Platform4 min
Build vs Buy is becoming Build vs Buy vs Partner vs Agent.
A two-option decision framework is now missing half the options that matter.
Build or buy was always a simplification, but it was a workable one. It is no longer workable.
Partnering is now a first-class option, because ecosystems distribute capability faster than any single company can build it. And a growing class of work is neither built nor bought but delegated to systems that act on your behalf.
Each option carries a different question. Build asks whether this is a source of advantage. Buy asks whether the category is commoditised. Partner asks who holds the customer relationship afterwards. Agent asks who is accountable when it is wrong.
Companies that keep making four-option decisions with a two-option framework will systematically over-build.
Written by Hendrik van Iterson, Technology & AI Executive, Amsterdam.