by @benthompsonBen via @exponentialview

Source: The difference between a platform and an aggregator (video) | Philip Elmer‑DeWitt

As explained by Stratechery’s Ben Thompson, there is another divide between different types of platforms, with some more conducive to supply-side (labour) empowerment than others.

In Thompson’s framework, “aggregators” are focused on providing their customers with a standardised service. In the process, they turn suppliers into interchangeable commodities, depriving them of economic leverage. Actual “platforms”, on the other hand, are mere “tool providers” (Sangeet Paul Choudary’s phrase) that suppliers (workers) can harness for empowerment.