Competing with the platform: Complementor positioning and cross‐platform response to entry
研究平台所有者进入互补者市场时，互补者如何跨平台分配努力：通用型互补者转向竞争平台，专业型互补者则加倍投入原平台。以苹果“文件”应用进入为例验证假设，并对比其他大企业进入发现只有平台所有者引发强烈反应。
Abstract Research Summary This study contrasts traditional entry dynamics with platform owner entry into a complementor market and examines cross‐platform complementor response to competition with the platform. Generalists experience low repositioning cost and are more likely to shift effort away, while specialists focus their effort on the focal platform. We examine Apple's “Files” app entry and find support for our hypotheses: generalists shift effort toward the competing platform, while specialists double down on the focal platform. Moreover, empirically comparing Apple's entry with that of other large firms, we find that only the platform owner elicits a strong complementor response. This article contributes to the competitive and corporate strategy literatures, underscoring how complementor heterogeneity affects cross‐platform allocation of effort when the platform owner becomes a competitor in complementor spaces. Managerial Summary Given the growing managerial and regulatory interest in competitive arenas on digital platforms, we analyze how firms respond to competition with the platform owner. We hypothesize that platform‐enabled firms (complementors) with an outside option—those who also operate on a different platform—reposition, while firms only focused on a single platform double down. Examining the case of the “Files” app on Apple's App Store, we find support for these predictions. We also study other large firm entries on App Store (by Microsoft and SanDisk), but do not observe a meaningful response by complementors. We describe how market entry by the platform owner differs from traditional entry and argue stakeholders may benefit from a deeper understanding of the unique nature of competing with a platform.