Technology platforms have been with us for a while, a point that I make in the book. Note the lower-case p. Think IBM’s DOS, among other early entries.

So, what’s changed? The Platform (upper-case p) has become the most important business model of the 21st century.

Don’t believe me? Forget big companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Look at where other large, established companies are trying to go (read: SAP, Oracle, Salesforce). Look at startups aspiring to become platforms–or integrate their offerings with existing platforms.

Big P is a game changer.