[K-Women Talk] The Value of Open Platforms: Increase the Density of Experience

National Openness Attracts Global AI Talent
Korea Must Enhance Competitiveness with an 'OPEN' Strategy

During the unusually long Chuseok holiday, I visited Luxembourg to meet an acquaintance. With both its length and width under 100 kilometers, and a per capita GDP of $131,384 (ranked first in the world according to the 2024 International Monetary Fund statistics), I became curious about the secret behind the success of this small but strong European nation.

While the rapid growth from 1980 to 2000 as a “tax haven” is well known, what is the secret to Luxembourg’s continued prosperity today? One interesting point is the proportion of foreign labor. Luxembourg has a total population of about 670,000, and 51% of its residents are foreigners. If you include cross-border workers who live outside the country but commute daily, more than 70% of the total workforce is foreign. This is according to an HR director I met locally. “We are not a Luxembourgish company, but a European company. The nationality of our employees doesn’t matter; what’s important is that we are connected.”

The Luxembourg government applies an “inpatriate tax regime” that exempts half of the income tax for foreign professionals (inpatriates) earning more than 75,000 euros per year. Additional deductions are also available for housing, tuition, and relocation costs. This is how a small country attracts top talent.

According to the 2025 report from the Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) Institute, Luxembourg is the country with the highest net inflow of AI talent, with 8.9 net arrivals per 10,000 LinkedIn members. In contrast, South Korea saw more talent leaving for overseas. Joel Mokyr, the 2025 Nobel laureate in economics, advised, “South Korea must open not only its borders but also its institutional and intellectual boundaries to sustain innovation.” He pointed out that in South Korea, where the total fertility rate is in the 0.7 range-the lowest in the world-openness to the free flow of knowledge, talent, and technology is the key to sustainable productivity.

So, what is the core of an open platform? It is the method of connection. From a headhunter’s perspective, the better the talent, the more they seek “density of experience” rather than “compensation.” They look for broader challenges, more diverse collaborations, and faster learning rather than limited internal opportunities. An open system increases the density of experience, which in turn creates a virtuous cycle that attracts talent.

Companies I meet in the field consistently say, “There are no good candidates,” but perhaps the problem lies not in a lack of talent, but in the closed methods of searching for it. Relying only on internal referrals, full-time positions, and limited networks makes it difficult to attract highly mobile and internationally experienced talent. Companies must redefine themselves not as closed “organizations” but as open “platforms.” Now is the time to redesign the connection structure based on an “OPEN” strategy.

O (Outreach): Expand your network through proactive external connections. Use LinkedIn, industry gatherings, and online communities to connect with experts from various fields.

P (Platform): Transform your company into a platform that goes beyond a brand. Serve as a hub where people inside and outside the organization can connect and collaborate based on unique expertise.

E (Experience): Provide members with diverse experiences. New opportunities arise at the intersection with other domains.

N (Network): Build a mutually supportive and growing network among members. Design a structure where people can both give and receive help.

The most powerful competitive edge for companies in the AI era is providing a foundation that increases the “density of experience” for their members. It is time to transform from a closed organization into an open platform company.

Moon Sunkyung, Executive Director at Unico Search