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.

I am a professor of engineering at the Thayer School of Dartmouth College  where I also serve as director of the Master of Engineering Management Program. Prior to joining Dartmouth, I was a professor of management science at the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and served as Director of the Tulane Energy Institute. 

At Dartmouth, I teach courses in business platform strategy and data analytics in the engineering school and executive education in the business school.

We were recently awarded the 2019 Thinkers50 “Digital Thinking Award” for work on two-sided markets and the “inverted firm” whereby firms leverage network effects through external ecosystems, shifting value creation from inside to outside.

Our book Platform Revolution has on the order of 200,000 copies worldwide in ten languages. Interestingly, over half of these have occurred in the second and third years since publication in 2016, suggesting that there is enduring interest in the topic.

I spend summers in Boston as a visiting scholar and fellow at the MIT Initiative for the Digital Economy where I also co-chair the annual MIT Platform Summit and the annual BU Platform Research Symposium.  I speak frequently at academic conferences and industry events and advise senior leaders in government and industry on their platform strategies.

My research explores the economics of and strategy of platform markets and two-sided markets. I am also interested in distributed innovation. The research projects have been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (IIS-0338662, SES-0323227, SES-0925004) , the Department of Energy (DE-FC26-08NT01922), and multiple corporations including CISCO, Haier, International Post Corporation, Mass Mutual, Microsoft, PJM, SAP, and Thomson Reuters. I am serving or have served as a panelist for the National Science Foundation, a Senior Editor for the journal Production and Operations Management, associate editor for the journal Management Science, and ad-hoc associate editor for MIS Quarterly and special issued editor of Information Systems Research.

I received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in the Technology and Policy Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Ph.D. in Management Science from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Research Interests 

Data analytics; platform economics & strategy; intellectual property; core operations; product innovation & development; outsourcing & supply chain strategy; energy economics, policy, strategy, innovation, market structure & performance

Source: Dartmouth College