News & Events

Moderator:
Prof. Marshall Van Alstyne, SM ‘91, PhD ‘98, Professor, BU Questrom School of Management (@InfoEcon)

Speakers:
George Collins, Deloitte Digital (@thetrotter)
Eric McCarty, Samsung Electronics America (@EricMcCarty2)
Prof. Sanjay Sarma, MIT (#SanjaySarma)
Chris Taylor, Uber (@chrishrtaylor)

Uber. Airbnb. Amazon. Apple. PayPal. All of these cutting-edge businesses are built on platforms: two-sided markets that are revolutionizing the way we do business. As digital networks increase in ubiquity, businesses that do a better job of harnessing the power of the platform will win. Whether platforms are connecting sellers and buyers, hosts and visitors, or drivers with riders, this session will discuss the “owner’s manual” for creating a successful platform business. But not every company can become a platform, so much of this session will be spent on helping practitioners measure where they are in a platform ecosystem, and how they can benefit from that position – or move to a different one.