Platforms are only for big tech companies, right?

Nope. The Age of the Platform extends to just every every industry and thousands of companies.

Don’t believe me? Las Vegas-based shoe e-tailer Zappos launched a development site. Let me repeat that: the company sells shoes.

Hardly hi-tech.

Why? What do they expect developers, third parties, and communities to do with an open API? I have no idea, but these people could do something—something big. Something important. Something innovative. Something that takes Zappos in new and exciting directions. Something that ultimately helps Zappos and its customers.

In the Age of the Platform, innovation often comes from unexpected sources—if you let it. In all likelihood, there are others right now who have powerful ideas about where your company can go.

So, for those of you who think that a retail outfit, a franchise, or a stereo manufacturer cannot embrace planks, development tools, communities, APIs, and SDKs, I say phooey.