Reconsideration of the Winner-Take-All Hypothesis: Complex Networks and Local Bias
质疑赢家通吃假说，指出客户互动网络结构决定竞争结果：当存在局部偏差时，落后技术可能存活，否则市场被单一技术垄断。对关注网络效应与市场竞争的研究者和实践者有参考价值。
The literature on network effects has popularized a hypothesis that competition between incompatible technologies results in the “winner-take-all” outcome. For the survival of the firm in this sort of competition, the installed base has been emphasized. We argue that the validity of this hypothesis depends on how customers interact with one another (e.g., if they exchange advice or files). In some interaction networks, customers influenced by their acquaintances may adopt a lagging technology even when a lead technology has built a large installed base. The presence of such a local bias facilitates the persistence of incompatibilities. When local bias cannot be sustained in other interaction networks, one technology corners the market. Our study suggests that overemphasizing the installed base, while ignoring network structure, could mislead practitioners.