The Platform Delusion Audiobook By Jonathan A. Knee cover art

The Platform Delusion

Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Platform Delusion

By: Jonathan A. Knee
Narrated by: Jonathan A. Knee
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.75

Buy for $15.75

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

An investment banker and professor explains what really drives success in the tech economy.

Many think that they understand the secrets to the success of the biggest tech companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. It's the platform economy, or network effects, or some other magical power that makes their ultimate world domination inevitable. Investment banker and professor Jonathan Knee argues that the truth is much more complicated - but entrepreneurs and investors can understand what makes the giants work and learn the keys to lasting success in the digital economy.

Knee explains what really makes the biggest tech companies work: a surprisingly disparate portfolio of structural advantages buttressed by shrewd acquisitions, strong management, lax regulation, and often, encouraging the myth that they are invincible to discourage competitors. By offering fresh insights into the true sources of strength and very real vulnerabilities of these companies, The Platform Delusion shows how investors, existing businesses, and start-ups might value them, compete with them, and imitate them.

The Platform Delusion demystifies the success of the biggest digital companies in sectors from retail to media to software to hardware, offering listeners what those companies don't want everyone else to know. Knee's insights are invaluable for entrepreneurs and investors in digital businesses seeking to understand what drives resilience and profitability for the long term.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Jonathan A. Knee (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Business Development & Entrepreneurship Management New Business Enterprises Business Inspiring Thought-Provoking
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"In The Platform Delusion Jonathan Knee takes apart the magical aura of one of Silicon Valley's biggest conceptual exports." (The New York Times)

"A cogent, arresting argument...Knee’s untangling of the complexities of platforms and their backers is steadily accessible and surprising." (Publishers Weekly)

"In pursuit of what makes for a powerful and successful tech company, The Platform Delusion by Jonathan A Knee opts for the broad scope." (Financial Times)

What listeners say about The Platform Delusion

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    31
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

systematic and comprehensive review

Although explained in a simple manner, it contains a lot of insights i will apply in my PhD and in my career.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Important Book Pushes Against Conventional Wisdom

When you listen to enough of these books they all start sounding the same. This was the first book that tried to explain that the idea of creating "network effects" is not as easy as everyone seems to think it is. This author steps you through the FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) companies and explains why they work. It is an important book for anyone wanting to be an entrepreneur in the Information Age.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Timely and Profound!

A remarkable and thought provoking book. This should, without a doubt, be included in every entrepreneur's collection.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good yet imperfect analysis of big tech leaders

I was looking forward to this book because it is a very interesting topic for me. Fundamentally, the author confuses a platform with a channel. Turns out, he is not a technologist but a financial expert. Netflix is not really a platform. Anyway, the book is really an analysis on FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) how they take advantage of the network effect and how it impacts and their competitive advantages. In this it is good. I don´t agree with some of his observations but it is an interesting book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Total Negativity

The whole book can be sumirized as. This large platform companies are bad investment because one day they will run out of steam. When? In a year? 5? 20? who knows but some day. A waste of credit and time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful