Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies

Susan Athey and Michael Luca

No 25064, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

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.

JEL-codes: A11 D4 L0 M2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-09
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Published as Susan Athey & Michael Luca, 2019. "Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies," Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol 33(1), pages 209-230.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies (2019)
Working Paper: Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies (2018)
Working Paper: Economists (and Economics) in Tech Companies (2018)
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