A practical guide to the new economy that is transforming the way we live, work, and play.

Uber. Airbnb. Amazon. Apple. PayPal. All of these companies disrupted their markets when they launched. Today they are industry leaders. What’s the secret to their success?

These cutting-edge businesses are built on platforms: two-sided markets that are revolutionizing the way we do business. Written by three of the most sought-after experts on platform businesses, Platform Revolution is the first authoritative, fact-based book on platform models. Whether platforms are connecting sellers and buyers, hosts and visitors, or drivers with people who need a ride, Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, and Sangeet Paul Choudary reveal the what, how, and why of this revolution and provide the first “owner’s manual” for creating a successful platform business.

Platform Revolution teaches newcomers how to start and run a successful platform business, explaining ways to identify prime markets and monetize networks. Addressing current business leaders, the authors reveal strategies behind some of today’s up-and-coming platforms, such as Tinder and SkillShare, and explain how traditional companies can adapt in a changing marketplace. The authors also cover essential issues concerning security, regulation, and consumer trust, while examining markets that may be ripe for a platform revolution, including healthcare, education, and energy.

As digital networks increase in ubiquity, businesses that do a better job of harnessing the power of the platform will win. An indispensable guide, Platform Revolution charts out the brilliant future of platforms and reveals how they will irrevocably alter the lives and careers of millions.

Table of Contents

1. TODAY: Welcome to the Platform Revolution

2. NETWORK EFFECTS: The Power of the Platform

3. ARCHITECTURE: Principles for Designing a Successful Platform

4. DISRUPTION: How Platforms Conquer and Transform Traditional Industries

5. LAUNCH: Chicken or Egg? Eight Ways to Launch a Successful Platform

6. MONETIZATION: Capturing the Value Created by Network Effects

7. OPENNESS: Defining What Platform Users and Partners Can and Cannot Do

8. GOVERNANCE: Policies to Increase Value and Enhance Growth

9. METRICS: How Platform Managers Can Measure What Really Matters

10. STRATEGY: How Platforms Change Competition

11. POLICY: How Platforms Should (and Should Not) Be Regulated

12. TOMORROW: The Future of the Platform Revolution

Review

"Thorough and often provocative."

― Jeremy G. Philips, The Wall Street Journal

"An authoritative guide to the role of online platforms: what they are, how they work, and what they mean for business and economics. Platform Revolution demystifies the concept by providing clear prose, insightful examples, and practical lessons."

― Hal Varian, chief economist, Google, and author of Information Rules

"Platforms have transformed the economy over the last two decades, but the biggest effects are yet to come. Platform Revolution provides the first comprehensive framework for platform strategy and for predicting the winners and losers of future disruptions."

― Susan C. Athey, Stanford University, former chief economist, Microsoft

"Platform Revolution is a manual for the disruption of your industry. You can either read it or try to keep it out of the hands of your competitors―present and future. I think it’s an easy call."

― Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at MIT, coauthor of The Second Machine Age

"Platform Revolution provides an exceptional synthesis of cutting-edge research that makes it must-reading for my MBA students. A key insight is that platform strategies can benefit all participants when they understand the underlying economics. Read the book and share it with your business partners. You’ll be glad you did."

― Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT Sloan School, coauthor of The Second Machine Age

"In a very cohesive and comprehensive way, the authors provide deep conceptual insights and rich practical advice on platforms, the most important business organizations of our time."

― Ming Zeng, chief strategy officer, Alibaba

"In the digital economy, platforms are transforming industries at high speed. Platform Revolution is an inspiring guide for business leaders to transform existing businesses to platform businesses."

― Jim Hagemann-Snabe, former CEO of SAP

About the Author

Geoffrey Parker is a professor of engineering at Dartmouth College and a visiting scholar and research fellow at the MIT Initiative for the Digital Economy. Before joining academia, he held positions in engineering and finance at General Electric. He has made significant contributions to the economics of network effects as co-developer of the theory of two-sided networks. Parker's work has been supported by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and numerous corporations. Parker advises senior leaders in government and business and is a frequent speaker at conferences and industry events. He received his BS from Princeton and his MS and PhD from MIT.

Marshall W. Van Alstyne is a professor at Boston University and a visiting scholar and research fellow at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. Van Alstyne is a world expert on information economics and has made fundamental contributions to IT productivity and to theories of network effects. His coauthored work on two-sided networks is taught in business schools worldwide. In addition, he holds patents in information privacy protection and on spam prevention methods. Van Alstyne has been honored with six best paper awards and National Science Foundation IOC, SGER, iCORPS, SBIR and Career Awards. He is an adviser to leading executives, a frequent keynote speaker, a former entrepreneur, and a consultant to startups and to Global 100 companies. He received his BA from Yale and his MS and PhD from MIT.

Sangeet Paul Choudary is a C-level advisor to executives globally on platform business models. He is an Entrepeneur-in-Residence at the INSEAD Business School and a Fellow at the Centre for Global Enterprise. He has been ranked among the top 30 emerging business thinkers globally by Thinkers 50. Sangeet writes the popular blog Platformed (platformed.info), and his work has been featured on leading journals and media, including the Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, Sloan Management Review, the Wall Street Journal and The Economist. He is a frequent keynote speaker at leading conferences, including the G20 World Summit 2014 and the World Economic Forum events.