Marshall Van Alstyne

Information, Technology and Information Worker Productivity

This study considers whether electronic networks allow workers to multitask more effectively. Workers given diverse tasks are more productive when they multitask more, up to a point.

Sinan Aral and Erik Brynjolfsson

Innovation, Openness, and Platform Control

This paper asks why some products, like Microsoft’s Windows, are made to work with those produced by others.

Geoffrey Parker

Opening Platforms: How, When, and Why

This paper asks when software platforms benefit by opening their technology to potential rivals.

Thomas R. Eisenmann and Geoffrey Parker

Pipelines, Platforms, and the New Rules of Strategy

Many businesses are “pipelines” that channel goods or services to consumers. Today, pipelines face competition from a new business model, the platform. Platforms provide opportunities for consumers and producers to interact, just as Uber connects drivers and passengers.

Sangeet Paul Choudary and Geoffrey Parker

Platform Ecosystems: How Developers Invert the Firm

This paper describes why firms like Apple, Microsoft, and Google choose to orchestrate the creation of products by outside developers rather than to create product internally. Firms that produce digital products like software benefit most from this strategy, because of knowledge spillovers.

Xiaoyue Jiang and Geoffrey Parker

Platform Envelopment

This paper looks at competition between technology platforms like the iPhone or Microsoft’s Windows.

Thomas R. Eisenmann and Geoffrey Parker

Platform Revolution

Platforms are businesses that serve two groups of users, as eBay serves both sellers and buyers. Platforms produce many benefits for society, but disrupt traditional markets. Managers must adopt new strategies to succeed in these markets.

Sangeet Paul Choudary and Geoffrey Parker