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Smart Talks with IBM

Smart Talks with IBM

The $5 Billion Effort to help Secure the World’s Shared Software

Oct 27, 2026 · 32m

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Earlier this year, IBM and Red Hat launched Lightwell, a $5 billion initiative backed by a force of 20,000 engineers with the goal of securing the open source software that powers a great deal of modern life — from banks and payment systems to transportation and critical infrastructure. Malcolm Gladwell speaks with cybersecurity leader Jen Easterly, Wells Fargo Chief Information Security Officer Munish Sharma, and Red Hat’s Gunnar Hellekson about how AI is transforming vulnerability discovery, how open source software can introduce risk, and what it will take to secure the shared digital infrastructure much of the world depends on. If this episode sparks a question you’d…