In value-eroding decoupling, disruptors break the links between value-eroding and value-creating activities. In videogames, Steam allows customers to stream videogames over the internet, just as Netflix does for movies and TV shows.13 With Steam, players no longer have to get off the couch and go to a physical retailer (a value-eroding activity) in order to play a game (a value-creating one). For gamers, that’s a pretty big deal, and Steam’s success proves it. As of 2017, the company had more than 200 million users, with annual revenues of $1 billion and a value of as much as $10 billion.14
