Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies

Susan  Athey; Michael  Luca

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2018

Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies

by Susan Athey and Michael Luca

Abstract

As technology platforms have created new markets and new ways of acquiring information, economists have come to play an increasingly central role in tech companies—tackling problems such as platform design, strategy, pricing, and policy. Over the past five years, hundreds of PhD economists have accepted positions in the technology sector. In this paper, we explore the skills that PhD economists apply in tech companies, the companies that hire them, the types of problems that economists are currently working on, and the areas of academic research that have emerged in relation to these problems.

Keywords: technology companies; economists; Technology; Business Ventures; Economics; Research; Technology Industry;

Language: English

Format: Print

28 pages

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Citation:

Athey, Susan, and Michael Luca. "Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-027, September 2018.

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Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies

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