Strategy & Games
Infrastructure First-Mover Advantage
Before an emerging industry matures, a state or large state-owned enterprise gains competitive advantage by investing in shared infrastructure (rather than directly operating businesses), securing control of market entry points, reducing costs for later entrants, and establishing structural competitive moats. This strategy shifts competition from 'whose product is better' to 'who controls the flow and pipeline.'
Read the daily articles behind this idea on the Chinese edition.