ABSTRACT
This study attempts to understand an important aspect of General Purpose Technologies (GPTs) that has been somewhat overlooked by the previous literature (Bresnahan 2010). In particular, the chapter analyses the business model, the profitability, and the economic performance of the GPT provider by presenting an in-depth and detailed case history of the processes involved in the commercialization of a GPT (Arora et al. 2001). Using multiple sources, I document the financial viability and sustainability of the business model of the GPT provider in the long run (Bresnahan and Trajtenberg 1995). Hence, this study contributes to a wider research agenda that aims to consolidate the understanding of GPTs, the conditions for their emergence, their organizational implications inside firms, and the effects on firm behaviour and performance (Lipsey et al. 1998; Gambardella and McGahan 2010).
