The ecosystem metaphor for business may be too trendy, too tired, or both, but it can still be a useful one. I like the use of the metaphor by Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien, and have used it in writing about WordPress and Automattic.

The thing I like about Marco and Roy’s use of the metaphor is their emphasis on what they call keystone organizations, which emphasize the overall health of their ecosystems. I consider Automattic to be such an organization. I seem to remember that CEO Toni Schneider is fond of the ecosystem metaphor, although I don’t know whether he’s read Marco and Roy’s stuff.

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