This paper examines firms' choices to use mobile platforms — namely iOS and Android. Using Crunchbase® data on startups seeking external funding, we find that 16 of 47 business categories are likely to use mobile platforms. 10 of these 16 exhibit no platform preferences, implying...

We examine how requiring platforms to give rivals resources, such as data, affects innovation. Using simulations in which an initial firm obtains a head start on rivals and uses that head start to build a valuable resource that subsequently gives it a competitive advantage over rivals when...

We study the impact of platform choice (iOS vs Android) for firms that build apps for smart phones. We merge app data from Sensor Tower® with financial performance data from Crunchbase®. We find that apps that begin on Android have greater average downloads per month. However, apps with the...