---
id: "pisquared:interview/simcoe-tim"
type: "Pi-Squared interview"
title: "Anita McGahan in conversation with Tim Simcoe"
url: "https://pisquared.theburnescenter.org/interviews/simcoe-tim"
date: "2026-08-24"
people: ["Anita McGahan","Tim Simcoe"]
summary: "Tim Simcoe is a Professor of Strategic Management at Boston University’s Questrom School, where his research and teaching cover topics in industrial..."
recording: "https://vimeo.com/1222564943"
source: "Pi-Squared (pisquared.theburnescenter.org), The Burnes Center for Social Change"
licence: "none stated"
---

# Anita McGahan in conversation with Tim Simcoe

Tim Simcoe, Professor of Strategic Management, Boston University Questrom School of Management · 24 August 2026

## About the guest

Tim Simcoe is a Professor of Strategic Management at Boston University’s Questrom School, where his research and teaching cover topics in industrial organization, particularly in the areas of industry standards, innovation, intellectual property, technology and corporate strategy. He has previously worked at the University of Toronto and at Ernst & Young LLP. He also served as a Senior Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Tim received his A.B. in Applied Math and Economics from Harvard University, and an M.A. in Economics and Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

## Reflections from the interview

Anita spoke with Tim Simcoe about his work on industry standards, focusing on the trade-offs between collaboration and competition, and the different paths to achieving compatibility, such as follow-the-leader, decentralized coordination, converters, and standard-setting organizations. He explained the role of government in standards, particularly for technical interoperability versus safety and quality standards. Tim also shared his thoughts on the methodological evolution in economics towards more rigorous causal claims, emphasizing the importance of humility and explicit assumptions. He mentioned potential research topics for doctoral students, including the intersection of intellectual property and standards, and the evolution of industry standardization.  He concluded by reflecting on his motivation, which he described as "puzzle joy" and a satisfaction in mentoring younger scholars.

## Related resources

- [Tim’s BU website](https://people.bu.edu/tsimcoe/)
- [Google Scholar Page for Tim](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wk_1_ZIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao)
- [Tim’s 2011 paper on CEO overconfidence](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1374)
- [Tim’s 2025 paper on earnings management](https://sms.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/smj.3742)
- [Tim’s 2015 paper on voluntary standard setting organizations and patents](https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1080.0919)

## Recording

Video: https://vimeo.com/1222564943

## Category

[Where Do We Go From Here?](https://pisquared.theburnescenter.org/category/where-next)

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Original page: https://pisquared.theburnescenter.org/interviews/simcoe-tim · Licence: none stated