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Mastering the Intermediaries

In our increasingly digital world, businesses and consumers have become starkly more dependent on a number of powerful platforms. Of course, platforms aren’t new. For three decades, airlines have been relying on computerized reservation systems to reach travel agents and key customers. But platform dependence is now ubiquitous. Almost every retailer looks to Google to refer customers, and it’s rare to find a manufacturer whose products are not sold on Amazon.

A version of this article appeared in the June 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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