MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How Legacy Businesses Can Compete in the Sharing Economy

The term platform is commonly associated with vibrant ecosystems that connect various sets of users — drivers with riders (Uber), property o w ne r s with r enter s (Airbnb), searchers with advertisers (Google), sellers with buyers (Alibaba), or social groups with app developers (Facebook). These digital platforms have generated unprecedented value, overshadowing many established companies that have dominated their industries with produce-and-sell value chains. Until recently, most traditional companies could not adapt their established business models to participate in the so-called sharing economy. But sensors and related technologies are changing that reality.

About the Author

Mohan Subramaniam (@emsub57) is an associate professor of management and organization at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. Mikolaj Jan Piskorski is a professor of strategy and innovation at IMD.

Learn more about MIT SMR.