FEATURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN47:28 - NEXTCLOUD COMMUNITY50:36 - #1 SELF-HOSTING MISTAKE51:19 - FAVORITE FOSS PROJECT52:27 - FAVORITE LINUX DISTRO & DE53:49 - WHAT'S NEXT?54:51 - MOST EXCITING TECH?56:53 - MOST SCARED ABOUT?—Keep Techlore Independent:• Become a Techlorian: https://discuss.techlore.tech/s• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/techlore• YouTube Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6KfncB4OV6Vug4o_bzijg/join• Affiliate Links: https://techlore.tech/affiliates• All Support Methods: https://techlore.tech/support Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.