Solar System Portfolio Model

"We have the solar system metaphor where for us news is the sun in the sense that it's why we exist. It is what gives us our brand heritage and reputation. It's what instills trust. It's also where we just have the largest audience... But then that sun helps you give birth to other satellite planets or products that have a lot of the same DNA." - Alex Hardiman

What It Is

The Solar System Portfolio Model is a framework for expanding a product portfolio in a way that maintains coherence and leverage. Instead of building disconnected products, you identify your "sun"—the core product that defines your brand, reputation, and trust—and then create "satellite planets" that share DNA with the core but serve adjacent needs.

The New York Times uses this to expand beyond news into games (Wordle, Crosswords), cooking, sports (The Athletic), shopping (Wirecutter), and audio. Each satellite product shares the Times' DNA of great trusted journalism and high-quality expert-driven content, while serving different life needs.

How It Works

The Sun (Core Product) Your sun is the product that:

• Defines why you exist as a company
• Creates your brand heritage and reputation
• Instills trust with your audience
• Has your largest audience (top of funnel)
• Contains the most depth of your core expertise

For the New York Times, news is the sun—it's the foundation of their 150-year reputation.

The Planets (Satellite Products) Satellite products share DNA with your core but serve different needs:

• Same quality standards and craft
• Same trust relationship with users
• Same type of expertise (just applied to different domains)
• Different user needs and use cases

For NYT, cooking shares the DNA of expert journalism applied to recipes; games share the DNA of high-quality, intellectually stimulating content.

The Bundle (Connected System) The portfolio becomes powerful when products are connected:

• Users can flow between products easily
• Subscription bundles capture more value
• Brand extends coherently into new territories
• Cross-selling is natural, not forced

How to Apply It

1. Identify your sun

   • What product defines your company's reputation?
   • Where does your deepest expertise live?
   • What creates trust with your users?
   • What's your largest audience?

2. Define your DNA

   • What makes your core product special?
   • What craft and standards are non-negotiable?
   • What expertise translates to other domains?

3. Identify potential planets

   • What adjacent needs do your users have?
   • Where can your DNA create differentiation?
   • What problems can you solve better than others because of your core expertise?

4. Build or acquire satellites

   • Create new products that share your DNA
   • Acquire products that can integrate with your brand
   • Ensure each planet serves a distinct need

5. Connect the system

   • Create easy pathways between products
   • Bundle subscriptions to capture more value
   • Maintain brand coherence across the portfolio

When to Use It

• When expanding beyond your core product
• When evaluating acquisition targets
• When deciding whether a new product fits your portfolio
• When bundling multiple products into a subscription

Good fit for solar system expansion:

• New product serves different need than core
• Your expertise/DNA creates advantage in new area
• Users naturally want both (complement, not substitute)
• Trust from core product transfers to new product

Bad fit:

• New product has no connection to your DNA
• Would dilute your core brand perception
• Serves same need as core (cannibalization risk)
• Requires completely different expertise

Source

• Guest: Alex Hardiman
• Episode: "An inside look at how the New York Times builds product"
• Key Discussion: (00:20:37) - Solar system metaphor explained; full discussion of bundle strategy
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

• Explore and Exploit for Growth - Finding new growth areas while expanding winners