The Business of Platforms

“The authors authoritatively document the rules and pitfalls of platforms, combining years of research with practical guidelines and real-life examples. A must-read for all operators or participants of existing or future platform businesses.” — Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork “Whether you are a customer wanting to understand the economic logic behind platforms, a business manager wanting to learn platform strategies, or a regulator wanting to become informed about platform governance, this book offers indepth, cogent, and up-to-date answers by three experts who began analyzing platforms when the word wasn’t even known. A true treatise and treasure.” — Bengt Holmstrom, Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics and Management at MIT and winner of the 2016 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences “Essential reading for any business trying to compete as a platform or against a platform. Even traditional businesses must understand how to evolve into a platform and partner with other platforms. Sound complicated? This book will help you sort it out.” — Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International “Should every business jump on, surrender to, or be a platform? Should government condemn, regulate, or imitate platform businesses? This book not only answers these questions; it also provides critical understanding of the underpinning and superstructure of platforms. For every business and social leader, this is the go-to book for learning the essential lessons about the business phenomenon of our times.” — Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and author of A Crisis Wasted: Barack Obama’s Defining Decisions “The Business of Platforms should be read by all managers, entrepreneurs, investors, and academics interested in platform businesses. It is rigorous and valuable, yet very readable.” — Richard Schmalensee, former dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management and coauthor of Matchmakers: The New Economics of Multisided Platforms