GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech The Blind Spots of Platform Engineering • Matt McLarty & Erik Wilde
Sep 30, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Matt McLarty, CTO at Boomi and co-author of 'Unbundling the Enterprise,' joins Erik Wilde to delve into platform engineering's blind spots. They explore the evolution from DevOps and argue for a shift towards business-focused APIs that drive real innovation. Matt warns against overly generic approaches and emphasizes the need for flexibility and reusable tech components. Furthermore, they caution against blindly following Amazon's model, stressing the importance of aligning platforms with actual business outcomes for success.
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Platform Engineering Is Code-Centric
- Platform engineering focuses on developer velocity and self-service toolchains in the cloud-native era.
- That definition is code-centric and risks ignoring business outcomes and 'why' we build things.
Business People See Platforms As Optionality
- Business leaders intuitively value composable digital building blocks and optionality as a platform asset.
- Platform engineering must connect to business outcomes, not only technical delivery speed.
Optionality Is An Unmeasured Asset
- Optionality is an often-unmeasured but valuable property of enterprise software landscapes.
- Measuring and designing for optionality lets organizations capture strategic value similar to financial options.
