Audrey Tang

Audrey Tang established herself as a prominent leader in the open-source community, founding a software company in Silicon Valley early in her career. She spearheaded the Pugs project, which successfully bridged different programming languages, and contributed to the development of dozens of widely used open-source tools that are integral to the global tech ecosystem. Her expertise in civic hacking laid the groundwork for her significant influence on digital democracy and governance. Tang’s career evolved into a key figure in government, beginning with her instrumental involvement in Taiwan’s g0v (gov-zero) community.

This collective developed essential tools for government transparency and played a crucial role in the 2014 Sunflower Movement, effectively broadcasting activist demands and connecting citizens with lawmakers. Building on this experience, Tang helped develop vTaiwan, an innovative participatory platform that utilized AI-supported tools to foster consensus across diverse opinions. In October 2016, she was appointed as a Minister without Portfolio, making history as the world’s first openly non-binary cabinet minister in Taiwan. Her leadership continued to advance as she was appointed Taiwan’s first Minister of Digital Affairs in August 2022.

In 2024, Tang co-authored ‘Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy,’ further solidifying her thought leadership in the field. Following her term as Minister of Digital Affairs in May 2024, she was named one of ten new Ambassadors-at-large in October 2024, extending her vital work in advancing digital technology for democratic renewal and global collaboration on an international stage. Her ongoing contributions to open governance and digital innovation will be recognized with the prestigious Right Livelihood Award in 2025.