This article explores what factors drive digital platform firms to set or modify their boundaries. Building on economics, strategic management, and information systems research, I suggest that digital platforms make strategic decisions over three distinct types of interrelated boundaries: (1) the scope of the platform firm (what assets are owned, what labor is employed, and what activities are performed by the firm), (2) the configuration and composition of the platform's sides (which distinct groups of customers have access to the platform), and (3) the digital interfaces (that specify the 2-way exchange of data between the platform firm and each of its sides). In this article, I explore the interdependence between these seemingly separate decisions and the role of some important moderating variables. These moderators include whether the platform is a transaction or an innovation platform, and the extent to which the platform has developed from its initial formation stage. My work explains why we see so much variation in boundaries across platforms and over time.

本文探讨了哪些因素促使数字平台公司设定或修改其边界。在经济学、战略管理和信息系统研究的基础上，我建议数字平台在三种不同类型的相互关联的边界上做出战略决策：(1) 平台公司的范围（拥有什么资产，雇用什么劳动力，以及活动由公司执行），（2）平台双方的配置和组成（不同的客户群体可以访问平台），以及（3）数字接口（指定之间的双向数据交换）平台公司及其每一侧）。在本文中，我探讨了这些看似独立的决定与一些重要调节变量的作用之间的相互依赖关系。这些主持人包括平台是交易平台还是创新平台，以及平台从最初的形成阶段发展到什么程度。我的工作解释了为什么我们看到跨平台和跨时间的边界变化如此之大。