The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation, and Power – The Essential Economics and Management Guide for Tech Entrepreneurs

I’ve read quite a few books on platforms and they differentiate in different ways. As a reader with a general interest in platform businesses but not an owner in one myself, this one may have been the best I have read. It’s somewhat dense - not in length but in information. And it’s written with a level of erudition and attention to detail that is appreciated by the scrupulous reader while not being too arcane for the novice reader. If you are looking to start your own platform business then you wouldn’t find the information useful in it’s entirety. The most manifest example being when the authors spent a good amount of time talking about the responsibility a platform needs when it transitions from being a smaller and scrappy company to a larger and more influential platform. While as a general interest reader I found the discussion and examples very interesting like for example the difference between the 2008 mindset of Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg versus the 2018 version (with hundreds of millions of users Facebook has the moral responsibility now that it didn’t quite harbor back in its early race for market hegemony). Someone reading for practical advice on the other hand, are most likely not going to be at the stage of their platform businesses were they are at any given moment going to be targeted by lawmakers and impugned by ethical and moral arbiters. Nevertheless, most people can find actionable advice within the first half of the book. With adherence to data, the authors observe why most marketplaces fail and how the ones that succeed do so. This book is a must read but not always a first-read. It’s the perhaps first book you read when you have a platform business that is up and running (or you own a fairly large traditional business that you want to convert into a platform). For anybody else, I would suggest The Lean Marketplace while keeping this book as an essential read on your journey.

This is actual a great book. I think it would be great for investors, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and people curious about the concept of a platform. This book is about modern digital platforms and gives a good discussion of many of present day businesses involved (Amazon, Apple, Facebook,....etc). It includes some fascinating stories about companies and their platforms. One story is the battle for eCommerce in China between eBay and Alibaba. I never realized how clever Jack Ma is. This story follows Jack Ma verse Meg Whitman through the strategies involved in business. A lot of interesting detail, but they do not cover some of controversial elements involved. They only make a brief reference to a Chinese business in China, and no reference to government interference in the struggle. The book shows a lot of research into the details of business. It is a little dry at times, but mentions many issues I never would have thought of. The concept of platform is interesting as a modern word for the whole element of life and culture. As human and animal cultures have evolved new powerful entities have evolved with us. The more interaction that occurs on the earth the more platforms follow. In many ways English has become a platform in the modern world. There are too many languages to serve communication between billions of people. And languages and speech were platforms the pushed life forms toward human beings. This helped start the process of human proliferation. As each new construct of nature evolves it explodes into the space available. Life appears to be a construct of chemical interactions. Who knows what new constructs exist in older cultures in the Cosmos. Enough philosophy for now. Maybe digital platform are more powerful then we think.

This book is a great read if you want to understand how platforms have evolved and what the driving factors are to make the profitable.

This book excels at explaining the complex economics of digital platforms from many different perspectives and in a highly approachable way, using countless striking examples. It is a must-read for anybody involved with the digital economy, be it from a business perspective or from an investment or political point of view. The dominant technology companies of our era have one thing in common: They're platform businesses. Understanding the unique dynamics of digital platforms is more important than ever for entrepreneurs, executives, investors and tech employees alike. The book not only delivers deep insights into the mechanics behind digital platforms, it also contains concrete guidelines for practicioners who are building (or competing against) platform businesses. Needless to say, digital platforms have recently experienced plenty of criticism, and the authors don't shy away from the more controversial aspects of the topic. A whole chapter is devoted to topics like privacy, antitrust concerns and fairness. Highly recommended.

First time for me to read this topic. I enjoyed facts, numbers and business cases covered in this book which would be hard to read about them separately.

A must book to read for professionals and academics. The long life work and research of the authors in the field gives a very insightful look to the past, present and future of the digital economy.

This book impressively distills a tremendous amount of research into a short list of key lessons. It provides valuable perspective for anyone working for a platform business or thinking about building one. I found the sections on platform curation and the importance of building trust to be particularly insightful. It's an honest take on why platform strategy is ultimately more important than having the best product.

Industry-wide platforms and global ecosystems for innovations and transactions have already changed many aspects of our personal and working lives. Many more changes and new technologies will come. The Business of Platforms helps managers who have the ambition to build a platform decide which strategic choices to make.

Amazing content for those who are seeking a deeper understanding of a platform business dynamics. Deep research and lots of insight from the "real world" of business. A must read, definitely.

Il saggio tratta in maniera molto esaustiva il fenomeno del platform capitalism, proponendo una accurata tassonomia delle piattaforme digitali. La trattazione mette in evidenza le condizioni entro le quali agisca e sia possibile avviare o rilevare una piattaforma digitale, distinguendo tra piattaforme focalizzate sulle innovazioni o sulle transazioni, facendo risaltare le cosiddette società ibride. Dal punto di vista di chi si occupa della platformization nell'ambito del settore della costruzione e dell'immobiliare, vale a dire dell'ambiente costruito, il testo è particolarmente utile per comprendere in che termini le logiche immateriali delle industry platform possano incontrare quelle tangibili delle product platform del real world. The book does deal on quite an effective way with the platform capitalism, providing a careful and detailed taxonomy concerning the digital platforms. The essay highlights how a platform behaves and might be established or bought, depending on the different ultimate nature of the transaction or innovation platforms, emphasizing the hybrid companies' role. Those who investigate the AECO Industry's platformization could gain profit from the book because it does allow to realize how the intangible rationales proper to the industry platforms could meet the tangible product platforms stemming from the real world.

Great introduction to platform businesses with a historical and contextual introduction. Filled with understandable business cases and useful for those wanting to start a business or wanting to invest into businesses. Highly recommend

This book counts as one of the most informative and instructive mentors that one can hope for as a guide through the practicals of building and running platform operations. It is accessible and matter-of-a-fact in defining the basic concepts underlying platforms, in its coverage of numerous benchmarks, as well as in providing pragmatic recommendations for the development of a platform business. This book also tells the story of the astonishing shift in trade and work practices over the last two decades (Denis Gauvreau, Director of Innovation and Business Development, Polytechnique Montréal)

A highly accessible, authoritative work that introduces and discusses the new business model of digital platforms, which has had an immense impact on the world in recent years. From introducing the economics behind platforms, to defining its types, to providing strategies and predictions for the future, this book covers much, yet is grounded in numerous real-case examples. A highly welcome addition to the nascent literature on digital platforms. Though the authors aim to provide a practical manual for platform owners and developers, this book is highly recommended to anyone interested in the confluence of business, economics and technology.