“Platform economy” is that part of the economy that is based on systems whose structure and functional logic is decisively shaped by the establishment of platforms. “Platform economy” is thus the teaching, practice and institution of the systematic approach to meet human needs under given conditions of scarcity, within the framework of systems whose structure and functional logic is decisively shaped by the establishment of platforms. The academic discipline concerned with the “platform economy” is denominated “platform economics”.

The “platform economy” is becoming increasingly important as a result of digitization. In the course of digital transformation, new types of platforms are emerging which enable a fundamental change in the value creation logic of existing markets and thus contribute to the development of new forms of value creation architectures. Digital Disruption is fundamentally changing the value creation fabric of the economy. One of these changes is the development of value creation networks based on platforms.