Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy
A comprehensive guide to platform business models and ecosystem design
"The platform is an infrastructure that connects people and resources, creating new value through those interactions."
— Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne & Sangeet Paul Choudary
My Review
The definitive book on platform businesses, which I read through a biological lens as mutualism at scale. Platforms are ecosystem engineers - they create the conditions for value exchange between producers and consumers. The network effects they generate are positive feedback loops that drive exponential growth.
Why It Matters
Platform businesses are the clearest example of mutualism in business - they create ecosystems where multiple parties benefit from exchange. Understanding platforms is essential for modern strategy.
Key Ideas
- Platforms enable value exchange between producers and consumers
- Network effects create winner-take-all dynamics
- Platform design is ecosystem engineering
- Governance and curation are key platform functions
How It Connects to This Framework
Book 1 Chapter 6 (Symbiosis & Exchange) draws on platform dynamics. The mutualism framework and ecosystem engineering concepts are directly informed by platform thinking.
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The full Biology of Business book explores these concepts in depth with practical frameworks.