Platforms have, since the turn of the century, been discussed in a relatively small part of the management and here mainly within the context of manufacturing. The advent of smartphone app stores around 2009 has fuelled a great interest in digital platforms coordinating matchmaking and innovation within multi-sided markets. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of the origins of the platform debate in Information Systems, the current state of research within digital platforms, and to further argue for the persistent role of digital platforms within the context of new digital architectural arrangements. The talk is based on research carried out with various industry participants since 2008 and documented in multiple published and ongoing papers, such as those listed below.

Carsten Sørensen is Reader (Associate Professor) in Digital Innovation within Department of Management at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE website). He holds a BSc. in mathematics, an MSc in computer science and a Ph.D. in information systems from Aalborg University, Denmark. Carsten has since the 1980s researched digital innovation, for example, innovating the digital enterprise through mobile technology (enterprisemobilitybook.com), and the innovation dynamics of mobile infrastructures and -platforms (digitalinfrastructures.org). He developed LSEs first blockchain course, an online course on cryptocurrency disruption, and has been the leading academic securing LSE representation on Hedera’s Governing Council (hedera.com/council). Carsten has published widely within Information Systems since 1989, for example, in MISQ, ISR, JMIS, ISJ, JIT, Information & Organization, The Information Society, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, and Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (scholar.carstensorensen.com). Carsten has extensive experience managing national, EU, and industry research projects. He has for over 30 years been actively engaged in academic consultancy, assessing digital startups, and executive education with a broad range of organisations – IMF, Microsoft, Google, PA Consulting, Huawei, Orange, Vodafone, Intel, GEMS, to name just a few.