What is the History of Connected Platforms?

Since the mid 2000s, the influence of connected platforms has really taken off.

The top two companies in terms of market cap in the U.S. are now platform companies: Google and Apple.

Other major businesses that are platform companies include Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Spotify, Skype, and Youtube. Most of today’s hot startups are also platforms, like Airbnb, Uber, Etsy, Square, and recently acquired WhatsApp.

These are mostly what are described as “tech” companies. But traditional businesses are also getting in the game. Companies that have recently made platform plays include Nike with Nike+ and GE with its Predix platform.

You can start to see this happening in other industries as well. One example is the the automobile industry, where a number of leading companies are creating platforms for the connected car. Another example is the entertainment industry where incumbents are facing challenges from industry newcomers like Apple, Google and Amazon.

We predict that this trend will continue, and over the next ten to fifteen years, platforms will come to play an even bigger role in our economy than they do today.

Filed under: Platform Innovation | Topics: apple, connected revolution, Google, Nike, platform thinking, platforms