This document discusses platforms as positive-sum games that can include more people. It notes how civilization has expanded the scale of positive-sum games over time. Platforms drive network effects by supporting users, developers, providers and operators, and the more people included, the greater the network effects. Examples are given of open source projects with thousands of contributors and members. The vision is for ubiquitous and flexible cloud computing supporting multi-cloud applications that are portable and interoperable across a growing ecosystem.

1. Zen and the Art of Platform
Sam Ramji
@sramji

3. Open source is a positive-sum game

4. 4

5. The history of civilization is a history of
positive-sum games played at larger and
larger scales.
Robert Wright, Nonzero

6. How many people can I call “self”
instead of “other”?

7. self = family

8. Google Search

9. self = tribe

10. self = chiefdom

11. self = city-state

12. self = nation-state

13. Tribe
Chiefdom
City-State
Nation-State
Family

14. self = company

15. Partnership
LLC
Corporation
Multinational
Sole proprietor

16. self = project

17. developers
providers
users
operators

19. Platforms are positive-sum games

20. Solutions
Services
Products
Platform
Users

21. The more people we can support,
the greater the platform

22. Platforms drive network effects

24. The more people we can include,
the greater the network effects

25. developers
providers
users
operators

26. [Ecosystem Competition]
Kishore S. Swaminathan (2009), Chief Scientist, Accenture

32. Solutions
Services
Products
Platform
Users

34. Packaged Apps
Packaged Services

35. 2300+ patches
2100+ contributors
130+ core committers
25+ releases

36. 2300+ patches
2100+ contributors
130+ core committers
25+ releases
AWS, GCP, Azure
vSphere, OpenStack
SoftLayer, RackHD

37. 63 member companies
173 user groups
33,400+ individual members
105 cities
48 countries

38. We see a world of cloud computing that is
UBIQUITOUS and FLEXIBLE
supporting multi-cloud application environments.
PORTABLE and INTEROPERABLE
enabling users to move their applications wherever they need to go.
VIBRANT and GROWING
underlying a massive ecosystem of applications and services.

39. We see a human community that is
PRAGMATIC
and focused on exchanging practical experience.
DIVERSE
and inclusive of people across race, gender, orientation, and lifestyle.
RESPECTFUL
and committed to listening to thoughtful and honest perspectives.

42. Introducing
AMBASSADORS