Sometimes I think we all are forced to learn the hard lessons first hand and that there is no other way.
And then I come across a post like this and am reminded that the Internet/Blogging/Generosity of Others can change that dynamic and is changing that dynamic.
Ryan Sarver had one of the most challenging jobs at Twitter during some of the most challenging years for Twitter. He joined the product team in 2009 and found himself managing the API and "platform" aspects of Twitter. Back then the API had been widely adopted but the business model and terms of use were not well defined. Ryan stepped right into that s**t.
And so he's writing a series of blog posts about what he learned in the four years he was in that role. His first post is What Is A Platform? Next up is Trust and Predictability. That should be a good one.
If there is a platform aspect to the business you are building, I believe these posts are must reads. I learned so much watching Twitter wrestle with and figure out the platform challenges and it informs a lot of the advice I give entrepreneurs on this matter. I can't think of anyone better to lay all of this out in black and white and let us all learn from his experiences. Thanks Ryan.
