Feng Zhu

Feng Zhu is the MBA Class of 1958 Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he leads the Platform Lab within the Digital, Data, and Design Institute, co-chairs the Harvard Business Analytics Program, and serves as the course head for the Technology and Operations Management course in the MBA required curriculum. He is a faculty associate at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard. Professor Zhu is an expert on platform strategy, digital innovation and transformation, competitive strategy, and business model innovation.

Professor Zhu has authored over 80 articles, cases, and notes in prestigious practitioner and academic journals, including the Harvard Business Review, American Economic Review, and Management Science. His research has been featured in prominent media outlets such as the Washington Post, Financial Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. His research and teaching have won many international awards, such as the Inaugural Practical Impacts Award from the INFORMS Information Systems Society, which recognizes business school academics with outstanding leadership and sustained impact on the industry through their academic research.

He synthesizes some of his research insights in two forthcoming books: Smart Rivals: How Innovative Companies Play Games That Tech Giants Can’t Win (Harvard Business School Press) and Web3: Blockchain and the New Economy (Cambridge University Press). He also co-edited the Research Handbook on Digital Strategy.

As a sought-after speaker and advisor to global business leaders, Professor Zhu has consulted for many tech firms such as Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Uber on competition and regulation issues. He has also conducted seminars or provided consulting services to many traditional firms worldwide, helping them with their digital transformation and innovation strategies. Regulators across various jurisdictions, including the United States, UK, OECD, and Mexico, have relied on his research.

Professor Zhu earned his Ph.D. in science, technology and management and a master’s in computer science at Harvard University. He did his undergraduate work in computer science, economics, and mathematics at Williams College.