Episode 165: Marketplaces and Platforms

Carolyn and Seth take a look at online marketplaces, which have changed how technology is procured and implemented, and the platforms used for these marketplaces, which offer companies ease of building while potentially creating lock-in. Online marketplaces are built to reduce friction for the end user, whether that is a client of a technology services provider or an employee within an organization. But building these marketplaces is a complicated task, especially when e-commerce is involved. Using a platform can allow the marketplace to be built quickly with a rich set of features, but it also creates a dependency on the platform provider that can become inefficient over time.