---
id: "prereq-platform-economics"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["¶3", "§ Three types of ecosystem synergies"]
tags: ["economics", "network-effects"]
related: ["concept-complementors", "concept-ecosystem-synergies"]
reason: "Understanding how value is generated by third-party developers and network effects is required to grasp why ecosystem synergies matter."
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/when-evaluating-an-ma-opportunity-consider-the-broader-digital-ecosystem"
source_title: "When Evaluating an M&A Opportunity, Consider the Broader Digital Ecosystem"
sources: ["ecosystem"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-ecosystem"
originDay: 11
articleStem: "hbr-cl-80-ma-digital-ecosystem"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/when-evaluating-an-ma-opportunity-consider-the-broader-digital-ecosystem"
sourceTitle: "When Evaluating an M&A Opportunity, Consider the Broader Digital Ecosystem"
---
# Platform Economics and Multisided Markets

**Why required:** Understanding how value is generated by third-party developers and network effects is required to grasp why ecosystem synergies matter.

The article assumes the reader understands the basics of **platform economics**, specifically how **multisided markets** function. Concepts like **network effects** (a platform becomes more valuable as more users and developers join) are implicit in the discussion of 'Attracting' and 'Connecting' synergies (see [[framework-three-types-ecosystem-synergies]]). Without understanding that a platform's value derives from its **network** rather than just its code, the urgency of [[concept-ecosystem-synergies]] and the role of [[concept-complementors]] is lost.

**Enrichment note:** Platform economics and two-sided-market theory are the theoretical backbone behind why complementors matter at all. Ecosystem-orchestration research — how firms mobilize partners, set standards, and coordinate innovation without owning all assets — is the directly adjacent literature.