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# On Platforms and Vacuums
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/on-platforms-and-vacuums/
- Published: 2012-05-03T15:12:23.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-01T20:36:54.000Z
- Description: In the Age of the Platform, no company exists in a bubble.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Platforms, Strategy, RIM, The Age of the Platform

Thorsten Heins, the 54-year-old chief executive officer of Research In Motion ([RIMM](https://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=RIMM&ref=philsimon.com)) talks in this [Mashable piece](https://ht.ly/aG4NX?ref=philsimon.com) about how his company "is not leaving the consumer business."

My gut reaction upon reading that: It doesn't matter. *The consumer business is leaving you*.

In the Age of the Platform, you can either make it easy or difficult for people to embrace your platform and products. Offer carrots and/or sticks. Be prepared when those don't work—or work as expected.

[Phil Simon: On Platforms and MarketingIn the Age of the Platform, the rules of marketing and advertising are different.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/icon/cropped-newlogo-91.png)Phil Simon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/thumbnail/sergey_brin.jpg)](https://www.philsimon.com/blog/platforms/on-platforms-and-marketing/)

## Simon Says

Just don't think that top-down decisions rule the day. Today, it's decidedly *not* about controlling the environment and the ecosystem. In a very real sense, they control you.