In an unexpected yet revealing move, Apple announced the integration of Google’s Gemini AI model into its iconic Siri assistant. This shift does more than just redefine the strategy of one of the world’s most hermetic tech titans—it sends a direct message to the entire industry: in the new era of technology, sustainable leadership is not born from isolation, but from the intelligent design of collaborative ecosystems.

This paradigm shift should resonate deeply within Latin America, a region brimming with talent, initiative, and technological creativity, yet one that often continues to operate in silos. While global leaders demonstrate that interoperability, strategic alliances, and orchestration are the true sources of competitive value, many LATAM organizations remain tethered to closed, fragmented models.

Apple, historically a defender of a proprietary approach, understood that the true differentiator today is not found in owning all the pieces, but in connecting the best parts to offer integrated experiences to the user. What matters is not whether the AI comes from Cupertino or Mountain View, but whether it improves the life of the end user. This pragmatic and mature decision points toward what McKinsey calls a "strategic ecosystem," a model that allows for the co-creation of solutions through alliances that accelerate development and increase the value proposition.

The impact of this model is backed by compelling data. According to McKinsey (2024), companies with strong technological alliance strategies are 35% more likely to launch successful products. Forrester highlights how digital marketplaces that share APIs and open data grow up to 2.5 times faster compared to isolated solutions. It is no coincidence: companies that design with integration in mind scale further, more easily, and with greater efficiency.

In Latin America, however, a mindset centered on closed and proprietary development persists. The Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) points out that 78% of regional technology companies still prioritize in-house solutions. This approach drastically limits scalability, delays innovation cycles, and prevents the building of synergies that would allow for robust competition in more demanding markets.

One area where we have seen significant progress is the payments ecosystem. Cases like Mercado Pago or the OpenFinance initiatives in Brazil show that when collaboration channels are opened and interoperable platforms are designed, everyone wins: companies, users, and regulators. But outside of fintech, many sectors remain fragmented by closed technologies, poor integration standards, and structures that prioritize control over collective impact.

The decision to connect with others should not be confused with weakness; in fact, it is a sign of strategic maturity. Becoming part of an ecosystem does not mean giving up differentiation; it means strengthening through complementarity. Today, the best solutions are almost never 100% proprietary: they are the result of assembling technologies, data, and capabilities from multiple actors.

This requires companies to stop seeing themselves as mere vendors providing isolated parts and start operating as partners building systemic solutions. A true expert not only knows their own stack well but also understands how it connects to the stacks of others to amplify impact and solve complex problems.

To move toward this model in LATAM, it is urgent to recognize the real barriers:

• Distrust and fear of sharing intellectual property.

• Business incentives and leadership aligned with control, rather than collaboration.

• Hierarchical structures that hinder technological interoperability and agile workflows.

• A shortage of talent with skills in ecosystem design, open architectures, and complex alliances.

The result: time is lost, work is duplicated, a limited customer experience is offered, and competitive positioning outside the region is weakened.

The Path Toward Real Ecosystems.

So, what can Latin American technology companies do to make the leap from fragmentation to orchestration?

First, change the paradigm. The idea that building "everything in-house" is synonymous with strength is obsolete. True power today lies in knowing with whom to build and how to integrate without friction.

Second, adopt standards of openness. Open APIs, shared SDKs, and architectures designed for integration are essential to enable fast, secure, and scalable connections between diverse platforms.

Third, prioritize collaborations with strategic vision. This is not just about commercial alliances, but about relationships focused on shared value for the user and complementary capabilities.

Fourth, develop leadership in systemic design. Organizations must invest in training profiles capable of mapping connection opportunities, articulating ecosystems, and leading technological co-creation processes.

Finally, design products and solutions that are born to coexist. The question is no longer "How do we make this work internally?" but "How do we make this work better when it connects with others?"