In today’s episode, we have Kelly Sarabyn and Scott Brinker from HubSpot, who take us through their latest report on the State of Platforms in 2024.

HubSpot has always considered industry education as central to developing its business and brand, and - in combination with some of its partners - released this great report earlier this year. The report profoundly covers how firms now adopt platform strategies to thrive in a digital economy ranging from app ecosystems to services marketplaces. Having spearheaded this, Kelly and Scott shared some insider information with us.

During the conversation, they highlight the evolution of platforms, from mere technical infrastructures to complex ecosystems, and then further delve into how understanding the intricacies of platform models is crucial for tech companies and all businesses looking to leverage the interconnected nature of modern markets.

This episode has something for everyone, so don’t miss out on hearing from two of the most prominent experts in the field. Tune in.

Some of our ardent followers will know that this is the 2nd time we have Scott, Vice President of Platform Ecosystem, at HubSpot. Kelly, instead, works as a Platform Ecosystem Advocate, at the same company.

We are thrilled that they wanted to share the key learnings from co-authoring the “State of Platforms 2024” report - a tremendous piece of work that examines the evolving dynamics of the platform businesses, with a keen focus on the B2B SaaS industry.

In the conversation we explored the implications of evolving platforms for business strategy and operations, emphasizing the necessity for companies to continuously adapt and leverage these opportunities effectively, regardless of the role and business model. Our guests further touch upon how companies need to modulate around proliferation and nichification, integrations across sectors, and even look into these retributions' ethical and social aspects from a community-building perspective.

This episode is a crucial one and a much-needed dialogue to take platform ecosystems forward, so join in.

Key Highlights

👉 Deep Dive into B2B SaaS Platforms by analyzing the top 50 SaaS companies’ adoption of platform business models.

👉 Integration as a critical strategy for enhancing user experience and the platform's value proposition.

👉Industries that have fallen short in their platform game, and where their future is headed.

👉The challenges with outsourcing integration, and why the quality of integration makes or breaks your product’s market fit.

👉The platform industry as a continuously evolving ecosystem, and its implications on business.

👉How companies need to adapt their structure to support platform models.

👉Analysis of the broader implications of platform strategies on society and ethical considerations in platform management.

👉The potential of using ecosystems as a distribution strategy, and why even non-tech companies should consider integrating digital services into their offerings.

Topics /chapters

(00:00) The State of Platforms in 2024 with Kelly Sarabyn and Scott Brinker - Intro

(00:58) Introducing Kelly Sarabyn and Scott Brinker

(01:58) State of Platforms Report 2024

(10:09) Patterns of Platforms in 2024

(13:19) Outdated Metrics and Practices of Platforms

(16:10) Who should be thinking about Platforms today?

(20:24) Being a part of ecosystems as a distribution strategy

(23:57) Organization Structures Designed for Platforms

(27:31) Who should understand platforms in your organization?

(33:15) Proliferation and Nichification

(38:43) What is the key to unlock the future?

(45:17) Transformation in the Services Ecosystems

(51:29) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/kelly-scott/

Episode recorded on 7th August 2023 Get in touch with Boundaryless:

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
• Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo

Music Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music

We have a three-time returning guest on the podcast today, Sangeet Paul Choudary - certainly one of the most influential minds in the world of modern business.

Sangeet, an advisor and best-selling author, known for his work on platform economics and network effects, joins us to take us through the next era of competition in business: Sandwich Economics.

He speaks on the principles of the new phenomenon and shares insights into how organizations are now increasingly "sandwiching" markets vigorously consolidating profits and power. As this happens, Sangeet argues, it’s not always a driver of quality improvement in services and products.

Sangeet’s episodes are always packed with insights on the future, and this conversation is no different - in the closing, we even walk through AI agents, AGI, societal and ethical considerations, and much more. Tune in, this is not an episode to miss.

As our close followers and general practitioners of Platform Ecosystems know, Sangeet is not only one of the most distinguished thought leaders, renowned for his pioneering work on platform economics but also someone who can spot the intricacies of the impacts that such phenomena have on society.

He has authored two bestselling books, "Platform Scale" and "Platform Revolution," and comes with over a decade of expertise in advising global firms and governments on crafting effective platform strategies through his organization, “Platformation Labs”. His work has also been featured on leading platforms such as Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and the World Economic Forum, to name a few.

