Platform coops
*Platform co-operatives adopt the democratic ownership and governance structure of workers' co-operatives and utilise a digital platform for the sale of goods or services.
Platform cooperatives are an alternative to venture capital-funded and centralized platforms, putting stakeholders before shareholders.
Platform co-ops are based on principles including:
- Broad-based ownership of the platform, in which workers control the technological features, production processes, algorithms, data, and job structures of the online platform;
- Democratic governance, in which all stakeholders who own the platform collectively govern the platform;
- Co-design of the platform, in which all stakeholders are included in the design and creation of the platform ensuring that software grows out of their needs, capacities, and aspirations;
- An aspiration to open source development and open data, in which new platform co-ops can lay the algorithmic foundations for other co-ops.
Platform cooperatives are businesses that use a website, mobile app, or protocol to sell goods or services. 📱 They rely on democratic decision-making and shared ownership of the platform by workers and users.👥
- offer a near-future, alternative to platform capitalism based on cooperative principles such as democratic ownership and governance.
- introduce economic fairness, training, and democratic participation in the running of online businesses.
give stakeholders a say in what happens on the platforms.
Platform co-ops must be founded with a deep commitment to social justice which should be considered in all processes of institutional design and governance practices