Business ecosystems, both enabled by and resulting from big changes in the ways we consume and produce, are developing at remarkable speed. A McKinsey report suggests that by 2025, today’s 100-plus industries and value chains will have collapsed into a dozen or so multi-trillion-dollar ecosystems accounting for some $60 trillion in revenues — one third of the global total.

Covid-19 has accelerated this trend. The crisis has led to the creation of new webs of relationships. Pharma giants pooled immunity know-how and shared with researchers worldwide to speed up the development of promising new vaccines. The Big Tech companies also received a boost. Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon in the West, Tencent and Alibaba.com in China have become stronger than ever. But what does the rise of ecosystems mean for our long term futures?

During the Thinkers50 Awards Gala Ideas Premiere Pre-event, we had the chance to get a deep dive into the world of business ecosystems. In this session, we hear from Michael G. Jacobides, the Sir Donald Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. Michael is joined by Dr. Cristina Caffarra, an expert in competition economics who has led for several years the antitrust and regulatory team at Charles River Associates in Europe, and BMW Corporate Strategy, Monika Dernai, who leads the company’s Urban Mobility Team.

 

To get access to all Ideas Premiere Pre-event session recordings, as well as full interactive access to the Thinkers50 Awards Gala, visit https://thinkers50.com/2021-invite/