Sangeet always has golden insights, and this episode is packed with them. He takes us through the new term he coined to describe dangerous market dynamics that key players use to “sandwich” value across multiple layers of value chains and grounds them on examples from various industries. He further challenges conventional thinking and brings fresh perspectives on the ongoing dynamism and complexity of the market.

So, if you wish to learn what’s really happening in platforms and ecosystems and how markets are evolving…Tune in!

Key Highlights

👉 Transition from platform-based business models to Sandwich Economics

👉 Dominating multiple layers of the value chain, transforming competition and power dynamics in digital markets through Sandwich Economics.

👉 Case studies on organizations that implemented Sandwich Economics: Reliance's strategic maneuvers in India, and Amazon’s creation of their own value assets.

👉Difference between vertical integration and sandwich economics - and the importance of dominating horizontal layers at an industry scale for capturing profits and exerting control.

👉 Broader societal implications of shifting economic models, and the role of digital transformation in redefining value creation, capture, and distribution.

👉 The emergence of Artificial General Intelligence, and how it makes digital economics, organizational structures, and the essence of competition even more complex.

👉 Leadership methods (decentralized/ centralized) in an era of Sandwich Economics Contrary.

Topics /chapters

(00:00) Sandwich Economics: a New Era of Competition - Intro

(00:58) Introducing Sangeet

(02:23) All things Sandwich Economics

(10:26) Why is Sandwich Economics different from Vertical Integration?

(18:17) New Ways of Competing

(24:08) Playbook of Sandwich Economics and how is it different from enshittification?

(38:28) What are the antibodies?

(46:14) Where’s this evolving to?

(49:45) The emergence of AGI and the shape of markets

(55:41) Value Creation vs. Value Capture

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/sangeet-choudary-3/

Episode recorded on 7th August 2023

Get in touch with Boundaryless:

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_ Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo

Music Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music

On today’s podcast, we host someone who - has been at the forefront of the Agile revolution, and, at the same time, became one of Agile movement's most vocal critics, to the extent, that he dared to say: “R.I.P Agile”.

Cliff Berg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Agile 2 Academy, and a leading figure in Agile and DevOps advising joins our podcast bringing his fresh perspectives on the decline of Agile. He also gives us a peek into the story of a book he recently co-authored, ‘Agile 2: The Next Iteration of Agile’.

Cliff takes us through what it means to re-imagine organizational practices and challenges the conventional framework-oriented approach, that often needs more contextualization and grounded action-based research.

Join us, as we discuss balancing leadership and self-organizing, and explore pragmatic approaches to operating successful businesses with agility and accountability.

This episode goes through a journey - we talk about Cliff’s viral post on the demise of Agile, and what he and a team of co-authors have done to consciously course-correct it, and publish a whole set of new ideas on how to approach Agile with a more contemporary and less ideological stance: Agile 2.

Cliff dismisses the narrative of “You don’t need managers”, and challenges why it’s important to reel our thoughts back in when it comes to decentralization of organizations.

He lays it out as it is: structure is not a bad thing per se, and the conversation goes through healthy ways of administering structure in organizations.

Tune in, if you’re interested in non-ideological ways to embrace agile practices, mixed with some of Boundaryless's staple topics: building optionality, entrepreneurial organizations that go big with skin in the game, and more.

Key Highlights

👉 Critical intersection between human behavior and technology, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of our digital coexistence.

👉 Calm Technology as an essential way to creating designs that respect human attention without overwhelming users.

👉Building tools that help users focus on the task and not the tool.

👉 Complexities of governance in technological and organizational contexts, with a focus on the potentials and pitfalls of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).

👉 Ways to bring a shift towards innovations that serve humanity and contribute to a more equitable future.

👉 Developing a questioning mindset for driving meaningful technological advancements.

Topics /chapters

(00:00) R.I.P. Agile, Long Live Agile 2 - Intro

(02:09) The transition from Agile 1.0 to Agile 2.0

(10:36) Solving Limitations of Agile 1.0

(18:26) Frameworks as a means to an end

(31:23) Increasing Optionality and Designing for Problem Solving

(38:16) Finding a Balance in Beauraucracy

(44:43) The transformation that sticks

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/cliff-berg/

Episode recorded on 23th February 2024

Get in touch with Boundaryless:

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_

Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo

Music

Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music

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