Digital Platforms - Publications - Faculty & Research

January 2025
Case

Apax Partners: Deciding Whether to Bid for Trader Corp.

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer

Apax Partners’ investment committee was schedule to meet on March 21, 2011, to decide whether to invest in Trader Corporation, a Canadian classified advertising business for used automobiles with both print (magazines) and digital (website) distribution. What made this... View Details

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Educators

Web

Leadership Initiative - Leadership

digital and analytics-enabled businesses. He is the founder of digital transformation advisory New Media Insight, and also serves as the Chief Product Officer of RANE, overseeing a suite of View Details

February 2011
Case

oDesk: Changing How the World Works

By: Boris Groysberg, David A. Thomas and Jennifer M. Tydlaska

It is 2010, and Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk, is contemplating the next steps for his organization. Founded in 2004 in California, oDesk operates an online marketplace which matches Employers with Contractors. oDesk provides fact-based information on Contractors, including... View Details

Keywords: Recruitment; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Corporate Strategy; Internet and the Web; Consulting Industry

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Educators

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South Asia - Global

construction products. The interactive discussion delved into critical questions about Aashiyana’s potential, Tata Steel’s digital transformation journey, and execution challenges. It sparked insightful perspectives on balancing... View Details

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Podcast - Business & Environment

CEO James Reinhart 04 JUN 2025 | Climate Rising James Reinhart, CEO of ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for secondhand clothing. James co-founded the company while he was a Masters’ student at Harvard and has spent the... View Details

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Building the On-Demand Workforce - Managing the Future of Work

digital talent platforms to access highly skilled freelancers. Read Employer Survey In 2019, Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work and Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute... View Details

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2023 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation and Power Professor David Yoffie + More Info – Less Info Digital platforms have become the most successful business model of the... View Details

29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Is There a Method to Musk’s Madness on Twitter?

an influential but unprofitable business that lost money eight of the last 10 years. Now, digital ad revenues are falling pretty rapidly across the internet, and advertisers are pausing or bailing on Twitter. What is the company’s... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Technology

21 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 21, 2015

in choosing between a traditional mode (where the firm takes control of service provision) and a platform mode (where professionals retain control over service provision). The choice of mode is determined by the need to balance two-sided... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

Why We Still Need Twitter: How Social Media Holds Companies Accountable

violations and penalties issued by 44 regulatory agencies, during the period between 2000 and 2017. First, they obtained digital maps of 3G network coverage, determined the year in which 3G became available for a certain ZIP code, and... View Details

Keywords: by Kasandra Brabaw; Technology

Web

Japan - Global

platform for attendees to explore the possibilities of an HBS MBA and connect with both alumni and fellow prospective applicants. JUNE 2024 FACULTY IMMERSION Faculty Immersion in Japan In June 2024, 33 HBS faculty traveled from Boston to... View Details

10 Nov 2009
First Look

First Look: Nov. 10

Working PapersPlatform Envelopment (revised) Authors:Thomas Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne Abstract Due to network effects and switching costs, platform providers often become entrenched. To enter established... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

humans who are perceived as more versus less robotic. These results have theoretical implications for understanding social cognition about both humans and nonhumans and practical implications for the increasingly botsourced and outsourced economy. Article View Details

08 Aug 2022
HBS Case

Building an 'ARMY' of Fans: Marketing Lessons from K-Pop Sensation BTS

members were allowed to interact with fans on social media, and discuss the pressures of stardom. Communicate directly with fans. Hybe created a platform called Weverse, where fans could buy merchandise, watch performances, and connect... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta; Media & Broadcasting; Music

21 Jun 2022
HBS Case

Free Isn’t Always Better: How Slack Holds Its Own Against Microsoft Teams

Salesforce, which acquired the firm in 2021. Microsoft, meanwhile, was finally able to draw users to Teams, the free business communication platform it introduced in 2017 as part of Office 365. "Can these collaborative software View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Information Technology; Technology

Web

HBS - The year in Review

scale capabilities in the realm of digital products, data strategy and architecture, analytics, machine learning and AI, the group will work to build platforms and deliver applications that enable innovation... View Details

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Europe - Global

co-authored with Daniela Beyersdorfer, Director of Research & Administration at the Europe Research Center (ERC). From electric sports cars to digital customer experiences like “Track Your Dream,” the case—based on deep field research in... View Details

01 Dec 2023
News

Thinking Ahead

As we wind down 2023, there’s talk everywhere of generative AI and how it will fundamentally alter the world as we know it; but how does that translate for your corner of the business world? Is TikTok something you need to take seriously? (Is it time to dance?) We... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Illustrations by Chris Gash; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

12 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

New Research Explores Multi-Sided Markets

sellers), ad-supported media (ad sponsors and readers/viewers), computer operating systems (application developers and users), videogame consoles (game developers and geeks), shopping malls (retailers and consumers), digital media View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

11 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

Is Amazon a Retailer, a Tech Firm, or a Media Company? How AI Can Help Investors Decide

that maintain the system, review the categories and how they classify companies. "In the last 20 years, the boundaries of businesses have become much more diffuse because of digital technology driven business models." In contrast, the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Consumer Products; Real Estate; Financial Services; Retail

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