VC Josh Elman explains why Twitter & Facebook do ‘platform’ differently (podcast)

We’re investigating the nature of these Innovation Engines in a series of What To Think podcasts, sponsored by Pivotal Tracker, and columns by VentureBeat editor at large Dylan Tweney. Tune in here to learn the secrets behind the tech world’s most successful platforms.

In this week’s episode, we talk with venture capitalist Josh Elman, a partner at Greylock Partners and a veteran of LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Elman has built a reputation as a master of growth, and at Facebook he was head of platform, helping launch Facebook Connect.

We talked about what defines a platform, and about the differences between Facebook’s and Twitter’s approaches to building and growing their platforms.

Also in this episode, Jordan Novet and I tell you what to think about:

• Everything we think Apple will announce Sept 9
• Google’s new logo
• How the U.S. egg industry is trying to shut down Hampton Creek

You can listen to the podcast in the player above.

Or, click here to get the MP3 of this episode of What to Think.

You can also listen to What to Think on SoundCloud.

And please subscribe to What to Think in iTunes, where you’ll get every episode delivered to the device of your choice as soon as it’s released!

The What to Think Innovation Engine podcast is brought to you by Pivotal Tracker, the Agile tool that’s been organizing software teams since 2006. Tracker’s simple drag-and-drop interface and structured workflow have allowed developers, product managers, and designers alike to build and manage better software, one story at a time. Is your team ready to get on track? Go to www.pivotaltracker.com to sign up for your 30-day free trial and start delivering better software now.