The shift from corporate power to platform power is well underway.  We experience this as consumers, with entertainment platforms such as Netflix stealing viewers from the cable and film distribution companies.  Despite relatively low levels of e-commerce penetration in Canada, the shadow that e-commerce platforms such as Amazon cast over retailers is getting darker and darker.  This article does a fantastic job of describing what is happening (reduced lifespan of corporations), why it is happening (rise of ecosystems and cloud computing) and the acceleration of this trend in our global economy.

 Early in my career, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend 10 years at IBM – when the primary value proposition to our stable client base was around the company – “you can’t go wrong by partnering with IBM”.  Fast forward 25 years and the conversation is completely different.  Most conversations today revolve around platform capability, integration considerations, security and speed.  The “company” will always be an important factor but the emphasis on platform capabilities is the new reality.

Tags: Industry