The elimination of intermediaries in the supply chain, also referred to as "cutting out the middlemen."
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The network economy was initially hailed by many as a way to eliminate intermediaries, enabling a direct path from producer to consumer. This might have been an misjudgment of the nature of intermediaries and networks.
Intermediaries survive by adding value. If changes in the marketplace renders an intermediary's role less valuable, then the intermediary must adapt. If not, the old intermediary will likely be replaced by a new, more valuable intermediary.
