All points of view
05 of 07
Platforms compound.
Build one good base that others can build on, instead of many one-off solutions.
In plain words
A platform is a shared base that other people can build on — for example an API (a doorway that lets other software use your product), a tool, or a knowledge system. A good platform keeps paying off: people build things on it that you never planned, so the value grows over time.
Why Jenks thinks this
- At Linktree, about 200 companies wanted to connect with the product. Instead of 200 custom features, Jenks led a platform: 3 APIs, developer kits (SDKs), a developer portal and app-store integrations.
- At Xero, he helped the partner app ecosystem grow from 500+ to 1,000+ partners in three years — growth that came from others building on Xero's platform.
What he does about it
He applies the same idea to AI: one shared layer — company knowledge, tools, model routing and logging — instead of dozens of disconnected chatbots built by separate teams.
What it means for you
Before building another AI tool for one team, ask whether a shared base could serve five teams. It costs a little more at the start and much less over time.