Frank Karlitschek

Founder & CEO | Nextcloud GmbH

Frank Karlitschek is the founder and CEO of Nextcloud. A long time open source contributor and former board member of the KDE, he is an invited expert at many occasions, such as the W3C, MIT, CERN, Harvard and ETH and keynoted LinuxCon, Latinoware, FOSSASIA, Campus Party and many others. He is also a fellow of Open Forum Europe and an advisor to the United Nations regarding Open Source. Frank won the European SFS Free Software Award 2023 and the Acteurs du Libre European Award 2023.

Focus Topics

The Focus Topics form the thematic core of the DIGITAL X– with a clear view of the opportunities and relevant challenges for companies. The speaker's focus is:

Cloud Digital Workplace

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Stage program Connectivity

Beyond Hyperscaler: Europas Weg in die digitale Unabhängigkeit

16:20-16:40

Mainstage

German

What role do digital sovereignty, open source, and European cloud solutions play in an increasingly interconnected and geopolitically tense world? In this talk, Frank Karlitschek (CEO of Nextcloud) and Lars Neumann (SVP of T Cloud) discuss why the cloud is now much more than just a technological decision. The focus is on questions of control, trust, and openness: How can companies and public institutions leverage innovation without falling into new dependencies? What role do open technologies play in security, transparency, and long-term operational capacity? An open discussion about the cloud, resilience, and Europe’s digital future.