Platform economy
The platform economy is economic and social activity facilitated by platforms, typically online sales or technology frameworks. Platform businesses control an increasing share of the world's economy and sometimes disrupt traditional businesses. The most common type of platform economy centres around transaction platforms, also known as digital matchmakers, which include Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, and Baidu. A second type of platform economy involves innovation platforms, which provide common technology frameworks upon which others can build, such as Microsoft's platforms upon which many independent developers build. In 2013, platform expert Marshall Van Alstyne observed that three of the top five companies in the world used the platform business model.The rise of platforms has been met with a mixed response from commentators.