The paper focuses on the meaning, nature, and function of algorithmic management in lean platforms. These questions will be approached from two different but related perspectives. The first one, relates to the genesis of this capitalist organisation of production of goods and services, presenting different interpretations in international literature, and focusing on a specific theory of the emergence of the model called platform capitalism. The second one concerns the concept of De-Westernizing Platform Studies, aiming to understand the hegemonic functions of the platform model in a multipolar world. The analysis of platforms in China – including the role of algorithmic management in this country, the characteristics of the labour force employed and the quality of work – will be used as a framework in this approach.