Which of the following statements about platform-based businesses is NOT correct? (4 pts)

Here is part of a Financial Times article about AI-powered Search Engine in Feb. 2023.  The Internet search wars are back. The emergence of AI systems capable of generating direct textual answers to questions — most notably the ChatGPT chatbot created by San Francisco-based OpenAI — has opened the first new front in the battle for search dominance since Google fended off a concerted challenge from Microsoft’s Bing more than a decade ago. Google and Microsoft are both close to announcing revamps of their search engines to include direct answers supplied by artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, several search start-ups have already embedded AI in their services, giving the first glimpse of how the technology behind ChatGPT might transform one of the biggest online markets. The sudden spurt of experimentation is long overdue, said Greg Sterling, an analyst who has followed the search market since 1999. For younger users in particular, Google’s search results pages seem cluttered and strewn with advertising, he said. “People are ready for something that is simpler, seemingly more credible and doesn’t have tons of ads stuffed in it.” Please respond to the following questions.     a). What are the benefits and risks of AI-powered search engine technology when compared with traditional search engines? (5 pts.)     b). Use Porter’s Five Forces framework to evaluate the industry structure of the AI-powered search industry? (5 pts.)     c). What is Google’s competitive position in this new generation of search engine technology? Use the VRIO framework to analyze Google’s competitive advantage? (10 pts.)

Consider the rise of SaaS (i.e., software as a service) companies such as Zoom, Twilio, and Workday. Would you consider SaaS as a form of disruptive innovation? Why or why not? Justify your reasoning. (10 points) Hint: Refer to Christensen’s disruptive innovation framework and justify your answer.

Which of the following is NOT an important component of a strategy to turn a technology into a platform leader? (4 pts)

Assume that you’re the chief strategy officer of a platform such as Upwork, which matches freelancers with companies looking to source small projects with external (freelance) help. (10 points)     a). Which side of the platform should you subsidize and why? (5 points)     b). Identify two strategies that you might deploy to successfully combat disintermediation risk on your platform. (5 points)  

Which of the following is a major challenge of adopting cloud services? (4 pts)

Which of the following technologies is most likely to have a two-sided platform potential? Choose one answer. (4 pts)

Which of the following statements is correct about markets with network effects? (4 pts)

Why might disruptive technologies present a potent threat to industry incumbents? (4 pts) A. Incumbents may dismiss them because they offer inferior performance. B. The incumbent’s customers value what they offer. C. They offer lower margins. D. The threat they pose may be difficult to detect. 

Adobe gives away the Acrobat Reader to build a market for the sale of software that creates Acrobat files. This phenomenon is an example of: (4 pts)