The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business [Paperback]

Phil Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 2011

Winner, Axiom Business Book Awards: 2011 Best Business Technology Book

Buoyed by the success of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, thousands of companies of all sizes are fundamentally rethinking how they do business. They are creating vibrant ecosystems and, in the process, reaping big rewards. In the tradition of The Long Tail, The Age of the Platform demonstrates how the world of business today is vastly different from that of even ten years ago. Today, the most successful companies are operating under an entirely different business model-one predicated on collaboration, emerging technologies, externally driven innovation, different types of partnerships, and vibrant ecosystems. Rife with examples, The Age of the Platform is nothing less than essential reading to understand business today--and where it is going.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Essential reading on the state of business today-and where it is going. Ignore this book at your own peril."

-Adrian C. Ott, award-winning author, The 24-Hour Customer

"The Age of the Platform is the kind of book to read if you want to better understand the Internet and how your company can fit into it and create a business model to profit from it."

-Anita Campbell, co-author of Visual Marketing

"Nothing short of a 21st-century business survival guide."

-Mike Faith, CEO & President, Headsets.com

"Phil Simon sees a forest when the rest of us just see trees. In this compelling mix of research and interpretation, Simon shows how the future of business isn't just technology, but its tentacles."
-Jay Baer, co-author of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social. 

From the Author

Buoyed by the success of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, companies of all sizes are fundamentally rethinking how they do business. They are creating vibrant ecosystems, and in the process, reaping big rewards. In the tradition of The Long Tail, The Age of the Platform demonstrates how the world of business today is vastly different from that of even ten years ago. Today the most successful companies are operating under an entirely different business model-one predicated on collaboration, rapid development, emerging technologies, and externally driven innovation. The Age of the Platform introduces and describes a critical new business model, one essential to survive in today's increasingly fragmented and dynamic economy. 

Without question, the Gang of Four has ascended to absolutely astounding heights. Yes, these companies excel via their superior use of technology. They have built incredible ecosystems. They've embraced partnerships and external innovation. Beyond all of this, The Gang of Four has defined an entirely new way of doing business: the platform. 

A platform is simply a set of integrated planks.

The most powerful platforms today have two things in common: 

• They are rooted in equally powerful technologies--and their intelligent usage. In other words, they differ from traditional platforms in that they are not predicated on physical assets, land, and natural resources. 
• They benefit tremendously from vibrant ecosystems (read: partners, developers, users, customers, and communities). 

While platforms inhere a great deal of potential commercial appeal and applications, they do not exist simply as a means for companies to hawk their wares. At their core, platforms today are primarily about consumer utility and communications. Finally, because consumer tastes change much faster than business' tastes, platforms today must adapt very quickly--or face obsolescence.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Motion Publishing (October 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982930259
• ISBN-13: 978-0982930250
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phil Simon is a sought-after speaker and the author of four management books. His fourth, the award-winning The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business, is his most ambitious yet. A recognized technology expert, he consults companies on how to optimize their use of technology. His contributions have been featured on NBC, CNBC, Inc, BusinessWeek, Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, the American Express Open Forum, Technorati, ZDNet, abcnews.com, forbes.com, The New York Times, ReadWriteWeb, and many other sites.

To find out more about Phil and his books, go to the following sites:

* www.philsimonsystems.com
* www.theageoftheplatform.com
* www.thenewsmall.com

This biography was provided by the author.