Leeds Business Power Breakfast: How do platform companies orchestrate a digital ecosystem?
Tuesday, August 24, 2021 8am to 9:30am
About this Event
Many of the most valuable companies in the world (e.g., Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Alibaba, Tencent) base their business on a “digital platform.” Many hot startups (e.g., Uber, Airbnb, DoorDash, Xiaomi) are also embracing the platform business model. Consider Apple’s App Store that hosts millions of mobile apps created by independent developers and billions of users of iOS devices. Each of the over 2 million apps in the App Store has shaped the iPhone into what it is today, in many ways different from what an iPhone was originally envisioned, yet Apple does not employ these app developers nor does it tell them exactly what apps to develop. What can a platform company (Apple) do to orchestrate the participation of its ecosystem partners (developers and users) that are critical to the vibrancy of the platform (App Store)? What are some of the “levers” the company can pull and what are some design features it can implement—and how do they matter? We will discuss our research findings using data from Apple, Google, and more.
Event Details
About this Event
Many of the most valuable companies in the world (e.g., Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Alibaba, Tencent) base their business on a “digital platform.” Many hot startups (e.g., Uber, Airbnb, DoorDash, Xiaomi) are also embracing the platform business model. Consider Apple’s App Store that hosts millions of mobile apps created by independent developers and billions of users of iOS devices. Each of the over 2 million apps in the App Store has shaped the iPhone into what it is today, in many ways different from what an iPhone was originally envisioned, yet Apple does not employ these app developers nor does it tell them exactly what apps to develop. What can a platform company (Apple) do to orchestrate the participation of its ecosystem partners (developers and users) that are critical to the vibrancy of the platform (App Store)? What are some of the “levers” the company can pull and what are some design features it can implement—and how do they matter? We will discuss our research findings using data from Apple, Google, and more.