The switch from function to form is also helpful in reframing the resources at your disposal. Consider, for example, the development of Amazon Web Services (AWS).41 As Amazon grew from an online bookstore to an “everything” store, it built up an immense electronic infrastructure, including storage and databases. The company realized that its infrastructure wasn’t simply an internal resource. It could also be sold to other companies as a cloud-computing service, to be used for storage, networking, and databases. AWS eventually became a cash cow for Amazon, generating roughly $17 billion in
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