Since 1994 when I first published the concepts of product-platform strategy, Product Strategy for High Technology Companies (McGraw Hill, 2001) has become a mainstay of strategy in many industries, particularly for high-technology companies. Some of the most successful companies implemented a product-platform strategy, and many of those who didn't failed as a result. In this new book, as well as others in this series, I expand and update these concepts, adding new lessons learned in the past decade, and illustrate them with current examples. Since there are several new concepts and so many great examples, I've decided to update Product Strategy through a series of new books, each focused on a particular product strategy topic. This first book, Understanding and Applying Product-Platform Strategy, starts with the core underlying concepts of platform strategy, based on workshops I have been giving around the world over the last few years. There are several new concepts that I added or expanded on in this book. The concept of platform layers expands on original concept of elements in complex platforms. As product platforms evolved to be more complex, organizing them into layers became logical. Platform robustness is introduced to address the issue that not all platforms are created equal, and this builds on the concept of vectors of differentiation in my original book. Competitive advantage can come from having a more robust product-platform strategy than a competitor. The issues around a platform as part of an ecosystem are now more relevant and discussed in more detail. This has become increasingly important, as more companies have implemented platform strategies that are linked with others. Also as more companies have leveraged product-platforms into new markets, the concepts of derivative platforms have become more important. So we will examine derivative platforms in more detail.

During the last decade, platform businesses such as Uber, Airbnb, Amazon and eBay have been taking over the world. In almost every sector, traditional businesses are under attack from digital disrupters that are effectively harnessing the power of communities. But what exactly is a platform business and why is it different? In Platform Strategy, Laure Claire Reillier and Benoit Reillier provide a practical guide for students, digital entrepreneurs and executives to understand what platforms are, how they work and how you can build one successfully. Using their own "rocket model" and original case studies (including Google, Apple, Amazon), they explain how designing, igniting and scaling a platform business requires learning a whole new set of management rules. Platform Strategy also offers many fascinating insights into the future of platforms, their regulation and governance, as well as how they can be combined with other business models. Benoit Reillier and Laure Claire Reillier are co-founders of Launchworks, a leading advisory firm focused on helping organizations develop and scale innovative business models.

One of the key determinants of success for today’s high-technology companies is product strategy—and this guide continues to be the only book on product strategy written specifically for the 21st century high-tech industry. More than 250 examples from technological leaders including IBM, Compaq, and Apple—plus a new focus on growth strategies and on Internet businesses—define how high-tech companies can use product strategy and product platform strategy for competitiveness, profitability, and growth in the Internet age.

A trio of experts on high-tech business strategy and innovation reveal the principles that have made platform businesses the most valuable firms in the world and the first trillion-dollar companies. Managers and entrepreneurs in the digital era must learn to live in two worlds—the conventional economy and the platform economy. Platforms that operate for business purposes usually exist at the level of an industry or ecosystem, bringing together individuals and organizations so they can innovate and interact in ways not otherwise possible. Platforms create economic value far beyond what we see in conventional companies. The Business of Platforms is an invaluable, in-depth look at platform strategy and digital innovation. Cusumano, Gawer, and Yoffie address how a small number of companies have come to exert extraordinary influence over every dimension of our personal, professional, and political lives. They explain how these new entities differ from the powerful corporations of the past. They also question whether there are limits to the market dominance and expansion of these digital juggernauts. Finally, they discuss the role governments should play in rethinking data privacy laws, antitrust, and other regulations that could reign in abuses from these powerful businesses. Their goal is to help managers and entrepreneurs build platform businesses that can stand the test of time and win their share of battles with both digital and conventional competitors. As experts who have studied and worked with these firms for some thirty years, this book is the most authoritative and timely investigation yet of the powerful economic and technological forces that make platform businesses, from Amazon and Apple to Microsoft, Facebook, and Google—all dominant players in shaping the global economy, the future of work, and the political world we now face.

In the last century, we have witnessed the rise of a new kind of company, one that leverages on a new business model — the platform.Though platform companies are very common, they can take extremely diverse forms in today's business landscape. People use the term 'platform' to mean many different things. Managers are often confused about which is platform business and which is not. When it comes to platform strategy, things become even more complicated.Using real world examples, this book acts as a primer for platform strategy, discussing the underlying mechanism of various types of platform models to help people understand what platform business is and what they can do with it. Theories and frameworks appropriate for understanding platform business are introduced and related cases follow to support readers' understanding. The diverse and international case studies analysed range from IBM's horizontal production platform, to the digital platform of China's breakout smartphone star, Xiaomi.This book will not only enable readers to understand platform business, but also teach them how to harness these frameworks to build effective strategies for their own platform business pursuits.

What do Amazon, Google, Visa and AirBnB all have in common? They are all platform businesses. They know they can go beyond their industry segments. They capitalize on wider ecosystems that strengthen their offering and expand commercial opportunities. And now your business can do the same. Welcome to the world of platform businesses. In Platform Strategy one of the world's most creative men in business according to Fast Company and a leading strategy professor at a Financial Times top 40 business school show you the ropes. They lead you through the seven steps you can take to turn your business into a successful platform. Learn to harness emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, cement your business into thriving ecosystems and go beyond industry boundaries. Uncover how business leaders at companies as diverse as John Deere, KONE, and Visa are leading their businesses to the future by reinventing their business model. Authors Tero Ojanperä and Timo Vuori distil the disrupters' methods to an actionable blueprint. In Platform Strategy they put the emphasis on what you can do as leader; harness new technologies, work with partners but also crucially, recognize the fear of change in your people and utilize that energy to drive progress. More than just about technology, this book is at the centre of the leadership agenda for the future.

It is the fundamental challenge of the high-tech sector: A firm must innovate internally to succeed-yet its success may equally depend on corresponding innovations by external firms. Whether a company develops a ubiquitous operating system or the software that runs on it, a VCR or the movies we play on it, every participant in a high-tech network is vulnerable to the innovative moves of its partners and competitors. Yet, in spite of this perilous situation, some firms have developed strategies that have made them industry powerhouses and world-class innovators. How? By becoming platform leaders -companies that provide the technological foundation on which other products, services, and systems are built. Platform leadership is the Holy Grail of high-tech industries, but it is difficult to achieve. In Platform Leadership , high-tech strategy experts Annabelle Gawer and Michael A. Cusumano reveal how Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco, as well as companies including Palm and NTT DoCoMo, have orchestrated industry innovations to support their products-and, in the process, established dominant market positions. Based on these in-depth case studies and on incisive analysis, the authors present their Four Levers Framework for designing and implementing a successful platform strategy-or for improving an existing strategy: 1. Determine the scope of the firm : Is it preferable to create product complements internally or let the "market" produce them? 2. Design product technology strategically : What degree of modularity is appropriate? Should product interfaces be open or closed? What information should leaders disclose to outside firms? 3. Shape relationships with external complementors : How can the company balance competition and collaboration with outside players? 4. Optimize internal organizational structures : What processes and systems will allow the company to manage internal and external conflicts of interest most effectively? For executives, strategists, and entrepreneurs in many high-tech arenas, this book shows how firms can orchestrate innovation to ensure their own competitive futures-and drive the evolution of their industry. AUTHORBIO: Annabelle Gawer is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Management at INSEAD. Michael A. Cusumano is the Sloan Management Review Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School, editor-in-chief and chairman of the board of the Sloan Management Review , and coauthor of the bestseller Microsoft Secrets .