Books for software engineers and managers
by Brian
Categories:
CTO,
Product Manager,
Startup Founder
Platforms and multi-sided marketplaces surround us:
These books explore how these platforms rise to prominence, sometimes taking over existing industries and other times creating entirely new industries.
by David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee
Matchmakers is all about two-sided marketplaces. In this book, you’ll learn about the chicken-and-egg problem, achieving critical mass, and what advantages if any the first mover has.
by David Yoffie and Michael Cusumano
Strategy Rules teaches platform strategy through the examples of Apple, Microsoft, and Intel. This book is particularly good if you enjoy both history and technology.
by Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief of Wired magazine
The Long Tail will teach you about concepts like pro-sumers, created when consumers turn into producers using platform technology like Tiktok and Instagram. If critical mass is achieved, these platforms fill the long tail with a seemingly infinite supply of niche content.
by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg, Former CEO and Former SVP of Products at Google
Most of How Google Works covers other interesting topics, but Eric Schmidt does include a section about platform theory and development with emphasis on how Google approaches platforms.