Effective Platform Engineering • Ajay Chankramath, Nic Cheneweth, Bryan Oliver, Sean Alvarez & Wesley Reisz

GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech

This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club.
http://gotopia.tech/bookclub
Read the full transcription of the interview here

Ajay Chankramath - CTO at Brillio & Co-Author of "Effective Platform Engineering"
Nic Cheneweth - Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks & Co-Author of "Effective Platform Engineering"
Bryan Oliver - Principal at Thoughtworks & Co-Author of "Effective Platform Engineering"
Sean Alvarez - CTO of Life Sciences Business at Brillio & Co-Author of "Effective Platform Engineering"
Wesley Reisz - Technical Principal at Equal Experts
RESOURCES
Ajay
https://chankramath.com

Nic
https://www.linkedin.com/in/niccheneweth

Bryan
https://olivercodes.com

Sean
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpalvarez

Wes
https://bsky.app/profile/wesleyreisz.com

Links
https://www.gartner.com/en/experts/top-tech-trends-unpacked-series/platform-engineering-empowers-developers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain-driven_design
https://www.openpolicyagent.org

DESCRIPTION
The authors of Effective Platform Engineering—Ajay Chankramath, Sean Alvarez, Nic Cheneweth & Bryan Oliver—discuss the transformative role of platform engineering in software delivery. They highlight how platform engineering streamlines operations, enhances developer experience, and drives innovation through self-service tools
Key topics include evolutionary architecture, treating platforms as lifecycle-managed products, and using generative AI to optimize infrastructure. They also cover practical strategies for launching platform initiatives, focusing on organizational self-awareness, API boundaries, and balancing compliance with productivity. The authors aim to provide actionable insights for building adaptable platforms that drive business agility and long-term value.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Chankramath, Cheneweth, Oliver & Alvarez • Effective Platform Engineering
Gregor Hohpe • Platform Strategy
Kate Stanley & Mickael Maison • Kafka Connect
Adrienne Braganza Tacke • "Looks Good to Me": Constructive Code Reviews
Martin Fowler • Refac

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فصول

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Key principles for starting strong in platform engineering (00:03:10)

3. What sets this book apart: Practical guidance & sustained success (00:06:34)

4. Evolving from DevOps to platform engineering (00:10:00)

5. DDD in platform engineering: A scalable approach (00:17:21)

6. Platform engineering: Bridging DevOps, SRE & DevEx (00:20:41)

7. How do you measure success in platform engineering? (00:25:13)

8. Balancing autonomy & compliance (00:31:53)

9. Scaling engineering platforms: Evolving from startups to enterprises (00:41:09)

10. The Role of GenAI in shaping platform engineering (00:44:20)

11. Key Takeaways from "Effective Platform Engineering" (00:50:21)

12. Outro (00:52:50)