Blog
Notes on the platform economy
Shorter-form commentary between the papers: new findings, method notes, and takes on platform governance and performance in the wild.
Fake Reviews Aren't a Content Problem. They're a Shape Problem.
Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba all catch fraud by mapping who transacts with whom, not by reading what anyone wrote.
Creator Platforms Don’t Govern Creators. Their Networks Do.
Multi-channel networks capture up to 70% of streamer revenue by telling talent a different story about the algorithm than the one they tell themselves. We call it interpretive arbitrage.
Raise Gig Workers’ Pay Floor. Their Earnings Stay Flat.
New York and Seattle data show delivery platforms neutralize a minimum-pay mandate through three offsetting levers: fee pass-through, tip compression, and task rationing. We call it the Wage Floor Offset.
The Friction Dividend: Why Ride-Hailing Apps Don’t Need to Be Cheaper
A one-week audit of 2,238 matched trips found a 14% price gap between Uber and Lyft, and riders check the other app just 16% of the time. The margin platforms collect when you don’t compare.