Open source software and open innovation are an important resource for today’s industries. Communities collaboratively create different kind of publicly available value, boosting innovation and also technology. However, whereas this value is generated and captured by various involved parties,...

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the means by which firms capture value in open platform systems. I begin by arguing that the surplus value created by complementarities within a technical system will be split among the owners of the unique and essential components—the strategic...

The purpose of this chapter is to use the theory of bottlenecks laid out in previous chapters to better understand the dynamics of an open standards-based platform. I describe how the Wintel platform evolved from 1990 through 2000 under joint sponsorship of Intel and Microsoft. I first describe...

This project studies collaboration in highly skilled, nationally diverse teams. An unexpected international political conflict makes national diversity more salient among existing and potential team members. I exploit this natural experiment to quantify the role of social, identity-driven, costs...

The purpose of this chapter is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive theoretical investigation of open platform systems. To do this, we must first recognize that, although there is a strong family resemblance among all platform systems, there are different types of platforms, each with its...

Many Internet intermediaries operate two-sided networks, that is, they provide platforms to bring together two types of participants, or quot;sides,quot; such as buyers and sellers. This paper develops a model that characterizes the intermediary's pricing in two-sided networks, the value created...

The empirical framework exists to test the proposition, “Does the extent of blockchain openness positively affect the willingness to adopt a platform?” We can compare a partially open blockchain like EOS with a more open platform like Ethereum. Both fund-raised by issuing cryptocurrencies...

This chapter discusses the relevance of Tocqueville's insights about the importance of civil society, as a foundation for democracy and as a counter-force to both government and market power, in the context of the challenges and opportunities created by the internet. What role does civil society...