Listen to the introduction of The Age of the Platform by clicking here.
Over the last five to seven years, four companies have ascended to absolutely astounding heights. They are Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, aka The Gang of Four. Yes, these companies excel via their superior use of technology. They have built incredible ecosystems. They’ve embraced partnerships and external innovation.
Beyond all of this, The Gang of Four has embraced an entirely new way of doing business: the platform.
A platform is simply a set of integrated planks. The most powerful platforms today have two things in common:
While platforms inhere a great deal of potential commercial appeal and applications, they do not exist simply as a means for companies to hawk their wares. At their core, platforms today are primarily about consumer utility and communications. Finally, because consumer tastes change much faster than business’ tastes, platforms today must adapt very quickly—or face obsolescence.
A Different Business Model
In the 1990s, platforms and ecosystems were not nearly as powerful, robust, and vibrant as they are today:
As I demonstrate in the book, it’s these connections between and among platforms and planks that allow Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google to:
Welcome to the Age of the Platform.
In its quest to kill Apple, has Google inadvertently empowered its rivals-and created new ones?
I don’t get to announce things like this too often. The new book is out.
Why my sales of my fifth book may exceed those of my fourth.
Essential reading on the state of business today–and where it is going. Ignore this book at your own peril.
–Adrian C. Ott, award-winning author, The 24-Hour Customer ”As someone who pores over countless business books each year, The Age of the Platform was a joy to read. Frankly, I can’t stand the overly long, formulaic books that have only a couple of new ideas in the first two chapters and then fill the rest of the book with ponderous examples that barely advance the thinking. The Age of the Platform is different. It makes valable points throughout. A joy to read.
–Brian Sommer ZDNet blogger and founder of TechVentive ”The Age of the Platform is the kind of book to read if you want to better understand the Internet and how your company can fit into it and create a business model to profit from it.
–Anita Campbell, co-author of Visual Marketing ”Remarkably insightful. A must-read for anyone interested in creating change-tolerant organizations.
–Robert Charette, President, ITABHI Corp ”Nothing short of a 21st-century business survival guide.
–Mike Faith, CEO & President, Headsets.com ”Exceptionally researched and written. A landmark book.
Profound. Important. A groundbreaking text.
–Jay Miletsky, Founder and CEO, MyPod Studios and author of Perspectives on Marketing ”An incisive look at people, companies, trends, and events that have done nothing less than redefine business and consumerism over the last decade. Simon has written an essential text for any business that aspires to successfully build and operate a winning platform.
–Damien Santer, CEO, Praxis BT ”
