article
One of the fastest ways for a startup to grow has always been to ride on the shoulders of a successful platform: from Microsoft/OSS in software to AWS in cloud computing to iOS/Android in mobile to Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest in social to IAB/Google in advertising and the many SaaS players. Betting on a platform focuses product development both because of technology/API choices and because of the automatic reduction in the customer/user pool. Also, platforms that satisfy the ecosystem test help the startups that bet on them make money. That is, until they don’t.
How building on another company’s platform can accelerate growth while leaving a startup exposed to sudden policy, pricing, or product changes.
We are not affiliated with Itamar Novick, Simeon Simeonov, or Recursive Ventures. We just like the series and wanted to make it easier to listen to, so this unofficial audio version is available to everyone for free.
Duration
~15 minutes (14K characters)
Release date
Aug 13, 2025