Digital platforms rely on more than platform owners and complementors. This paper shines a spotlight on “platform auxiliaries”: independent actors that help complementors create and capture value within platform ecosystems.
Drawing on examples from digital platform settings, the study develops a new conceptual framework showing how platform auxiliaries can enhance complementor capabilities, facilitate access to platform-specific knowledge, and support expansion beyond a focal platform. At the same time, their activities can generate tensions by influencing platform curation, information flows, and compatibility.
Authors and Affiliations:
● Donato Cutolo (IE University)
● Andrew Hargadon (University of California, Davis)
● Martin Kenney (University of California, Davis)
